Quad City Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth Group: Tomorrow's Leaders for
our Community
2000
by Susan Ann Sacco
The Problem
The Quad City Metropolitan Area encompasses six counties that the Illinois/Iowa
Center for Independent Living (IICIL) serves. These six counties--three
in Illinois and three in Iowa--are divided by the Mississippi River. The
river often has posed a barrier for people seeking services, programs,
or education. Regardless of the short distance between one county in Illinois
and another in Iowa, there is little or no collaboration between agencies
or schools.
In the past, programs for the hearing impaired focused on providing opportunities
to limited numbers of Deaf and hard of hearing students. Some programs
were lucky to have strong parental support and involvement; however, others
were not as fortunate. Over a period of time, the teachers and audiologists
of these programs became frustrated and could not find the time and resources
to provide their individual students opportunities for social and recreational
activities. The teachers and the parents recognized that their children
needed help from outside sources to provide further growth experiences.
Two local groups decided to work together to create such opportunities.
Both Illinois/Iowa Center for Independent Living (IICIL) and Self Help
for Hard of Hearing (SHHH) are bi-state groups, and the river did not
prevent them from working collaboratively to form the Quad City Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Youth Group.
To begin this new project, the educators and audiologists from both Illinois
and Iowa reached out to the IICIL and our local Quad City SHHH support
group for help. A meeting was set up for these agencies, the teachers
and the audiologists of hearing impaired programs. We agreed that IICIL,
along with SHHH, would work to develop a youth group for junior and senior
high Deaf and hard of hearing students. The goal was to provide not only
recreational and social opportunities, but also positive role models and
mentors. We also decided to recruit volunteers from the local Interpreter
Training Program (ITP) as mentors. This would provide the ITP students
with opportunities to interact, communicate and know young adults who
are Deaf or hard of hearing. Everyone was enthusiastic.
The Plan
The first event was a meeting at a local church gym with pizza and pop.
Parents came to meet with the four leaders to discuss the plans. Several
teachers from the hearing impaired programs participated, and this was
important to help students feel comfortable and secure. The plan was to
have fun with several "ice-breakers," as well as play volleyball
and basketball. The youth brainstormed ideas about activities, the name
of the group, how often it should meet, future activities and how money
could be raised. The kids and adults were excited and eager for the project
to get off the ground.
The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth Group was created for the junior high
and high school students in the hearing impaired programs in both Illinois
and Iowa. The hearing impaired program has a coordinator from each state
who works closely to set up this group. The coordinators are responsible
for keeping their students and parents informed. I truly believe that
the strength of the group depends on the collaboration with the coordinators.
They are more or less our vehicle to the students, as well as to the parents.
Without their efforts, my job would be much more difficult and time consuming.
The leaders in charge of this youth group are three employees from IICIL
and the president of the local SHHH chapter. I am hard of hearing and
was mainstreamed in hearing schools; Tara, who is Deaf, is a graduate
of Gallaudet; and Amy Jo is Deaf and a part time instructor at our local
Interpreter Training Program. All three of us communicate in Sign Language.
Connie, the president of our local SHHH chapter, is hard of hearing and
does not sign. She was educated in mainstreamed schools and communicates
by reading lips. After our initial meeting with the educators from the
hearing impaired programs, the four of us met several times to talk about
goals and plans for this project. This was indeed a challenge, as we each
had our own daily job responsibilities and duties to carry out, while
we were trying to plan, organize and develop this new project. I was very
determined that this project would succeed because of my personal experiences
feeling isolated as a student in a mainstream classroom.
As leaders for this youth group, we know how important our own communication
abilities and personal experiences with hearing loss are to the success
of this project. We want the Deaf and hard of hearing students to feel
comfortable with us, be able to communicate and also accept us as mentors.
I remember a concerned student approaching me at one of our events, saying
"I don't know sign language and I read lips." I immediately
gave her reassurance that that was just fine and she would have no problems
communicating with us. This is one of our goals with the youth group,
to ensure that any student, whether Deaf or hard of hearing, will feel
accepted and comfortable with their own communication mode.
At the same time, the teachers have expressed the goal that their Deaf
and hard of hearing students interact with Deaf and hard of hearing adults
to help them begin developing strong positive leadership skills. We know
that we need to be comfortable with our own hearing loss or Deafness.
Ultimately, it is also our goal that by doing this, we will show the youth
positive images of adults who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
In my own personal experience, it was not until I was in high school
at a six week summer program for Deaf and hard of hearing students, that
I actually met another person like myself who reads lips. I remember that
for the first time I felt there was someone else who experienced the same
frustrations, challenges and isolation as a hard of hearing youth. Many
of the students in the summer program shared similar stories about themselves,
and we all established an instant bond– this is what I want the
Quad City youth group to experience.
The Success
It is now eighteen months since our first event with the youth group.
We have used the ideas that the students contributed in the brainstorming
activity to help us plan regular outings. We have played in a volleyball
tournament, ice skated at our local indoor rink, gone swimming and had
a picnic at a park, had a hay rack ride and bonfire/wiener roast at a
local farm, and had bowling night at a local bowling alley. I have found
that our bowling outings draw the largest number of students and they
show a great deal of enthusiasm for this activity.
As a mini fundraiser we organized a basketball exhibition game with our
local tv station staff. We were lucky to get donations of snacks, t-shirts
and a practice space.
We opened the basketball game to the general public. Until that time
we had been a very private group, and we didn't know what to expect when
we asked the community to become involved. We were so thrilled with the
support and awareness we found in our community that we plan for this
game to become an annual event. Some of our graduating seniors who will
be going off to college have said they will come back for the next game
in order to hold onto our championship title.
We are fortunate to have seen progress and success in the short time
that we have operated this youth group. Perhaps our biggest challenge
is to keep the youth involved. We find that school sporting events and
tournaments (several of our youth are athletes), school dances, school
holidays and youth employment make the size of the group fluctuate. Initially,
some students feel too shy to come to our activities because they don't
know anyone. Our solution is to encourage them to bring a high school
friend to the group. The visitor can be a hearing friend, and this makes
it easier for the Deaf and hard of hearing youth to feel comfortable and
attend regularly.
In the future, we plan to coordinate with the different school calendars
in advance. By using these calendars as a guide, the leaders will plan
regular events for the Deaf and hard of hearing youth with fewer conflicts.
Once this has been completed, copies of the planned calendar of events
will be given to the youth in the fall. We hope that this will provide
more time for the youth to plan and work around the events so that they
can participate in all activities. The teachers have already informed
us that students entering the junior high are very excited and eager to
become a part of this youth group.
Another obstacle is transportation for students who do not drive. Some
parents are supportive and cooperate by providing transportation for their
children as well as others in the group. The adult leaders also recognized
the transportation problems and were concerned about adequate insurance
coverage for car pools. We have encouraged students to call us at IICIL
if they have transportation difficulties and we will make the arrangements
to provide them with a ride. Money also causes problems. In planning events,
we are constantly looking for donations or discounts. Often times, the
adults will bring the refreshments and beverages or ask for a donation
from the youth. We do not have a funding source, so we try to keep costs
to a minimum. Both IICIL and SHHH have picked up tabs for the cost of
printing fliers, postage and refreshments, which can be a challenge to
our budget.
The group leadership has changed during this time, and we worried this
would weaken the group. We lost two of our original leaders when they
moved from the area, but we have been fortunate to add new faces. Several
dedicated teachers show up for all events and provide support. It has
also been good for us having a few college students from the local Interpreter
Training Program, as they provide enthusiasm and friendship for our youth
group. In the future, we would like the local college students who are
Deaf or hard of hearing to join this group. It has been difficult to involve
the college students but we will continue to pursue this goal.
A new agency in our community has become involved with our youth group.
The Helen Keller Regional Center's local office has allowed one of their
staff to be active in our youth group as a mentor. We have been asked
to host a mini-workshop or conference for youth. Some topics that have
been suggested are "Being a Strong Self-Advocate," "Preparing
for College or a Career," "Dealing with Hearing Loss as a Teenager"
and "Building Self Esteem." We hope to explore grant and foundation
opportunities for these educational events.
The National Chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing (SHHH) has written
articles about the need for positive mentor programs in our country today.
Our very own centers for independent living (CILs) also recognize the
importance of peer mentors and good role models for people with disabilities.
With those thoughts in mind, it is clear that Deaf and hard of hearing
youth groups should be formed in many communities. Collaborating with
local agencies that serve Deaf and hard of hearing individuals as well
as the local hearing impaired education programs is a starting place.
Working with the parents and local communities will also bring about greater
awareness of Deaf and hard of hearing people.
Interestingly enough, we have been told by teachers as well as our local
Easter Seals Foundation that there is indeed a need for another youth
group, one for our younger Deaf and hard of hearing students. We think
that by using our current youth group as "young leaders" for
the younger children, both groups will benefit. We hope that within the
next year we will be able to experiment and start a youth group for elementary
school children in school hearing impaired programs. We realize that it
is so important for us to come together to provide these recreational
and social opportunities for our young Deaf and hard of hearing youth.
It is very apparent that these youth need positive role models and mentors
of positive Deaf and hard of hearing adults.
All too often, we forget that part of our responsibility as persons with
a disability is that we do need to be role models for the younger generation.
All too often, we forget that students in hearing impaired programs are
isolated from social and recreational opportunities as opposed to their
hearing peers. In the classroom, they can benefit from the sign language
interpreters or FM systems and feel a part of that world. However, outside
of the classroom is where they get lost and often times lose their way.
Those of us adults who are Deaf and hard of hearing know too well the
isolation these youth face today. It is important that we lead the way
and provide growth opportunities that they otherwise might not receive.
In conclusion, if we do take the time to provide these opportunities and
interact with our Deaf and hard of hearing youth today, we will find that
the generation of tomorrow will be strong and positive leaders.
Contact Information
For more information on Quad City Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth Group,
contact:
Illinois/Iowa CIL
P.O. Box 6156
Rock Island, IL 61204-6156
(319) 324-1460 (V or TTY)
EMAIL: comadvocate@iicil.com
About the Author
Susan Ann Sacco is a native of Rock Island, Illinois. She received her
BA in psychology from the College of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois. She
is currently a community advocate at the Illinois/Iowa Center for Independent
Living, where she has been employed for seven years.
Ms. Sacco had previously worked in both recreational and educational
settings for children and young adults in Texas, Tennessee and Hawaii.
She also served as a work adjustment counselor for adults with disabilities
at Skills, Inc. in Moline, Illinois.
Currently involved with self advocacy/self determination workshops for
consumers of IICIL, Ms. Sacco also conducts disability awareness trainings
with local police, sheriff, fire and paramedic personnel, as well as other
county and city offices.
Ms. Sacco is a former teacher of a Deaf Culture class at the local community
college and is past president of the Quad Cities Self Help for Hard of
Hearing (SHHH) Chapter. She is a member of the Illinois Deafness and Rehabilitation
Association (IDARA), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), Coalition
of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois (CCDI), American Association
of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the Illinois School for Deaf (ISD).
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