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Rehab Center offers hearing help | Mansfield News Journal | mansfieldnewsjournal.com
James Lehr works in Mansfield, lives in Cardington and has children -- and grandchildren -- scattered around the Midwest.
He enjoys playing sports and socializing with friends and family.
Lehr, 50, communicates with his voice and his hands. He spends part of each day in different worlds: the hearing and the deaf.
"My preference is the deaf world because I can communicate easier," he said through a translator using sign language. "But I work in the hearing world and, in many ways, live in the hearing world."
Lehr was born deaf. The Akron native has learned to speak, read lips and use sign language.
Even with his range of abilities, Lehr said it is sometimes difficult for him to interact with people who do not sign.
"Sometimes I feel afraid and frustrated because it is hard to communicate," he said. "It can be even harder for others. With me I can talk, but not all deaf people will talk and not all of them can read lips."
A Mansfield-based group is working to make it easier for people in the deaf world to cross into the hearing world. The Rehab Center's Deaf Services reaches out to public agencies, businesses and organizations to help them better understand and serve the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Improving communication
"The main issue is just having some basic sign language so when people come in the door you can ask them to write on paper and ask them if they need an interpreter," said Amy Peters of the Rehab Center's Deaf Services. "If you can get that far, I think you can get communication going."
The Rehab Center partnered with the Richland County court system late last year to educate staff over eight weeks about sign language and deaf culture.
Domestic Relations Court Judge Heather Cockley said the court system sought the training to provide better service to the public.
"Not only do deaf people have the fear regular people have going through the court system, they have that fear they can't communicate with you," Cockley said.
She said she rarely sees a deaf person in court -- it happens roughly once a year -- but she said it's important be prepared to assist that person.
"We want people to be comfortable coming into the courts and we want to be able to meet their needs, even if it is just that one person," Cockley said.
Cindy Jakubick, a spokeswoman with MedCentral Health System, said its hospitals have recently made small changes to better accommodate the deaf community.
"We really haven't done anything that costs a whole lot of money," Jakubick said. "It has been more about raising the awareness of our employees about the particular challenges a deaf person may have as a patient."
Jakubick said deaf and hard-of-hearing patients are now moved to rooms closer to nursing stations so they are more visible.
"We have also created a magnet we put on the door that says hearing impaired and deaf, because a lot of the time doctors and nurses don't know and they go in and starting talking to them," she said.
MedCentral, county courts and other groups contract with the Rehab Center when interrupters are needed.
"Interpreters are considered an accessible accommodation by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and are required to be provided," said Lynn Feldmann, a sign language interpreter with the Rehab Center. "We are to a deaf person what an automatic door is to a person in a wheelchair."
Helping hands
"The deaf community, in general, has always been somewhat of a repressed minority," Feldmann said.
She said the group, funded through grants and state dollars, helps deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals get involved in their communities and make their concerns known to local, state and national elected leaders.
The U.S. Census does not track deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, but Feldmann said studies show they are about 1 to 2 percent of the total population. She said about 90 percent of deaf people are born to parents who can hear.
Lehr grew up in a family like that. He attended public school and sat in the front of class and read lips until his parents moved him into a school for the deaf at age 13. Lehr went to college and studied optical finishing technology, and works at Interstate Optical in Mansfield.
Lehr's wife is deaf. He said their children can hear, but they use sign language as a second language.
Lehr, president of the Mansfield Deaf Club, said he appreciates efforts by local businesses and organizations to better serve the deaf community. He said he sometimes meets people in public who don't know sign language and won't put in the effort to try and communicate -- whether that is with pen and paper or other methods.
"They may say, 'Oh, I'm sorry' or 'Never mind' and walk away," Lehr said. "Sometimes they're just not willing to try and communicate with deaf people."
He said hearing people sometimes assume deaf people "are dumb or can't do anything."
Lehr said people should never prejudge others.
"Deaf people can do anything," Lehr said. "It's the same as with hearing people, I don't know if they can do something or not, but you have to ask them."
James Lehr works in Mansfield, lives in Cardington and has children -- and grandchildren -- scattered around the Midwest.
He enjoys playing sports and socializing with friends and family.
Lehr, 50, communicates with his voice and his hands. He spends part of each day in different worlds: the hearing and the deaf.
"My preference is the deaf world because I can communicate easier," he said through a translator using sign language. "But I work in the hearing world and, in many ways, live in the hearing world."
Lehr was born deaf. The Akron native has learned to speak, read lips and use sign language.
Even with his range of abilities, Lehr said it is sometimes difficult for him to interact with people who do not sign.
"Sometimes I feel afraid and frustrated because it is hard to communicate," he said. "It can be even harder for others. With me I can talk, but not all deaf people will talk and not all of them can read lips."
A Mansfield-based group is working to make it easier for people in the deaf world to cross into the hearing world. The Rehab Center's Deaf Services reaches out to public agencies, businesses and organizations to help them better understand and serve the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Improving communication
"The main issue is just having some basic sign language so when people come in the door you can ask them to write on paper and ask them if they need an interpreter," said Amy Peters of the Rehab Center's Deaf Services. "If you can get that far, I think you can get communication going."
The Rehab Center partnered with the Richland County court system late last year to educate staff over eight weeks about sign language and deaf culture.
Domestic Relations Court Judge Heather Cockley said the court system sought the training to provide better service to the public.
"Not only do deaf people have the fear regular people have going through the court system, they have that fear they can't communicate with you," Cockley said.
She said she rarely sees a deaf person in court -- it happens roughly once a year -- but she said it's important be prepared to assist that person.
"We want people to be comfortable coming into the courts and we want to be able to meet their needs, even if it is just that one person," Cockley said.
Cindy Jakubick, a spokeswoman with MedCentral Health System, said its hospitals have recently made small changes to better accommodate the deaf community.
"We really haven't done anything that costs a whole lot of money," Jakubick said. "It has been more about raising the awareness of our employees about the particular challenges a deaf person may have as a patient."
Jakubick said deaf and hard-of-hearing patients are now moved to rooms closer to nursing stations so they are more visible.
"We have also created a magnet we put on the door that says hearing impaired and deaf, because a lot of the time doctors and nurses don't know and they go in and starting talking to them," she said.
MedCentral, county courts and other groups contract with the Rehab Center when interrupters are needed.
"Interpreters are considered an accessible accommodation by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and are required to be provided," said Lynn Feldmann, a sign language interpreter with the Rehab Center. "We are to a deaf person what an automatic door is to a person in a wheelchair."
Helping hands
"The deaf community, in general, has always been somewhat of a repressed minority," Feldmann said.
She said the group, funded through grants and state dollars, helps deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals get involved in their communities and make their concerns known to local, state and national elected leaders.
The U.S. Census does not track deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, but Feldmann said studies show they are about 1 to 2 percent of the total population. She said about 90 percent of deaf people are born to parents who can hear.
Lehr grew up in a family like that. He attended public school and sat in the front of class and read lips until his parents moved him into a school for the deaf at age 13. Lehr went to college and studied optical finishing technology, and works at Interstate Optical in Mansfield.
Lehr's wife is deaf. He said their children can hear, but they use sign language as a second language.
Lehr, president of the Mansfield Deaf Club, said he appreciates efforts by local businesses and organizations to better serve the deaf community. He said he sometimes meets people in public who don't know sign language and won't put in the effort to try and communicate -- whether that is with pen and paper or other methods.
"They may say, 'Oh, I'm sorry' or 'Never mind' and walk away," Lehr said. "Sometimes they're just not willing to try and communicate with deaf people."
He said hearing people sometimes assume deaf people "are dumb or can't do anything."
Lehr said people should never prejudge others.
"Deaf people can do anything," Lehr said. "It's the same as with hearing people, I don't know if they can do something or not, but you have to ask them."