June Freeman - Featured Member Profile

Since June was born deaf to her hearing parents and older brother, Glenn, she grew up most of her life in Plainville. As she believed that her deafness was due to heredity because of her grandparents being deaf. From her father’s family generation, her grandparents hailed from Wisconsin and one of her two aunts taught sign language and was an interpreter there. Sadly her grandparents and aunt passed away before she had an opportunity to acquire with them.

During her school years, June attended American School until she became six years old to be transferred to Mystic Oral School because her parents rather wanted her to spend most of the weekends at the residential school while her mother was in serious illness. So her father spent most of his attention to her mother all times. Unfortunately June lost her mother at the age of 8.

As she was transferred back to ASD until her graduation in 1975, she attended a community college for one semester to take two courses to study in the field of child care and child development. She decided to attend National Technical Institute for the Deaf in one year later after withdrawing from the community college before a 2nd semester began. For studying a field of accounting or optician lab she remained at NTID for one year but in a second year she decided not to continue her studying further in any technical majors.

Returning home she was employed full time at the toys factory for two years as assembly worker and met her future husband, Allen Freeman. Allen and June got married in 1981 and adopted a first daughter, Anju from India. June then worked for Napier in the jewelry field as an office clerk for 11 years. However she decided to leave her job in order to take care of Anju, a four year old daughter at home. Until Anju became 12 years old, June obtained a new job as Residential Counselor at the ASD for 8 years.

As June and Allen realized about their different worlds between hearing and deaf communities, they were divorced in 2002 after their marriage for 21 years. In spite of their failed marriage, June is proud to be grandmother of Anju’s son, Antoine, almost one year old.

On her spare time June enjoys her foreign traveling, reading and cross stitch with her partner, Margaret Huang. June was involved in CT Association of the Deaf as former Chair for Deaf Awareness Week twice and former board member. Currently she serves as board member for ASDAA for 8 years.

As former president, June is actively involved in Deaf Women of CT as currently board member since 1994. She believes that the DWC is an excellent place for deaf women with a great opportunity to meet new and old women for the purpose to socialize and participate in some activities where available for deaf women while other activities like clubs, bowling or bingos are male dominated or unappealing to most deaf women. June feels strongly that the DWC is an important resource for providing some workshops, support groups and special interests that enable deaf women to help each other as to be proud as complete deaf women.

Being asked to describe DWC with one word, she answered, “Empowerment”. As she explained further about it, she said, “We, deaf women need to recognize and identify ourselves as deaf women in different perception as well as separate from being inside the male dominating community. Like we usually do for other people as mothers, or wives we sometimes forget ourselves. Being in the DWC it helps us to remember who we are and we are being ourselves.“

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