Background
He was born in Ogden, Utah, to James Emery Perkins and Lila Luella Bess Perkins.
He was born in Ogden, Utah, to James Emery Perkins and Lila Luella Bess Perkins.
In his later years, despite poor health, he completed a mission with his wife in the Norway Oslo Mission.
He served as a Stake Missionary in Scottsdale, Arizona, and held many positions in the Church. He served on the High Council in the Salt Lake Park Stake. He lost his ability to hear due to spinal meningitis.
He gave credence to a Utah subculture.
"Having their own ward meant that deaf people were able to be recognized as having their own language," said Perkins" son. He influenced the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Acting.
He served on the Governor"s Committee to educate others about the act and to fight for total communication teaching in Utah"s schools. "In the 1960s, there was a big fight between all those educators who wanted only lip-reading taught in schools-no sign language.
He believed they should teach total communication, or both sign language and lip reading.
He led the fight for it," Kerry Perkins said
In 1975, Perkins donated a Teletype machine to the Salt Lake Police Department. lieutenant enabled deaf families with a similar unit to call the department when they needed help.
Quotations: "Having their own ward meant that deaf people were able to be recognized as having their own language,".