Louise Volpini-Horrigan and her mother, Rose Volpini, outside Boston School for the Deaf, Randolph Massachusetts
This is the route from the Volpini’s house in Quincy to Boston School for the Deaf in Randolph. Roughly a 5.7 mile or 2+ hour walk. Even with the updates in public transit today, this is an extensive, long journey. The family had to walk back and forth if they wanted to see one another, which made this very challenging during the winter months.
Louise and her sister Marie went to Deaf boarding school. Their parents, Emilio and Rose Volpini, immigrated from Italy directly to Quincy, Massachusetts. Moving to America came with its own hardships. Emilio and Rose were able to send their two deaf children to proper deaf schooling. With that, they were only able to see each other on summer break between school years.
Rose and Emilio were struggling immigrants who wanted what was best for their children. Coming to America, they did their best to read, speak, and write in English but were more comfortable in their native tongue. This gap between English, Italian, and American Sign Language created relational barriers within the family.
Rose Marcucci-Volpini is approximately 17 years of age. This is from her Italian Passport.
Letter from Louise at Deaf Boarding School to Emilio.
Most likely, this letter was translated or read to Emilio by his wife, Rose, as she was more fluent in English. Emilio struggled with literacy, even in his native Italian tongue. Rose was responsible for mending the language barrier between her deaf children, her Italian-speaking husband, and her entire family.
This letter was inscribed on the inside of a book titled It’s Fun to Write Letters! Here, Emilio urged both of his daughters, Marie and Louise, to write to him more, most likely because it was easier for Emilio and Marie and Louise to decipher the written English language than to lip-read Italian or broken English. Writing letters enabled Emilio, Rose, Louise, and Marie to learn English. All who didn’t consider English their preferred language, with both parents being migrants and their American-born daughters being 100% deaf and using ASL to communicate.
Language barriers were slightly easier to navigate through writing, and letter writing also kept the family in constant contact. Visitation was near impossible as the family had no car, and walking the distance needed to see each other was challenging, to say the least. Louise and Marie would have to walk to Quincy from Randolph to see their parents and visit their home. Between work, life, and language disconnect, the family had to stay innovative to remain connected.
Emilio Volpini is approximately 18 years of age. This is from his customs card when arriving from Italy.
