Deaf freshman defies odds, fits right in

From: Chicago Tribune - Chicago,IL,USA - Nov 25, 2004

By Ross Forman
Special to the Tribune

November 25, 2004, 9:52 PM CST

Shaun Levine has a spunky personality and boyish looks. He's a Highland Park freshman who hangs with the seniors on and off the ice, often eating lunch with hockey teammate David Bloom and his fellow seniors. Levine jokes with the upperclassmen and they, of course, tease him.

Levine just wants to be one of the guys, one who is spotlighted for his physical, aggressive play as a defenseman for the Giants (9-10) and for his outgoing, energetic off-ice personality. He wants to make the school's lacrosse team in the spring but might instead opt for baseball.

So much for the fact that he's deaf.

Levine, 14, has been living in a world of silence his whole life, after being diagnosed at 15 months when he still wasn't talking and didn't react when a pot dropped at a family function. His family and doctors have no idea why, and they have no interest in learning why.

"It's not important for us to find out; we just move forward," said his mother, Michele, who signs to Shaun for an interview, though the teenager has extraordinary lip-reading skills.

"Some people think that deaf people are all dumb or stupid and have a hard time learning," said Levine, who wants to become a surgeon. "That's not the case. I'm just deaf."

Still, his teammates were apprehensive.

"Coming into the season I heard there was going to be a deaf player and, well, I was a little nervous, a little skeptical because I didn't really know how it'd work out," senior left wing Alex Cohen said. "I didn't think we'd be able to communicate with him, or him with us.

"But it's really no different. In fact, it's worked out better than I expected. We just have to make a little more effort to get things to him."

That often means making sure he is facing coach Sean Freeman during speeches so Levine can read Freeman's lips. And his teammates have seemingly mastered non-verbal communication, such as waving their stick if open for a pass. Or they tap their stick on the ice to get his attention, because he can feel the vibrations.

Communication between teammates and Levine often is limited to yes or no replies, and strategy moves are often made during breaks in the play, not ad-lib. No one on the team knows sign language.

"A lot more visual communication is needed," said Bloom, who plays left wing. "That takes a little to adapt to, but it's not that difficult. It's not a bad situation, having a deaf player. It's actually a good thing, in the sense that we're all learning from him and from one another. If Shaun can play, with the handicap he's had to overcome, that's a lot of motivation for everyone else."

Levine has played in Stan Mikita's hearing-impaired school since he was 5. An interpreter follows him to classes.

"I have a lot of fun on the ice," he said. "I really enjoy playing."

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