ABSTRACT
Our contribution to this festschrift has its origins in the grassroots of the Deaf community
as well as in the hallowed halls of the ivory tower. The pioneering work of Edward Klima
and Ursula Bellugi, from data collection to technical argumentation to acquiring funding
for sign language research, has allowed a great number of scholars to benefit either
directly or indirectly. Such benefit has also accrued to members of the Deaf community,
who have always known that there existed a language and culture, but who are now
empowered to study it from the inside. This piece, written by a linguist, a psychologist,
and an interpreter married to a Deaf man, demonstrates the influence that Klima and
Bellugi have had on many levels of scholarship and on the lives of Deaf people.
