Deaf, Hard Of Hearing Students Gain Confidence Through Vienna Contest

VIENNA, VA — Students who are deaf or hard of hearing can practice their communication skills and gain confidence through a contest hosted by the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna.

Six finalists between fourth and sixth grades are participating in the Optimist Club District Communication Contest for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing at Canterbury Woods Elementary School on Feb. 24. Two winners will receive $2,500 scholarships, one going to a student using cochlear implants and one to a student using sign language.

"I don't know much about being deaf and hard of hearing, but I'm profoundly moved by these children," Sherry Levitt, the event coordinator for the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna, told Patch.

In the contest, students will give a five-minute presentation on this year's topic, "How to Change the World with Optimism." Students will use cochlear implants or sign language to present their speeches. Four judges who work with or support the deaf and hearing-impaired community will judge the students' presentations and choose the winners.

Participating students attend Canterbury Woods Elementary School, one of Fairfax County Public Schools' designated locations for deaf and hard of hearing services. Levitt coordinated the event with the District Optimists and Canterbury Woods Elementary School staff. The Optimist Club hosts the event and provides the rules, while preparing the presentations is up to the students and school staff.

The contest is set up so a hearing audience can understand what the students are communicating. While the students are presenting, the audience will see the speeches projected on screen. To applaud the students, Levitt says the audience will wave their hands in the air rather than clap.

According to Levitt, the contest helps prepare the students for later in life when they aren't receiving the same level of support and services at the FCPS.

"I think it helps them develop confidence, and it encourages them to express themselves beyond the deaf and hard of hearing community that they spend their time with," said Levitt. "They get to communicate to a hearing audience."

The contest is one of the Optimist International efforts. On the local level, Levitt says the platform for the deaf and hard of hearing students to express themselves aligns with the Vienna club's values.

"We serve the youth of greater Vienna," said Levitt. "Everything we do goes back to the youth of the community."