Alandra's lilacs

by Tressa Bowers

"When, in 1968, nineteen-year-old Tressa Bowers took her baby daughter to an expert on deaf children, he pronounced Alandra to be "stone deaf," that she most likely would never be able to talk, and she probably would not get much of an education because of her communication limitations. Tressa refused to accept this stark assessment of Alandra's prospects. Instead, she began the arduous process of starting her daughter's education."--BOOK JACKET. "Economic need forced Tressa to move several times, and as a result, she and Alandra experienced a variety of learning environments: a pure oralist approach, which discouraged signing; Total Communication, in which the teachers spoke and signed simultaneously; a residential school for deaf children, where Signed English was employed; and a mainstream public school that relied upon interpreters."--BOOK JACKET. "Changes at home added more challenges, from Tressa's divorce to her remarriage, her long work hours, and the ongoing challenge of compl