IRVINE : Here, Deaf Can Be Like the Others

High school senior Debbie Hughes of Fountain Valley has goals much like other teen-agers: She wants to go to UC Davis and become a veterinarian.

But for Debbie, pursuing them means traveling the many miles to University High School in Irvine. Debbie, who is deaf, is one of 67 Orange County teen-agers enrolled in the county’s only program for the hearing-impaired that allows them to attend regular classes with their hearing peers.

The students in the program also participate in all the activities that are part of a regular high school life. Their circumstances are acknowledged but not considered a problem. They are there to interact as much as possible with hearing peers. And, like all of the school’s students, they are encouraged to set goals, such as landing part-time jobs or attending college. There are, however, special workshops for the hearing-impaired students to help them with any problems.

“They (administrators) make sure that we participate and treat us all the same,” Debbie says.

More than half of the students in the program attend mainstream classes. There are interpreters for them in these, and also for any of the extracurricular activities they may be pursuing. The interpreters are present during every game, practice and meeting.

The school’s sports programs and student government have both counted hearing-impaired students among their participants. This year, though, for the first time in the history of the program, there is a hearing-impaired student on the cheerleading squad. Erika Dickson, a junior, said she is pleased with the acceptance she has received.