Miss-Delectable
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Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard - News
When first meeting Sierra Cox, a fifth-grader at West End Elementary, many are unaware the 10-year-old is almost completely deaf.
Sierra is succeeding at a high level at school because of interpreter Joy Bergreen-Steiger, who relays what teachers are saying to the student with sign language.
Sierra is the typical fifth-grade student except that she uses sign language to carry on conversations.
Sierra can hear slightly with hearing aids, but without them she is profoundly deaf.
Western Nevada College Professor Cindy Frank, who is partially deaf, said the language she and others uses is tied to sight.
"For a deaf child to learn sign language is like a blind child learning Braille," she said.
Sierra came to the Churchill County School District in the first grade, and in the third grade Bergreen-Steiger became her full-time interpreter while school is in session.
Sierra sits on the carpet in her classroom and, when needing to see Bergreen-Steiger, who is signing while standing next to the teacher, moves up so she can see what is being discussed.
Sierra remembers when she could not understand what her teacher was saying without an interpreter.
"It sounded like, "Blah, blah, blah,'" she said.
When the teacher starts talking, Sierra's eyes follow every motion of her interpreter.
If for some reason she misses a message, she has to raise her hand and ask her interpreter to repeat what was just said.
When the teacher repeats the statement, Bergreen-Steiger then relays the message to her.
"She know the difference between a teacher and interpreter," she said, adding the teacher is in charge at all times.
Sierra's interpreter said she tries not to crowd her. Bergreen-Steiger said when Sierra is with other kids, she is only there in case a question needs to be asked.
"She has some independence as a student," she said. "She plays with all of the kids."
Frank said in an ideal situation, Sierra would switch interpreters every year because that is the recommended practice.
However, Bergreen-Steiger is only one of three Churchill County School District employees who use sign language, so that is not an option.
Sierra's mother, Lori Lombardo, initially thought her daughter was ignoring her before realizing there was a problem when Sierra was 2 and a half years old.
Tests revealed her daughter was almost completely deaf, a fact that shocked Lombardo.
"I thought I was a horrible mom, not because she was deaf, but because I could not communicate with her," she said. "I thought she was being stubborn. It was not her fault she could not communicate with me. If you are deaf, you are deaf."
Lombardo fought to enroll her daughter in the Phoenix School for the Deaf when Sierra was 3 years old.
Public school districts wanted to enroll Sierra in a traditional classroom with no additional help, and Lombardo knew that situation would help her.
The Phoenix School for the Deaf in Arizona "went to town on her" by teaching her daughter sign language, she said.
Lombardo has learned a lot of sign language and hopes to continue learning.
She said the question of whether or not to learn sign language was not an option because she had to find a way to communicate with her daughter.
"She was a monster child before I learned sign language," she said, adding it was not easy learning the language.
She read books, learned from her daughter and is attending classes in Carson City to learn more.
Western Nevada College is now offering the classes through interactive videos at the Fallon campus, which surprised Lombardo.
Lombardo said her daughter's success is tied to the trust Sierra has built with Bergreen-Steiger.
Bergreen-Steiger mentioned Lombardo and Sierra are the exception to the rule as most parents in this situation find it hard to communicate with their deaf children.
She said all too often, when a child hard of hearing enrolls in the district, he or she knows no sign language.
About 90 percent of deaf people are born to parents who can hear, and Sierra believes a car accident her mom was in during pregnancy could have resulted in her hearing loss.
The fifth-grader is a candidate for cochlear implants, which could improve her hearing to some degree, but her mom stressed Sierra needs to make this choice.
She said if something were to go wrong with the implants, it is possible Sierra could lose all hearing, even with the help of hearing aids.
"It's a gamble," she said.
When Lombardo moved to Nevada with her two sons and Sierra, the first school district her daughter attended did not use the Universal ASL or American Sign Language, and Sierra had to learn a new type of sign language, which slowed her education.
One of the problems with people who have a loss of hearing is denial, and Sierra is no different, thinking she can hear.
Her mom knows the truth.
"We played the game that she is hearing when she is not," she said.
When friends come over to their home, Sierra does not like her mom to use sign language in front of them.
At home, Sierra, who can read lips, prefers not to use sign language, but told her mom she wants her to learn more sign language so they can communicate better.
"I know to look at her and slow down my language and signs," Lombardo said.
Sierra said when her mom is upset with her and yells, it hurts her ears
Bergreen-Steiger said there are numerous graduates with hearing loss who have succeeded in college.
Sierra in the last nine weeks made the B honor roll at West End Elementary.
Bergreen-Steiger said the Churchill County School District does a wonderful job assisting with hearing-impaired students, from teachers to speech therapists to interpreters.
"It cannot just be one person," she said. "The whole team has to be successful."
Bergreen-Steiger said children like Sierra have to work so much harder to succeed, and they can if they are given the same opportunities.
If a sign-language interpreter gives the wrong message to students, children think they are at fault because the information given to them is thought to be correct.
"If they fail, we failed them," she said.
WNC Professor Frank said a problem is the lack of funding from the state, mentioning there is a dire need for more interpreters. Frank is the only sign language instructor for Northern Nevada.
She pointed to a letter from State Sen. William Raggio to Bret Whipple, chairman of the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, that spoke of need for more classes and training for professionals in the field.
While Bergreen-Steiger is not yet certified as an ASL instructor, Frank believes the only thing preventing her from getting this certification is taking the required test.
Marva Cleven, director of special services for the Churchill County School District, said the three interpreters the district has are very close to being certified.
"We have to have more classes so we can give equal access to these kids," Frank said. "We cannot continue to send kids to school without any language at all."
Bergreen-Steiger said she wants to extend an invitation to residents and other children to learn a few sign-language terms.
She said there are books in the library on the topic. WNC teaches ASL I and ASL II, and people can also learn by logging on at ASLPRO.com.
"It would be a wonderful experience for them and a deaf child," she said.
When first meeting Sierra Cox, a fifth-grader at West End Elementary, many are unaware the 10-year-old is almost completely deaf.
Sierra is succeeding at a high level at school because of interpreter Joy Bergreen-Steiger, who relays what teachers are saying to the student with sign language.
Sierra is the typical fifth-grade student except that she uses sign language to carry on conversations.
Sierra can hear slightly with hearing aids, but without them she is profoundly deaf.
Western Nevada College Professor Cindy Frank, who is partially deaf, said the language she and others uses is tied to sight.
"For a deaf child to learn sign language is like a blind child learning Braille," she said.
Sierra came to the Churchill County School District in the first grade, and in the third grade Bergreen-Steiger became her full-time interpreter while school is in session.
Sierra sits on the carpet in her classroom and, when needing to see Bergreen-Steiger, who is signing while standing next to the teacher, moves up so she can see what is being discussed.
Sierra remembers when she could not understand what her teacher was saying without an interpreter.
"It sounded like, "Blah, blah, blah,'" she said.
When the teacher starts talking, Sierra's eyes follow every motion of her interpreter.
If for some reason she misses a message, she has to raise her hand and ask her interpreter to repeat what was just said.
When the teacher repeats the statement, Bergreen-Steiger then relays the message to her.
"She know the difference between a teacher and interpreter," she said, adding the teacher is in charge at all times.
Sierra's interpreter said she tries not to crowd her. Bergreen-Steiger said when Sierra is with other kids, she is only there in case a question needs to be asked.
"She has some independence as a student," she said. "She plays with all of the kids."
Frank said in an ideal situation, Sierra would switch interpreters every year because that is the recommended practice.
However, Bergreen-Steiger is only one of three Churchill County School District employees who use sign language, so that is not an option.
Sierra's mother, Lori Lombardo, initially thought her daughter was ignoring her before realizing there was a problem when Sierra was 2 and a half years old.
Tests revealed her daughter was almost completely deaf, a fact that shocked Lombardo.
"I thought I was a horrible mom, not because she was deaf, but because I could not communicate with her," she said. "I thought she was being stubborn. It was not her fault she could not communicate with me. If you are deaf, you are deaf."
Lombardo fought to enroll her daughter in the Phoenix School for the Deaf when Sierra was 3 years old.
Public school districts wanted to enroll Sierra in a traditional classroom with no additional help, and Lombardo knew that situation would help her.
The Phoenix School for the Deaf in Arizona "went to town on her" by teaching her daughter sign language, she said.
Lombardo has learned a lot of sign language and hopes to continue learning.
She said the question of whether or not to learn sign language was not an option because she had to find a way to communicate with her daughter.
"She was a monster child before I learned sign language," she said, adding it was not easy learning the language.
She read books, learned from her daughter and is attending classes in Carson City to learn more.
Western Nevada College is now offering the classes through interactive videos at the Fallon campus, which surprised Lombardo.
Lombardo said her daughter's success is tied to the trust Sierra has built with Bergreen-Steiger.
Bergreen-Steiger mentioned Lombardo and Sierra are the exception to the rule as most parents in this situation find it hard to communicate with their deaf children.
She said all too often, when a child hard of hearing enrolls in the district, he or she knows no sign language.
About 90 percent of deaf people are born to parents who can hear, and Sierra believes a car accident her mom was in during pregnancy could have resulted in her hearing loss.
The fifth-grader is a candidate for cochlear implants, which could improve her hearing to some degree, but her mom stressed Sierra needs to make this choice.
She said if something were to go wrong with the implants, it is possible Sierra could lose all hearing, even with the help of hearing aids.
"It's a gamble," she said.
When Lombardo moved to Nevada with her two sons and Sierra, the first school district her daughter attended did not use the Universal ASL or American Sign Language, and Sierra had to learn a new type of sign language, which slowed her education.
One of the problems with people who have a loss of hearing is denial, and Sierra is no different, thinking she can hear.
Her mom knows the truth.
"We played the game that she is hearing when she is not," she said.
When friends come over to their home, Sierra does not like her mom to use sign language in front of them.
At home, Sierra, who can read lips, prefers not to use sign language, but told her mom she wants her to learn more sign language so they can communicate better.
"I know to look at her and slow down my language and signs," Lombardo said.
Sierra said when her mom is upset with her and yells, it hurts her ears
Bergreen-Steiger said there are numerous graduates with hearing loss who have succeeded in college.
Sierra in the last nine weeks made the B honor roll at West End Elementary.
Bergreen-Steiger said the Churchill County School District does a wonderful job assisting with hearing-impaired students, from teachers to speech therapists to interpreters.
"It cannot just be one person," she said. "The whole team has to be successful."
Bergreen-Steiger said children like Sierra have to work so much harder to succeed, and they can if they are given the same opportunities.
If a sign-language interpreter gives the wrong message to students, children think they are at fault because the information given to them is thought to be correct.
"If they fail, we failed them," she said.
WNC Professor Frank said a problem is the lack of funding from the state, mentioning there is a dire need for more interpreters. Frank is the only sign language instructor for Northern Nevada.
She pointed to a letter from State Sen. William Raggio to Bret Whipple, chairman of the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, that spoke of need for more classes and training for professionals in the field.
While Bergreen-Steiger is not yet certified as an ASL instructor, Frank believes the only thing preventing her from getting this certification is taking the required test.
Marva Cleven, director of special services for the Churchill County School District, said the three interpreters the district has are very close to being certified.
"We have to have more classes so we can give equal access to these kids," Frank said. "We cannot continue to send kids to school without any language at all."
Bergreen-Steiger said she wants to extend an invitation to residents and other children to learn a few sign-language terms.
She said there are books in the library on the topic. WNC teaches ASL I and ASL II, and people can also learn by logging on at ASLPRO.com.
"It would be a wonderful experience for them and a deaf child," she said.