Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
13WHAM-TV || Rochester - Rochester Embraces Deaf Community
The Rochester area has emerged as one of the leading cities for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Rochester is home to the country's largest deaf population per capital, with about 90,000 residents identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing. The feeling of isolation some of them once experienced is not as prevalent.
When Steven Debottis lost his hearing at the age of two, he had to find new ways to communicate. He now relies on a videophone, sign language, and the support of friends who belong to the Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf.
Decades ago, it wasn't uncommon for members of the deaf community to feel shunned from society. The club gives members a comfortable place to socialize; a place to recognize one another for their accomplishments; and a place to help others who want to help those in the deaf community.
Many people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing say that being embraced by the community began with the opening of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
The NTID, located on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, helped pave the way for deaf-friendly practices. Three movie theaters now provide captions for new films; most local high schools offer sign language classes, many restaurants have waiters who know sign language.
One professor in California said the way Rochester has embraced the deaf community will influence the rest of the country years from now.
The Rochester area has emerged as one of the leading cities for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
Rochester is home to the country's largest deaf population per capital, with about 90,000 residents identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing. The feeling of isolation some of them once experienced is not as prevalent.
When Steven Debottis lost his hearing at the age of two, he had to find new ways to communicate. He now relies on a videophone, sign language, and the support of friends who belong to the Rochester Recreation Club for the Deaf.
Decades ago, it wasn't uncommon for members of the deaf community to feel shunned from society. The club gives members a comfortable place to socialize; a place to recognize one another for their accomplishments; and a place to help others who want to help those in the deaf community.
Many people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing say that being embraced by the community began with the opening of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
The NTID, located on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, helped pave the way for deaf-friendly practices. Three movie theaters now provide captions for new films; most local high schools offer sign language classes, many restaurants have waiters who know sign language.
One professor in California said the way Rochester has embraced the deaf community will influence the rest of the country years from now.