With all the fanfare surrounding the Seattle Seahawks squaring off against the Denver Broncos in this year’s Super Bowl, two stories have emerged about the Seahawks that are uplifting and inspirational for those with hearing loss. The first one focuses on Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman, who has been deaf since the age of 3. Derrick wears hearing aids on the gridiron but is undaunted by his hearing loss. He maintains that he’s never allowed them to limit him. The only accommodation the team has made is that quarterback Russell Wilson looks right at Derrick during play calls in the huddle so he can read Wilson’s lips. You can read more here. To see how Derrick has inspired one little girl who is deaf and also wears hearing aids, click here.
And in a victory for Seahawks fans, one hearing impaired man has persuaded team management to make accommodations at "The Clink," considered the loudest venue in the NFL. Dean Olson has been an advocate for closed captioning at the stadium after other measures to connect fans to the sounds of the game came up short. For the first time starting this season, closed captioning now runs along portions of the electronic ticker. You can read about it here.
The message for sports fans or anyone else with a hearing impairment? You don’t need to let hearing loss keep you out of the game of life!