On this occasion, Google, the most used search engine worldwide, surprises with an animated doodle to celebrate the ninety-third birthday of Dorothy Miles, a pioneer in sign language poetry, born on August 19, 1931, in Wales, United Kingdom.
Miles is recognized as the modern founder of sign language poetry. Her work was fundamental in the education and promotion of this discipline. Among her most notable achievements are the production of television series to teach sign language and the creation of written manuals for its dissemination. Her dedication to teaching and promoting sign language reflected her strong commitment to expanding the reach of this form of expression.
This doodle is a tribute to her dedication and ability to inspire change, as well as to her lasting legacy in activism and poetry for the deaf.
Dorothy Miles is recognized as a pioneer in sign language poetry and a key figure in deaf activism. At the age of 8, she lost her hearing due to meningitis, but her passion for English poetry, fueled by her mother, a teacher, persisted throughout her life.
She studied at the Royal School for the Deaf in Manchester and at the Mary Hare Grammar School in Newbury, where priority was given to written English learning and the use of sign language was discouraged.
However, it was during her time working at a home for deaf women in Blackburn that she began to learn and use British Sign Language, marking a turning point in her career.
In 1957, Dorothy received a scholarship to study at Gallaudet University, where she discovered an advanced educational approach for the deaf and excelled in poetry and theater. Upon returning to the United States four years later, she put into practice what she had learned and worked as an educator for the National Deaf Theater Company, teaching poetry in sign language.
Later, she moved to the University of California, where she contributed to a performing arts program for the deaf and promoted sign language in England. Her manual “A Beginner’s Guide” became a bestseller in the 1980s.
Over the years, she produced educational content and translated her poems into British Sign Language (BSL). This is how, in the 1990s, Dorothy became a symbol of the deaf community in England.
Dorothy Miles passed away on January 30, 1993. In her honor, the Dorothy Miles Cultural Center was established in Guilford, England, dedicated to teaching BSL and fostering communication between deaf and hearing individuals.