Deaf, hearing children benefit by learning together at summer camp

From: Orlando Sentinel - Jul 25, 2004

By Terry O. Roen
Special to the Sentinel

July 25, 2004

Nathan Jenkins can't hear the explosion of a handmade rocket, but he can watch as an Alka-Seltzer tablet jettisons a film container into the air. The science lesson helped him visualize the concept of jet propulsion.

A mother's advocacy for her profoundly deaf son was the impetus for a new program called Silent Science at the Orlando Science Center that enables deaf children to attend classes with their hearing peers. Nathan, 8, was the first deaf student to be paired with an interpreter so he could enroll in the summer camp experience.

The rest of the campers were not only educated about science, they also discovered that deaf children are no different from themselves. They even learned some sign language to help communicate with their classmates.

Nathan's success with the program last year prompted science center officials to start a Silent Science fund and apply for grants that will pay interpreters so more deaf children can participate in the camps.

A partially deaf camper joined Nathan at the Summer Science Fun Camp last week. Colton Bailiff, 8, has a cochlear implant, an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. They sat across the table from each other and shared an interpreter.

Laurie Buttaro, a teacher at Windermere Preparatory School, led the class of 17 students through a variety of activities and experiments during the weeklong camp.

Chris Pepper, who teaches deaf education at Longwood Elementary School, interpreted with American Sign Language. While both Nathan and Colton read lips, Pepper's animated signs helped convey the teacher's message and the other campers' questions.

The hands-on activities enable children to relate science facts to real-life experiences, said Buttaro, who is one of several state-certified teachers who conduct the science camps.

The campers learned the properties of matter by mixing up their own batch of slime with a concoction of cornstarch, water and food coloring. They made a replica of their spinal cord with LifesSavers strung together to represent the squishy cartilage that protects the vertebrae.

"The first language deaf children learn is visual," Pepper said. "Whatever they learn is filtered through their sight."

"Nathan and Colton are being exposed to so many new concepts," she said. "Their communication has grown by leaps and bounds."

Nathan's entry into summer camp -- a rite of passage for many children -- was no easy task. His mother, Meredith Ingra, spent hours on the telephone last year trying to find a summer camp that would accept her son.

Nathan had attended a SeaWorld camp that provided interpreters, but it only covered two weeks of the summer. Ingra, the mother of two and manager of PR Works in Orlando, said the cost was high.

"I'm fortunate that I have a job, but many deaf children come from low-income homes that cannot afford summer camps," Ingra said. She said many families with deaf children incur extra expenses. Nathan's hearing aid costs $5,000, and every quarter, he needs new $90 ear molds, which are not covered by insurance.

Two local camps that said they could not afford interpreters turned Nathan away. Then Ingra began a letter-writing campaign to help find a way for Nathan to spend time with other children during the summer. The Orlando Museum of Art was able to get a volunteer interpreter so Nathan could attend its camp.

Jason Gibson, teacher and student coordinator at the Orlando Museum of Art, said Nathan has been their only deaf student, but they welcome others and will provide an interpreter on an as-needed basis.

"I had to jump through a lot of hurdles," Ingra said. "I just wanted to provide the same opportunities for Nathan that my daughter had."

Jeannette Gassie, program director for the Center for Independent Living in Winter Park, said it is the responsibility of businesses to provide access to public events for deaf children, according to the American Disabilities Act.

Gassie said the cost of hiring interpreters, who are paid up to $1,200 a week, cause many businesses to shy away from fulfilling that obligation.

Jeff Stanford, public-relations director at the science center, said hiring an interpreter for the camp costs $100 a day per child. The science center charges only for the classes and absorbs the cost of the interpreter.

Brian Tonner, CEO of the science center, said Ingra made them "aware of a great gap in offerings for deaf children in Central Florida."

"We have found that the deaf children have made the classes richer for everybody," Tonner said. "They have been successfully mainstreamed into classes with hearing children, and their classmates have learned an important lesson that deaf children are just like they are."

Tonner said he is hoping to get grant money and corporate sponsorships that will pay for more deaf children to attend the all-day camps, which cost $149 a week for science-center members and $175 for non-members. The weekly summer camps run through Aug. 6 and also are offered during fall, winter and spring breaks during the school year.

© 2004 Orlando Sentinel Communications