Marie Jean Philip

Marie Jean Phillip  (1953-1997) was an American Sign Language activist. She wanted Deaf children to learn American Sign Language as their first language.

 Early life 
Phillip was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was born to a deaf family. Philip was rejected from the Clarke School for the Deaf because of her use of sign language. They wanted her to use English to speak and lip-read. Eventually, she was accepted into the American School for the Deaf.

 Career 
She was an ASL activist and Bilingual-Bicultural pioneer. She wanted Deaf students to learn American Sign Language and to learn about Deaf culture. Marie Jean Philip went to Northeastern University and Gallaudet University to earn a BA degree in linguistics. She went on to be the first deaf researcher and interpreter at Northeastern University after her graduation. Marie started The Learning Center for the Deaf in Massachusetts. She eventually had several programs named after her.  Philip unfortunately passed away due to pulmonary embolism.  

 Contributions 
Phillip was one of the first people to establish ASL as a recognized language. (2) She still remains an icon to deaf culture for her work and advocacy for ASL to this day.

 References 

Category:1953 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:American activists
Category:Deaf people