MEDICINE HAT, AB — Being able to listen and communicate effectively is one of the most important skills a person can have.
Those who are deaf and hard of hearing can sometimes struggle to do so.
There are several students in southeastern Alberta who have varying levels of hearing loss and deafness.
One of those students is ten year old Ethan Short who attends Rolling Hills school.
Carolyn Maynes, deaf and hard of hearing consultant for Alberta Health Services, put together an event for those students to meet after Ethan told her he had never met another student like him.
“Any time a child feels isolated and they feel like they could be part of a group it’s beneficial,” said Maynes. “It’s beneficial to their self esteem and their social skills and everything.”
The students in Grades 5 to 12 had a chance to meet, play games, work with technology and make their own clay creations at Medalta.
Ethan said the best part was meeting others who were experiencing the same challenges he is.
“I want to do it over and over again, it’s just really fun finally having people just like me.” he said.
It also gave the older students a chance to become mentors including local grade 12 student Aden Brandt.
He said his hearing loss has caused challenges and one of the biggest is learning to communicate when you struggle to hear the world around you.
Aden said the key for those living with it is not to give up and he’s excited to help others overcome their obstacles.
“It feels great, I’m making a huge difference in Medicine Hat,” he said. “[I’m] able to teach them a few things about what it’s like being deaf and how to get through it.”
The event was made possible with a grant from Alberta Education.
Maynes said it’s been a great success and they hope to do it again in the future.
