Here is Harper. She is 33, a mother of one 7 year old and profoundly deaf. Harper uses ASL and does not use much speech. She can lip read to an extent and uses technology to support communication. She is Courtney's sister and has lived locally for 5 years.
Name:Â Harper Simpson Faceclaim:Â Sandra Mae Frank Gender & Pronouns:Â cisfemale she/her Age:Â 33 Birthday:Â 20/07/1991 Place of birth: North Carolina Occupation:Â owner of Belle Blossoms Neighborhood:Â Cresthill Meadows Time since arriving in Kismet Harbor: 5 years
Full Biography:
Harper Thomas was born premature, so small she could almost fit in the palm of your hand. She was a fighter though, even from that first day. She spent the first four months of her life in the NICU before finally being allowed home where she was smothered with attention. Her developmental milestones were delayed but she progressed along them as expected for a baby born so early. All seemed fine until Harper was three and her parents noticed that she wasn't responding to her name as easily. A hearing test showed that she had less than 50% of her hearing and as time went on and it continued to fade. By the age of 5 Harper was clinically profoundly deaf.
As soon as they realised that her hearing was only going to decline her parents set about learning what to do. Doctors suggested cochlear implants and speech therapy but they sought out opinions from deaf adults and what they heard was the complete opposite. They decided to do a mixture, saying no to surgery but enrolling Harper in speech therapy whilst also learning ASL as an entire family. The children picked it up the quickest but her parents worked hard, wanting to do whatever was best for their daughter.
Harper could talk but as time went on she chose not to use her voice, relying predominantly on ASL. Her parents were worried that she would feel alone in the world so they sought out a deaf community to surround their daughter with. She went to a general elementary school but for middle school she was moved to a deaf program where she didn't have to just rely on a translator for every lesson.
During a work experience placement Harper fell in love with flower arranging, it was quiet and peaceful but she could tell a story without saying a word. She got herself a job at a local shop in her hometown, it wasn't a huge paycheck but it was enough and they put in the few accomodations that Harper requested.
In ASL Harper was loud and charismatic, she was silly and joyful, but when she had to rely on lip reading and technology she never quite felt like herself. That was probably why when she was in her twenties and she met Harry, a CODA who could sign fluently she immediately picked him as her person. They moved fast, settling into an easy routine, comfortable with one another. They were in love, or at least Harper thought so at the time, but nothing is ever that easy.
When Harper was 25 she became pregnant with her daughter Willow. Becoming a mother wasn't exactly planned but Harper took to it naturally, though there were some challenges to being the deaf parent to a hearing child. Willow didn't always understand that Harper needed her to sign, but as the years went on the little girl became pretty good at adapting. 5 years ago they up and moved to Kismet Harbour, they did it for Harry's job but when they moved to town they found that Belle Blossoms was up for sale, it really felt kismet, he got his new job and Harper took on ownership of the shop, her dream job.
4 years ago Harper met a friend who would come to change her life. It started innocent, just close friends who enjoyed spending time with one another. However over time it became more than that, it was never physical but Harper fell in love with her, and that's when she realised that what she had with Harry wasn't love, it was just friendship.
About nine months ago Harper cut ties, worried that she was crossing a line, blowing up her family over a dream. Willow needed stability, she needed two parents and things with Harry were fine, they were happy, they just didn't have that spark. Harry noticed the change in his wife though and eventually it all came out. Harry was angry but he couldn't stay angry, he loved Harper too much for that. They decided to amicably part ways, deciding on shared custody in an attempt to make things as easy for Willow as possible. Now Harper is 5 months into divorce proceedings and she has no idea what to do next.
Wanted Connections:
Best Friend: This person would've known Harper for at least a year or two. They'd also have to know how to sign, either before they met Harper or because they met Harper. Parent Friends: Harper has a 7 year old daughter called Willow so she needs her parent support group for sure. Flirationships: Harper has been separated for 5 months now and is starting to explore what that means. Signing Friends: If you know ASL Harper will instantly love you. Regulars: Harper owns the flower shop so it'd be nice to have some regulars.
