During the camp, I had the unique perspective of evaluating the worthiness of each session throughout the camp because I just graduated from CU-Boulder last December.  In my opinion, the most effective lesson was demonstrated by Professor Phillip Gilley.  The ten campers were taken into CHEM 140, which is used to teach the basic science courses required by nearly every major on campus.  Due to the general requirements, the classes here tend to be enormous; the room seats over 400 students.  The campers sat in various distances from the blackboard and after five minutes of listening to a lecture, were asked to evaluate how comfortable they felt following the lecture.  Most students ended up moving forward.  It was difficult understanding the professor with just the distance barrier, but add in over 400 coeds chatting at the same time and it would seem at times impossible to hear the lecturer.  After moving to a much smaller classroom, the students instantly noticed the difference and learned how much the average class size of any college can drastically impact the quality of the education that they receive.  Other lessons touched on legal rights, the value of a college degree and the importance of one's self esteem.

The lectures were extremely interesting, not only to the campers, but also to the camp leaders who had never had the opportunity to participate in a summer camp like this one.  Of all the lecturers we saw (over 20 adults living with some degree of hearing loss!) the three that most stood out were Rob Loveless, who demanded we "never apologize for being deaf!". Susan Elliott, an extremely entertaining teacher for the deaf who gave us the Judy Garland quote, and Candice Alder, who explained just how extensive our rights are under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

I know the campers would definitely want me to mention how much fun it was talking to each other.  Within the first hour of meeting each other, we relaxed our social "walls" and began to communicate to each other in whatever way it took.  Rafael, a camper who communicates primarily through ASL, is quite the comedian and cracked jokes about everyone in voice, ASL and sometimes both.  We thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with each other while rock-climbing, playing volleyball and playing a version of charades that included a lot of running.  While we learned a lot from the lectures, I feel we gained just as much from being around each other (if only for 33 hours!)   

Can I do it again?

Andrew Couch was one of our three Camp Leaders, current college students who are deaf or hard of hearing. In August, he will begin his Doctorate of Audiology program at University of Arizona. Good luck, Andrew!  

Ten campers, three Camp Leaders, and numerous staff and volunteers spent two days at University of Colorado, Boulder campus on July 22-23 for Campus Connections. In a communication-accessible environment, each teenager spent the time immersed in information about resources, skills, and tools that would support their transition to college. We had an amazing line-up of speakers including Susan Elliott (2009 Colorado Teacher of the Year), Candice Alder of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center, and Rob Loveless of the Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Each camper (and Camp Leaders and staff and volunteer!) learned so much about their ADA rights as students with a hearing loss, was inspired to be the "first-rate version of themselves", and to always say "WE" need an interpreter or CART. Communication is a two-way street, right?  

For more pictures of Campus Connections, follow this link!

Thank you to the many volunteers, sponsors, and staff members who contributed to the planning and implementation of this event. Without your hours of work and passion, this program would not have been possible.