Brandi Rarus lost her hearing at age 6 after contracting spinal meningitis. From signing the National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs game to speaking at corporate conferences, she has traveled the country speaking out for Deaf children and building awareness of what it means to be Deaf.
Brandi's roots in advocacy began in 1988 when she marched to Capitol Hill with thousands of people representing the Deaf community in the Deaf President Now movement. The protest paved the way for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, and changed the course of every deaf person's life. Today, Brandi is an executive with Communication Service for the Deaf, the largest nonprofit, worldwide organization serving the Deaf and hard of hearing community.
Brandi and her husband Tim live in Austin, Texas, with their four children: three hearing boys and the youngest, Zoe, their adopted Deaf daughter. Brandi and her family are tirelessly dedicated to ensuring all children find their rightful place in our world.
Award-winning writer and teacher of the intuitive process, Gail Harris has experienced the joy of adopting a child. She brings her knowledge of the adoption process and in-vitro fertilization to this book, along with her ability to articulate from a hearing person's perspective what is fascinating about the Deaf experience. In the four years that it took to write Finding Zoe, Gail conducted more than 75 interviews to uncover. Gail is the author of Your Heart Knows the Answer and a featured blogger on several popular parenting blogs. She lives with her husband and son in Framingham, MA.
