I was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf at 18
months old. My parents considered the possibilities of Sign
Language and the School for the Deaf. Fortunately someone came
along and introduced the idea of Cued Speech. We attended Cue
Camp NC at Camp Cheerio in the mountains, and it was then when
I made some best friends for life. After a few years, my parents
came to the conclusion that I would have better opportunities
in Wilmington where there were already three families that used
Cued Speech. The Payonks and the Nelsons helped pave the way
for my education in the school system.
Back in the early 90’s, “special” education
wasn’t as advanced as it is today for deaf and hard of
hearing children. The educators and administrators deemed it
appropriate to put me a year behind my peers in elementary school,
but after passing every intelligence test they put in front
of me it was obvious I belonged with peers my age. Hence, I’m
able to say I attended first, second, and third grade in the
course of one calendar year.
I received the cochlear implant at 8 years old, and from that
point on
my hearing only got better. The stigma that surrounded deaf
people had a
profound effect on me to the point where I only wanted to be
considered “normal” by hearing standards. I
dropped the CSTs and tackled high
school on my own without any help. Yet, if it hadn’t been
for Cued
Speech, I would have not been able to develop the speech and
language
that I have today. It gave me the confidence I needed to get
through
high school and college. I am now in my fourth year at North
Carolina
State University working towards a degree in Marine Sciences.
I went to Cue Camp NC for the first time in 5 years and to Cue
Camp VA for the first time ever in 2005. A year later, I went
to both camps again, and it was then when I realized just how
far Cued Speech has come in shaping the lives of many families.
One of my goals in life is to promote Cued Speech, especially
for multiple uses alongside deaf communication. I see cue camps
playing a very important role in this goal, and hope to be able
to volunteer at all these camps across the country so that I
can meet more people and help expose Cued Speech to the rest
of the country and the world. |
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Aaron
Rose