www.deafchildren.org
other service organizations in exploring starting a Diveheart in Jacksonville, Rotary President Lori Hartz said. One of the major focuses of Rotary is the eradication of polio, but the service organization is not limited to only one cause, Hartz said. With a motto like “service above self,” it takes on the face of the community. Diveheart is an educational scuba diving and snorkeling program opened to people struggling with physical and cognitive challenges in life to engage in exercises in a zero-gravity atmosphere, Elliott said. When Illinois School for the Deaf Recreation Worker Joe Viera contacted Elliott, it was because he wanted to open the hearts and minds of students through educational recreational activities. Elliott fell in love with diving in college and decided to use it to help others, especially when many people with spinal cord injuries reported no pain in the water. His daughter was born visually impaired and was frustrated to the
point of throwing her cane down at one point and refusing to learn Braille. When she became involved in skiing, children respected her for being able to do the activity in spite of the challenges associated with being visually impaired. “It’s about giving people the opportunity to escape gravity and to explore the possibilities in their life,” Elliott said. “We want them to think about what they can do and not about what they can’t.” It’s a chance to open doors for the students to have a real world experience and supports the school’s mission to make every student a self-supporting citizen, Viera said. “In the water, the deaf and hearing are on an equal playing field,” Viera said. One boy never experienced the deep end before Thursday. “I loved learning how to do this and maybe someday I can be like Bob,” Lyke said. Reprinted from Jacksonville Journal Courier at www.myjournalcourier.com/ articles/school-38348-illinois-deaf.html.
I Deafinitely Can!
The Endeavor is excited to feature stories of deaf and hard of hearing individuals who test and go above their limits. If you know of someone with a story to tell, e-mail the editor at asdctami@aol.com. 33