From the Reporter
His Early Life
Har Sin was born in Burma and fled war for neighboring Thailand as a teen. But he is deaf and never went to school. Except for basic homemade gestures, he never learned to formally communicate.
Arriving in San Diego
He moved to San Diego in 2008, as a refugee. Here, a social worker introduced him to sign language. Thrilled to find out deaf people could communicate, he determined to learn.
Today
Har Sin been learning sign language for a year and a half now. He has made remarkable progress, but still faces persistent challenges. With his new skills and an outsized personality, he is becoming acquitted to his new surroundings better than most.

Dagny Salas

Dagny Salas was web editor at Voice of San Diego from 2010 to 2013. She was an investigative fellow at VOSD from 2009 to 2010.

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