Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz, the JMS Co-Founder
Written By Jodi Becker Kinner
Published in 2021
Published in 2021
Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz, also known as MM, is a highly respected figure in the Deaf community, and she is also the partner of Julio Diaz and a proud mother of three grown Deaf children - Briella, Julio "Tres," and Isabelle. Minnie Mae was born into a Deaf family, and her parents, Jerry Willing and Caldonia Della Williams played a significant role in shaping her appreciation of Deaf culture and literacy. Throughout her career, Minnie Mae has shared her knowledge and skills in ASL linguistics by teaching at various postsecondary institutions. She co-founded the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf and UVU's Deaf Studies Today! Conference. In addition to her many accomplishments, Minnie Mae has also translated The Book of Mormon into ASL.
During her graduate studies at Brigham Young University, Minnie Mae authored two impactful papers titled "Why the Deaf Can't Read: Answers and Solutions" and "Exciting Developments in Deaf Education." These papers, which you can find links to below, have been instrumental in shaping the discourse around Deaf education. We commend Bronwyn O'Hara, a parent of three Deaf children and Deaf education advocate, for her role in preserving these invaluable research papers.
During her graduate studies at Brigham Young University, Minnie Mae authored two impactful papers titled "Why the Deaf Can't Read: Answers and Solutions" and "Exciting Developments in Deaf Education." These papers, which you can find links to below, have been instrumental in shaping the discourse around Deaf education. We commend Bronwyn O'Hara, a parent of three Deaf children and Deaf education advocate, for her role in preserving these invaluable research papers.
- Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz. Why the Deaf Can’t Read: Answers and Solutions. Brigham Young University. May 8, 1990.
- Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz. Exciting Developments in Deaf Education. Summer 1990.
Jodi Becker Kinner, the author's website, witnessed Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz's struggle to balance leading the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf (JMS) while parenting three small Deaf children, working full-time, and her health deteriorating. Despite her declining health, she continued to lead with passion and commitment. She also ensured that the Utah School for the Deaf and the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf merged in 2005. The establishment of JMS was a challenging and exhausting process. It took a long time and a lot of thought to get here.
Her presence is felt when Deaf and hard of hearing children are offered the option of attending the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, where they can receive direct communication and ASL instruction from their teachers and peers. None of these landmark developments would have happened without her tireless dedication to the Deaf community.
Granted, Minnie Mae wrote a paper titled "Exciting Developments in Deaf Education" in 1990, expressing her delight at the decision of the Indiana School for the Deaf to embrace a bilingual-bicultural approach. It is no surprise that she would one day become a co-founder of JMS. JMS has been in operation since 1999, thanks to the persistence and dedicated leadership of Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz.
Jodi Becker Kinner
Her presence is felt when Deaf and hard of hearing children are offered the option of attending the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, where they can receive direct communication and ASL instruction from their teachers and peers. None of these landmark developments would have happened without her tireless dedication to the Deaf community.
Granted, Minnie Mae wrote a paper titled "Exciting Developments in Deaf Education" in 1990, expressing her delight at the decision of the Indiana School for the Deaf to embrace a bilingual-bicultural approach. It is no surprise that she would one day become a co-founder of JMS. JMS has been in operation since 1999, thanks to the persistence and dedicated leadership of Minnie Mae Wilding-Diaz.
Jodi Becker Kinner