May is Hearing Awareness Month: Celebrating those who defied the Odds in Spite of Deafness.

By Isabelle St-Jean RSW

 

In the deaf community, it is not uncommon to find people who have developed inordinate levels of resilience and resourcefulness.  Consider the example of American actress Marlee Matlin who has remarkably surmounted the challenges of being deaf to succeed in the very competitive world of acting and the movie industry.

 

Here are 3 lesser known deaf people who have defied the odds to achieve their hearts desires:

 

Heather Whitestone McCallum became Miss America in 1995. Profoundly deafened as a toddler, Heather Whitestone was educated in mainstream and oral-school settings. She began competing in local pageants as a teenager, and won the Miss Alabama 1994 title on her third try, having reached second place twice. On September 17, 1994, she became the first Miss America with a disability. Her stunning ballet routine wowed judges and viewers. STARS (“Success Through Action and Realization of your DreamS”) was her motivational program; she also campaigned for early identification of deafness, carrying her message to audiences in all sectors and states, earning Congressional recognition and numerous honors. She received a cochlear implant in 2002. She’s a devoted mom to her two sons and a popular public speaker.

Frank Peter Hochman was the first born-deaf American to become a physician. And he did it in the face of overwhelming discouragement.  After completing High School in Manhattan, he earned his B.S. in Biology at City College of New York in 1958. Since no medical school would accept him, he worked as a chemist for the New York Department of Health. Finally, in 1972, he entered Rutgers Medical School/College of Medicine and Dentistry, at age 37 the nation’s oldest medical student. In 1976 he received his M.D., and served a residency in Family Practice in two California hospitals. He set up private practice in Fremont, where about 10 percent of his patients are Deaf. A popular teacher and presenter, he founded the Society of Hearing Impaired Physicians, to encourage others to achieve their goals.

Stefan LeFors, a Canadian born professional football player was born in Canada in a family that included two deaf parents and a deaf brother.  Although he was played for most of his career with American teams, he was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2009. In that same year, Stefan was named Winnipeg’s starting quarterback for the start of the season.

It is inspiring to see, as you can read through the above short biographies, that with strong determination, persistence and the full strength of the human spirit, extraordinary things can be achieved regardless of disability.   

For an account of challenges surmounted by Jewish deaf people in history, you can view the very touching documentary entitled Exodus: Deaf Jewish Family Escapes the Holocaust on www.deaftv.com/film/Exodus/

 

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