When an event popped up for my platform on Saturday, I couldn't resist attending and meeting more of the wonderful kids who have experienced hearing loss.
This particular event took me to Mockingbird Bowling Alley where kids through grade six were invited to hang out and bowl with other students who have experienced hearing loss. Upon arriving, I met Izzy, a young girl who was attending her very first MRP outing. It was an honor to meet Izzy - she reminded me a little of myself. Izzy currently knows minimal sign language and admitted to me that she was shy - that's easy to understand when you have to learn to communicate in a new manner and have trouble hearing those around you. That is exactly what happened to me!
Throughout the day, Izzy and I met the other kids together. We met kids like Zach and Jorge, who were mostly able to talk to us and kids like Kaleb and Ian who communicated mostly through sign language.
With Jorge and Molly. Jorge got a number of strikes and spares - I would have been a little scared to play him!
With Molly. She was incredibly sweet and told me what Ian was saying when I really struggled with something!
With Zach and Kaleb. They were a joy to watch. Zach managed to bowl a strike for a friend and spent the rest of the outing trying to bowl a strike for himself!
The kids seemed to have a lot of fun, but it was Ian who really made my experience memorable! Despite the language barrier separating us, Ian wouldn't give up on me. He excitedly sped through his stories, but did slow down when I asked and he repeated things as necessary. When I wasn't getting something, he found a different way to sign and let me know what he was trying to say. Even while retelling the same element of his story several times, Ian remained excited! It was really touching that this young boy was so patient and understanding and intent on communicating with me despite the troubles it presented. This is the same kind of understanding and patience that I hope to spread to the rest of our society so that we can open as many lines of communication as possible.
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