A non-profit organization that serves a vulnerable population in our community needs some help.
The Sally Pimentel Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Fort Myers operates on a small budget. The center is low-profile, and employees say they wish the place could do more.
How does this reflect the issues facing deaf and hard of hearing Southwest Floridians?
Audrey Rodriguez is deaf and a mentor at Pimentel. She and others said it's not surprising that efforts to help the deaf don't get a lot of attention. They also said the community deals with isolation and stereotypes.
Rodriguez used American Sign Language to communicate with WGCU News. Abrey Barwise interpreted.
"I feel that we are invisible," Rodriguez said. "People don't understand us. It's the hard part."
Pimentel is the only non-profit, full-service center for the deaf and hard of hearing between Miami and Tampa. Glenn Leamer attends adult life skills classes at Pimentel. He too used American Sign Language to communicate through an interpreter, and said he struggles to get through every day.
"It's hard, hard," Leamer said. "People expect me to understand words. I can't."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that just under one percent of Americans are deaf. At least another two to three percent are seriously hard of hearing, according to HHS.
Some deaf people meet regularly at the food court at Edison Mall in Fort Myers. Teenager Amelia Deese said deaf people face one major misunderstanding when dealing with hearing people. She used sign language, and Pat Althalt of Fort Myers interpreted.
"Most hearing people think they are stupid," Deese said. "And they are not stupid. They are very bright, very brilliant and very outgoing. They just have character."
At De LaSalle Academy in south Fort Myers, students have to take two years of classes in American Sign Language to graduate. It's a private school for children who learn differently.
"I think it brings a lot of light to the deaf community and helps us understand what they go through in their day-to-day lives," Mark Modugno, a student in a sign language class, said.
Claudia Chambers teaches the classes.
"I feel passionate about teaching it here," Chambers said. "Not only teaching the language, but also teaching about the community as a whole. And I feel disappointed about the way the deaf community is treated."
Rachel English is the assistant principal at De LaSalle, and taught sign language for six years. She's done a lot of research on cochlear implants.
"When students, or children, get the implant at a very young age, it is more successful," English said. "We had one child who got the implant quite young, and she had a lot of speech therapy and is doing very well. Other kiddos who get the implants a little older face more challenges, and it didn't work as well."
Florida public schools are required to provide accommodations for deaf students. And the Lee and Collier County public districts do offer classes in American Sign Language at some schools.
In addition Florida has set up a section in the state health department to provide resources for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Back at Pimentel Center director Amy Turner said the operation can pay only five people to serve deaf people from five counties.
"It's heart-breaking to understand the potential that a person could have reached." Turner said of working with the deaf. "But because they did not have access to things like sign language when they were young, and now they are older, and they don't fit into the deaf community because they don't know sign. And they don't fit into the hearing community because they can't hear. We fight for these people and will keep fighting for them every day."
Pimentel is holding a fundraiser February 4 at The Club at Pelican Preserve in Fort Myers. The center hopes to raise money through tickets, auctions and raffles. You can find details at:
https://dhhclife.networkforgood.com/events/78006-toast-to-tomorrow-sign-dine-fundraiser
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. Mike Walcher is a reporter at WGCU, and also teaches journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. He can be reached at: mwalcher@wgcu.org