sounds of silence

Sounds of silence

Playgroup helps deaf children have some fun

By Denise M. Baran-Unland SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

The throng of children's voices engaged in boisterous activities bounced off the walls of Trinity Service's gym. Once she realized she was being watched by her mother, Amy, Tatum Reitz, 5, of Channahon, paused a moment, still clutching her hula hoop and flashed her mother a grin. "We never found out she was deaf until she was two," said Amy Reitz. "She wasn't speaking normally and if we needed to get her attention, we'd have to raise our voices." Allowing for the wide range of ages, infant through teen, this group of 20 or so children resembled any other group of children you might see anywhere. Except that every child in this room was either deaf or hearing impaired.

Talking Hands Play Group was organized seven months ago by Donna Fisher of New Lenox and Debbie Bernabei of Shorewood. Both women have deaf children and are concerned about their children's opportunities for socialization. "No one else knew sign language and Johnny (age 6) had no friends to play with," said Fisher. "I thought it would be nice for him to have other friends who were deaf and hearing impaired to play with." Johnny was 10 1/2 months old when he first began losing his hearing due to an autoimmune inner ear disease. His hearing came back for three years, then began disappearing again, each time getting worse. The disease also causes dizzy spells and vomiting. He is completely deaf without his hearing aid and his parents and 3-year-old sister, Alex, are all learning sign language, which Fisher believes is a godsend. "Before, when he would lose his hearing, we couldn't communicate with him."

Although it amuses Fisher to watch Johnny and Alex make up their own personal signs, she still wanted him to have contact with other deaf children, aside from those he sees at school, Millennium School in Tinley Park. Fisher contacted the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living in Joliet and consulted with them about her plans. They offered to sponsor the Talking Hands Play Group with the result that the group has been able to offer the children activities (amusement parks, water parks) that would have been out of the scope of the play group's financial capabilities. Through fliers posted at area schools and word of mouth, the group began with a group of 10 children, a group that is gradually becoming larger.

For the first few months of its existence, the playgroup met sporadically, often combining play with a picnic at a park. But with the advent of cooler weather, Fisher knew the kids needed a warmer place to play. She approached Trinity Services of Joliet and asked if the group could borrow its gym once a month on a Saturday morning. Trinity agreed and Fisher is so glad that they did. "We have a lot of games for the kids," said Fisher. "There's things like hula hoops, Bozo buckets, scooter races, basketball, and play dough. We have about seven high school kids who are also deaf and hard of hearing helping with the games."

During the Christmas season, the holiday meeting was made all the more special by a visit from a signing Santa Claus, played by high school volunteer Keith Longino, 18, of New Lenox (none of the children guessed it was he, Fisher said). "I like volunteering with the kids," Longino said, speaking through interpreter Claudia Nygaard of New Lenox. She works as a classroom interpreter at Millennium School and Fisher invited her to help out during the Talking Hands Play Group. "I want to set a good example to the kids, to be a role model, someone they can look up to," Longino said. "I want them to know I'm somebody who is able to do anything he wants to do." Fisher hopes that Johnny will be encouraged by the example set by the teens, that even though he is deaf, he will be okay. She smiles as she watches Johnny interact with the other children. "He really looks forward to seeing his deaf friends," she said. "He's so exited about the playground. He feels more confident being around others."

David Putz, 8 1/2, of Bolingbrook was born deaf into a family where deafness goes back five generations. He shares in great detail the play dough pizzas he made. "I have fun here, but I don't know everyone's names yet," David said. His mother Karen, who is also deaf, believes the drive from Bolingbrook once a month is worth it. "Many people don't know how to sign and it's too easy for deaf children to become isolated in their activities," she said

.02/13/02