Deaf Awareness Month: Aaron’s Story (@DeafSplitboarder)

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September is Deaf Awareness Month and we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight one of our team members – Aaron Rose – who has profound hearing loss and has been with Marion Downs Center for 4 years as Marketing and Outreach coordinator.

After a decade of backcountry touring in Colorado, Aaron, also known as @DeafSplitboarder on Instagram, recently set a new milestone for the Deaf community as the first Deaf individual to complete an Avalanche Pro Level 1, required for professions such as backcountry ski/snowboard guiding, ski patrol avalanche mitigation, or avalanche education.

Aaron’s goal is to open more doors in the backcountry skiing/snowboarding space for the Deaf community as an avalanche educator. He will go on to complete the AIARE Instructor Training Course this December and will be available for Introduction to Backcountry courses (in Spoken English and ASL) with Colorado Adventure Guides on select weekends this winter.

Aaron grew up in eastern North Carolina using Cued American English (the visual representation of Spoken American English in the Cued Speech system) in the public schools. He studied oceanography and meteorology at North Carolina State University before going to Washington University School of Medicine for graduate school in Deaf Education.

After three years as a teacher of the deaf in Aurora Public Schools, Aaron went on to co-found CueCollege.org, an online learning platform for Cued Speech before joining the Marion Downs Center where he supports our programs from KidScreen to DHH Track and Field Day.

We asked Aaron some questions related to his experience growing up with hearing challenges.

How would you describe the Deaf Experience?

“Everyone who has hearing loss has their own experience with technology and communication. With the different types of hearing loss and unique challenges each family faces, there is not a one-shoe-size-fits-all approach when it comes to Deaf Education. Some may thrive with cochlear implants, and others may thrive with sign language. Some may thrive with all the above. Some may identify more readily with Deaf culture, while others may feel more at home with their neighborhood friends. One thing that we may all have in common is that we typically have navigate the same barriers in accessibility and self-advocate for ourselves more than we should have to.”

What should people know when it comes to interacting with Deaf individuals?

“When meeting someone with hearing challenges for the first time, never assume anything about their communication preferences. Some may be very comfortable speaking for themselves, or they may prefer an interpreter to voice for them. In situations where you can’t get an interpreter offhand, technology can be helpful with speech-to-text functionality. Ask them what works for them. Be open-minded.

As adults, we tend to be stronger advocates for ourselves in a variety of situations. That being said, we appreciate it when we don’t have to work so hard to request access to experiences and services.”

What would you say to parents of newly-diagnosed children with hearing challenges?

“Establishing effective communication is going to be the most important piece of your child’s development early on. However you decide to communicate, be consistent and consider every moment an opportunity to expand on language. Point. Show. Describe. Ask. Model. Read books aloud every day and night! The more language you give, the more language you will get.”

Thanks to Aaron for sharing his story. The Marion Downs Center is grateful to have Aaron onboard!

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