Regina Davis

As a Deaf ASL (American Sign Language) Instructor, I have been teaching classes for many years in various settings ( colleges, community programs, universities, online programs, private classes etc.).  I'm thrilled to be here at Science, Etc. in my first year here and working with high school students in ASL I, ASL II and ASL III.  

If we sincerely pray and pay attention to His leading and guidance, the Lord can lead us into amazing places and opportunities . . . and that is exactly what the Lord has done for me in bringing me to Science, Etc.  This work and place is a total "God thing". 

My story:  I was born in Fort Worth but raised in the small town of Haltom City, which is nestled in the Northeast area of Fort Worth and surrounded by Fort Worth and a couple of other small towns.  I was not born deaf, I was born with normal hearing in both ears.  I lost total hearing in my right ear before 3 years of age.  However, the normal hearing in my left ear was not sensitive to sounds at the average decibel hertzes of our world, so I was actually more "deaf" than anyone knew, while growing up as the only borderline hard of hearing/deaf person in my hearing grade schools.  At the age of 13, I lost almost all of the hearing in my left ear overnight during my sleep.  Subsequently, I had a hearing aid for the little residual hearing I had (basically helped with sound awareness, rather than speech comprehension) until that totally dissipated much later during adulthood.  I was taken under the wings of Deaf community leaders and grassroots Deaf people when I began learning ASL in my senior year in high school. 

I attended TCC NE, then the University of North Texas, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Education and Counseling.  Went through 2 Masters degree programs. The first at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., graduating with an M.A. degree.  2 courses remain for graduating with an M.A. from SWBTS (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) in Fort Worth.

My work has been not only as an ASL Instructor, but also as a Counselor (15 years but no longer working with this), a Deaf Performing Artist (actress, dancer, dance choreographer, Sign Music artist, Theatre Sign Language interpreting mentor/evaluator), Deaf theatre Director and Scriptwriter (23 scripts thus far), Public Speaker/Workshops Presenter, ASL Translator, Writer (Deaf Fairytale & other stories, poems, ASL works, etc.), once hosted a Deaf tv program ("Signs of the Times" with channel 11) for almost 10 years.  Worked 2 1/2 years long ago as a missionary to Deaf communities.  I am on a planning committee that provides an annual workshops and performances weekend event for and hosts Deaf high school students coming from many Deaf/deaf high school programs around the entire state.  My primary job at this event is to host and take care of all the Deaf artists we bring in for this event every year. 

Other things about me:  I have my mom and meowser fur babes with me in a house in Fort Worth (apparently, with outdoor meowzers food, I am feeding a raccoon family of mom, dad and 3 babies who show up often).  I love reading, seriously advanced in-depth bible studies/services (am a member of a Deaf church), creating works for Deaf performance arts, researching new works in ASL, coming up with new ideas and activities for my students/classes, (and when possible "pre-pandemic", plus hopefully again soon "post-pandemic") traveling, spending time with friends (both Deaf/deaf and hearing who sign), going to theatre play productions (that have theatre trained interpreters), movies (with captioning, and LOVE Christmas movies), going to arts/crafts festivals/faires, and the rare treat of eating snow crab legs (my favorite food).

One of my favorite quotes about education is:  I think if I had to put a finger on what I consider a good education, a good radical education, it wouldn't be anything about methods or techniques. It would be about loving people first.

  - Myles Horton

Education IS important, but making sure I can both give students ways to truly learn well, plus opportunities to allow them to flourish in who God is creating them to be on the whole, is of utmost importance to me.  

Thank you for this school, program, place and the opportunity to do so.