By Hannah Scriver
1/13/2013
Deaf and the Sports Community
Imagine you’re standing at the free-throw-line, the crowd is
screaming, your coach is yelling, whistles are blowing but you can’t
hear any of it. It might be hard for some to relate to the pressures
of an athlete if you are just a spectator. For people who can hear,
it’s next to impossible to relate to the challenges of being deaf
and being an athlete as well. Nearly three out of every 1,000
American children are born deaf. For children, growing up playing
sports is a normal part of life. For deaf children growing up
playing sports, there are some obstacles and challenges to overcome,
but there have been great strides made to give them great
opportunities to compete and strategies that help them to not only
compete but to excel. (Thompson, 2010)
Deaf athletes participate in all types of sports, with limited or no
modifications but with obstacles to overcome (Thompson, 2010). Some
difficulties the deaf athlete may face are: communication barriers
with their teammates and coaches when calling out plays, stopping
the game, or calling for the ball; equipment challenges, such as a
football helmet or a swim cap interfering with hearing devices. Deaf
athletes can also face difficulties interacting with the officials.
For instance, the athlete may lose a split second by not being able
to hear a starter’s gun. Another issue for the deaf athlete may be
the loss of crowd support. There are also obvious safety issues that
pose dangers if an athlete cannot hear such as competitors coming
from behind in a cycling race for instance. Another hurdle these
athletes sometimes have to face is being considered, by their
opponents, as a nonfactor.
Simple modifications are made for many for these athletes. Lights
can be used in swimming for instance to start the race. When the gun
is fired or the signal is given, the light will go on to indicate
the start. This method can be used for other sports such as track,
boxing, basketball or other activities where a horn or gun are used
for the start or at any point in the game. Flags or gestures such as
waving can be used to gain the attention of an athlete. A player may
need to tag a referee or another player to gain their attention and
vice versa. Visual aids such as score boards, white boards, or signs
can be used to communicate. Interpreters are also widely used in
sports as well. Coaches and teammates can learn some signs to help
bridge the communication gap. As well as face to face communication
and signals that the message is understood. One of the most
important things may be to give the deaf athlete a little extra time
and patience when getting used to this modified way of play (Deaf
Sports Australia).
Josh Hembrough, hurdler at Purdue University, sports a black
headband not just for fashion but function because it allows him to
keep his cochlear implant in place. This allows him to hear the
starter’s gun and to hear the cheers of the crowd which help to
motivate him toward the finish line. (Thompson, 2010)
Curtis Pride, former MLB outfielder and current head baseball coach
at Gallaudet University helps teach his players to overcome the
challenges they face just as he did for 11 seasons in the Major
Leagues. He wears a hearing aid to help him overcome his disability.
Pride feels like people sometimes have a tendency to feel sorry for
those with disabilities or to have lower expectations for them. But
he has high expectations for his players and even higher for
himself. (Thompson, 2010)
Marcus Titus, swimmer, United States National Team, is on the wall
of fame at the University of Arizona for his school record 100 yard
breaststroke. There is no asterisk by his name for having anything
different about him. He trains just the same as all the other
swimmers except for the light that starts him at the beginning of
the race instead of a loud signal. Complete silence is what helps
him to focus. (Thompson, 2010)
Derrick Coleman, UCLA running back, plays the least deaf-friendly
sport of football. He manages by wearing a hearing aid and the coach
and players use hand signals. (Thompson, 2010)
Emily Cressy, soccer player for Kansas, uses a hearing aid as well
as an interpreter to help her to compete. On the field, she sees
where everything is and considers it an advantage. Because she can't
hear, she sees things others don't. (Thompson, 2010)
Last year seventy-six deaf and hard of hearing students played NCAA
and NAIA sports and thirty-nine played Division One, according to
Deaf Digest Magazine. Those figures don’t include high school and
professional athletes, as well as those who may not wish to be
identified. The 1973 rehabilitation act mandated interpreters for
deaf and hard of hearing students at universities and protected
these athletes from discrimination. This has led to increased
numbers of deaf athletes competing in sports (Klemko, 2009). For
anyone with any disability, life can be filled with challenges.
Hearing loss is the number one disability in the United States. An
estimated 28 million people in the United States have some degree of
hearing loss.
In history there have been some big name deaf athletes. Major League
baseball player, William “Dummy” Hoy, is one of the best known deaf
athletes. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s he was known for
leading the league in stolen bases. He was given credit for creating
the signs that baseball umpires use today when they call a strike,
out, ball, safe, etc. Other star deaf athletes included professional
baseball player and coach, Curtis Pride; Kenny Walker, football
player for the Denver Broncos and coach at Iowa School for the Deaf;
and Terence Parkin, Current Olympic swimmer (Coladonato, 2011).
Many deaf athletes participate in mainstream sports while many
others have taken to the increasingly popular Deaflympics. Before
the 1920s, there were not any programs being held for any type of
disability group. The creation of the of the International Silent
games in 1924 (now known as the Deaflympics) made a huge impact on
the deaf community. The founder, Eugene Rubens-Alcais, of France,
had the vision of bringing these athletes together for competition
and social and cultural interaction. The Deaflympics are led by deaf
people for deaf athletes and are sanctioned by the International
Olympic Committee. The summer and winter Deaflympics allow athletes
from seventy seven nations to come together to show off their
athleticism and give them a competitive atmosphere to showcase their
athletic excellence at their highest level. This is also an
opportunity for the worldwide deaf community to come together to
build skills, networks, and friendships. (Coladonato, 2011).
Organized sports for deaf athletes, as well as mainstream sports for
these athletes have become so important to the worldwide deaf
community. There will surely be debates as to where these athletes
should fit in the realm of sports and the criterion that fit under
but they no doubt are an integral part in the world of sports today.
In the world of international sports, there are the Olympic Games
and competitions for disabled athletes, such as the Paralympic
Games, the World Games for the Deaf ["Deaflympics"], and the Special
Olympics. The Olympic Games, by its nature, is not accessible to
most disabled athletes. The formation of special competitions for
athletes, who are physically or mentally disabled, or who are Deaf,
has been of tremendous benefit to athletes who have never been given
the opportunity to strive to reach the pinnacle of competition.
(Jordan, 1996). The more opportunities that are given to any type of
athlete will result in more benefits achieved by everyone involved
in the wonderful world of sports.
References:
Colandonato Ali, 2011/04/29, Everybody loves a crowd: recognizing
deaf athletes, Reporter Online, http://reportermag.com/article/04-29-2011/everybody-loves-a-crowd-recognizing-deaf-athletes,
15/12/2012
Thompson, Carmen Renee, 2010/11/3, Noise makers, ESPN.com, ESPN The
Magazine, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=575988015/12/2012
Klemko, Robert, 2009/09/18, Deaf athletes hurdle barriers, achieve
goals in college sports, USA Today.com,
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/2009-09-15-deaf-athletes_N.htm,
15/12/2012
Jordan, Jerald, 1996/12, International Committee of Sports for the
Deaf-published articles, http://www.deaflympics.com/news/publishedarticles.asp?ID=1131,15/12/2012
Deaf Sports Australia, Fact Sheet Sports Modifications,
www.deafsports.org.au, 15/12/2012,
Deaf Sports Australia, Fact Sheet Communication,
www.deafsports.org.au, 15/12/2012
Deaf Sports Australia, Fact Sheet Coaching, www.deafsports.org.au,
15/12/2012
You can learn American
Sign
Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™
ASL resources
by Lifeprint.com © Dr. William Vicars
