DorothyMaySquire(Miles)(1931-1993)Signlanguagepoet(inbothUSandUK),playwright,NTDactress,writer,signlanguageteacher/researcher,andBSL/Deafrightsadvocate“WhenIfirstsawtheNationalTheatreoftheDeafin1967…Isawwhattheyweredoingwithsignlanguage,thingsIhadneverdreamedof.”

[paintingsofDorothySquire(Miles)usedbypermission.Left-ThisisDorothyMilesandRight-DeafArts:DorothyMilesbothbyNancyRourke]Born:August19,1931Gwernaffield,WalesDied:January30,1993FamilyofOrigin:Hermother,Amy,wasanEnglishelocutionteacherandherfather’s(JamesSquire’s)familywasWelsh-speaking.HerfirstlanguagewasEnglish.BecameDeafatage8½.Schooling:1940-1946:RoyalSchoolfortheDeaf(Manchester)1946-1950:MaryHareSchoolfortheDeaf(DeaneHollow)(BurgessHill,Sussex)1957-1961:GallaudetCollege(University).EnglishMajor/MinorPsychology, graduatingwithdistinction.[editorofBuffandBlueandTheGallaudet‘ Record,PhiAlphaPimember,winnerofactingandwritingawards]1961:MAcoursesinSociologyatHowardUniversity

1968:MAdegreeinEducationalTheatre,ConnecticutCollege[Thesis:“AHistory

ofTheatreintheDeafCommunityoftheUnitedStates’].1975:CaliforniaStateUniversity,NorthridgeProfessionalExperiences:1950-1955:ClericalAssistant/AssistantLibrarian,atRoadResearchLaboratory,

MiddlesexandBuckinghamshire.(5years)AssistantMatron,RichardsonHomeforDeafWomen,Blackburn.(2years)WelfareWorker,Liverpool,BenevolentSocietyfortheAidoftheDeafandDumb.

Liverpool,England.1961-1967?:TeacherandCounselor:MichiganandMissouri.1967-1975:NationalTheatrefortheDeafandLittleTheatrefortheDeaf(wardrobe

mistress/costumedesigner,director,actress,administrator,publicist—editorofNTD’snewsletter,Spotlight).

1975:DramaandSignLanguagePrograms,CaliforniaStateUniversity,Northridge.1977:ReturntoUKSocialWorker,WestLondon(Newcastle)and

BritishSignlanguagecurriculumdevelopmentBritishDeafAssociation/BBC DurhamUniversityLecturer(signlanguage/Interpretertrainingprogram). Interpreterevaluatorandtrainingsignlanguagetutors.ProvidedworkshopsonBSLpoetry,coursesonimprovisationaldrama,appearancesonBBCtelevisionshows,“OpenDoor”and“SeeHear.”ShewasalifelongDeafcommunityadvocate.PersonalInformation:Name-signatDeafschool:“152”DOTusedatGallaudetSignfor“dot”inBSLafterreturnfromUSBrieflymarriedin(1958-1959)toRobertThomasMiles(Deaf,fromOhio),aGallaudetclassmateandPhysicalEducationinstructor.WritingsbyDorothySquireMiles:WrotetheGallaudetBisonSongPublishedpoetryintheSilentMusePublishedwritingsintheBuffandBlueThesis:“AHistoryofTheatreintheDeafCommunityoftheUnitedStates’.APlayofOurOwn(1973).Miles,Dorothy.(1976)Gestures.Northridge,CA:JoyceMotionPictures(withfilm).Miles,Dorothy.(1981).BSL:Amanualforteachers.Carlisle:BritishDeafAssociation.Resources:DorothyMiles,NotedDeafWriter,PoetandPerformer.(1993,March).TheNADBroadcaster,pg.16.

NTDRemembersDorothyMiles.(1993,April).SilentNews,pg.26.Read,Don(2001).DorothyMiles.InP.W.JacksonandR.Lee’s,DeafLives:PeopleinHistory,pp.132-133.Middlesex,England:BritishDeafHistorySociety.Read,DonBrightPromise.Sutton-Spence,Rachel.DeafLives:DorothyMiles’LifeExperiencesandHerPoetry.DeafHistory.p.4-10.BSLPoetryonline:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgNAe8Rgli4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK0CyVOUNEEandanumberofotherpoemsontheyoutubechannelsignmetaporSeeHearperformance:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0151k1725thAnniversary—TheVoicefromSilentHands:https://bda.org.uk/remembering-dot-miles-25th-anniversary/BelowfromGallaudetUniversityArchivessite.