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Emily Harlow Keller

Emily Harlow-Keller was the daughter of speech-language pathologist Ava Keller and the stepdaughter of pianist Jacob Keller. Born around 2035, she developed selective mutism in early childhood and communicated through speech, AAC, and other methods. She met Jacob’s daughter Clara through a New York youth orchestra, and their friendship connected the two households before their parents married. Emily later studied speech-language pathology at Columbia University.

Early Life and Communication

Emily was born around 2035 and was raised by Ava. Selective mutism emerged during early childhood. Ava supported her access to speech, AAC, and other communication methods without treating spoken language as the only valid form of expression.

Emily received musical training and participated in a New York youth orchestra. She met Clara there in 2045, when both girls were approximately ten.

Education

Emily studied speech-language pathology at Columbia University.

Family

Ava Keller

Main article: Ava Keller and Emily Harlow-Keller

Ava was Emily’s biological mother and supported her multimodal communication from childhood. The two remained close through Emily’s adulthood. Emily was present when Ava died at the Keller family home some years after 2083.

Jacob Keller

Main article: Jacob Keller and Emily Harlow-Keller

Emily first knew Jacob as Clara’s father. Jacob and Clara moved into Ava’s household in 2049, when the girls were approximately fourteen. Ava and Jacob married on August 17, 2053, making Jacob Emily’s stepfather. At some point after their marriage, Emily began calling him “Dad.”

During Jacob’s cognitive decline, Emily remained involved with the family. She joined the relatives and chosen family gathered during his final days and was present when he died at home in 2083.

Clara Keller

Emily and Clara became friends through youth orchestra before becoming stepsisters. They were the same age and lived together after their households combined in 2049. Both were present for Jacob’s final days and Ava’s later death.

Community

Emily belonged to the older cohort of The Band Kids, the extended group of children raised around CRATB and its chosen-family network. During the Bay Lights outing in 2045, she and Clara took photographs and videos after Charlie fell asleep.

Cultural Identity and Heritage

Through Ava, Emily had Afro-Caribbean heritage (including Jamaican and Trinidadian roots) and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.

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