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Leslie Whitaker

Leslie Whitaker was the younger of the identical twin daughters of Annie Whitaker and Robbie Whitaker, born at Sinai Hospital in 2007 a few minutes after Lindsay, and the older sister of Robert “RJ” Whitaker Jr. She grew up using English and American Sign Language in the Whitaker-Rosen family’s multigenerational signing household. Genetic testing after RJ’s 2012 diagnosis identified Leslie as an asymptomatic carrier of the family’s USH1F variant.

Early Life and Background

Leslie and her twin sister, Lindsay, grew up in Mt. Washington, Baltimore, near their maternal grandparents, Saul Rosen and Miri Rosen. Their household used ASL from infancy, connecting the twins with their Deaf grandparents and later with their deafblind younger brother. They attended Jewish preschool and later attended school in the Baltimore area; their specific later schools and college plans have not been established. As RJ’s vision narrowed, both sisters learned to communicate with him through Protactile.

Cultural Identity and Heritage

Leslie was raised in the family’s Ashkenazi Jewish and Reform-cultural traditions. She and Lindsay celebrated their bat mitzvah at thirteen in English and ASL, attended Friday Shabbat dinners, and participated in the family’s connection to Baltimore’s Jewish Deaf community.

Personality

Leslie was the slightly quieter and more observational twin—the one more likely to watch before acting and to deliver a dry, precise observation than a running joke. Her warmth was less outwardly demonstrative than Lindsay’s, and her signing was somewhat more compact, resembling Miri’s. These differences were gradients within a fundamentally close and similar twin pair, not opposing personality categories.

Speech and Communication Patterns

Leslie used spoken English and ASL from infancy. She later incorporated Protactile into her communication with RJ and her grandparents as their visual access needs changed.

Health and Disabilities

Testing conducted after RJ’s USH1F diagnosis confirmed that Leslie carried one copy of the family variant. She remained asymptomatic.

Physical Characteristics

Leslie and Lindsay were identical twins with warm olive skin, hazel eyes, dark hair, round faces, and a softer version of the Rosen family’s strong nose. Most people could not distinguish them visually; close family and friends used small mannerisms and differences in their signing rhythms. Their height, build, and other distinguishing features have not been established.

Family and Core Relationships

Lindsay Whitaker

Lindsay was Leslie’s identical twin. The sisters shared their ASL upbringing, Jewish family traditions, and USH1F carrier status.

Robert “RJ” Whitaker Jr.

RJ was Leslie’s younger brother. Leslie communicated with him in ASL from his infancy and later used Protactile as his retinitis pigmentosa progressed.

Saul Rosen

Saul gave each twin a signed family epithet. He called Leslie “the one with the stare,” while Lindsay was “the one with the laugh.”

Miri Rosen

Both twins learned to bake with Miri. Leslie became the primary recipient of Miri’s recipes and continued the family’s Friday challah tradition; her version remained closest to Miri’s.

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Jewish Characters Ashkenazi Characters ASL Users USH1F Carriers