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6/4/2007
"Someone is looking out for you.” Those were some of the first words Troy Bohan heard the night he was born. His mother Kay had been telling her doctors for days that something was wrong, but all the tests were normal. Finally, after a long, hard labor, Troy was born with a knot in his umbilical cord. Kay had been right. One minute longer could have meant death instead of life for her beautiful son. From that moment on, Kay has had to fight for Troy. The first few years of Troy’s life were full of questions, intense medical questions. Was he autistic? Why wasn’t he responding to his world the way other healthy little boys do? It was finally discovered that Troy was profoundly deaf. His tantrums, refusal to make eye contact and moments of banging his head on the floor were caused, not by a neurological problem, but by his frustration. He was aching to communicate with the people around him. He wanted to be able to talk to his family, and he just couldn’t. The sight of her son in such agony was simply too much for Kay. She put her boxing gloves back on and got ready to fight for Troy all over again. Luckily, this time it wasn’t necessary. Through word of mouth and a bit of research, Kay and Troy found the heart of Denver’s Deaf community and Troy’s ticket to a full life. They discovered the Rocky Mountain Deaf School. Kay remembers the first time Troy walked through the school’s doors. It was nothing if not magical. He immediately noticed all of the teachers, parents, students and assistants talking with their hands. He was enthralled. In what felt like no time at all, Troy was using American Sign Language to express himself. His vocabulary was just exploding, and Kay was doing everything in her power to keep up with him. She could finally talk to her son. It was a miracle.Unfortunately, that miracle is now in danger. The funding for the building that houses the school did not come through from the state. As a result, they would be without a home for the sixth time in 10 years. In the past, relocations were due to inadequate facilities, the amount of rent changing and even a few break-ins. This time is different. Because of a slight form change within Jefferson County schools, the deaf school received funding for its teachers and materials, but not its building. Once again, Kay prepared to fight for Troy. Along with the school’s director, staff and other concerned parents, Kay called anyone and everyone who would listen. Bob Beauprez and even 9News got involved, and the budget was approved for one year. This, however, is just a band aid. The school needs a permanent home. The inconsistency is difficult for the staff and, most importantly, for the kids. They, like all children, need a consistent school experience with the ability to walk down the same hallway year after year. They want the feeling that most children experience when they truly view a school as their own. 180: a view from the other side< It’s Time to be Heard >60The Rocky Mountain Deaf School is the only charter school in the Jefferson County school district that is dedicated to special needs children. The reasoning is simple. There are only a few deaf children in the area. Troy, for example, would have been the only deaf child in the Clear Creek School District. If he had attended a public school it that district, all communication would have occurred through an interpreter fluent in American Sign Language. He wouldn’t have been able to talk directly to his peers or his teachers. Troy would have been separated. He would have been alone. Not only can this type of segregation be emotionally scaring for children, it is far from the best educational practices. Peer modeling, which is when someone learns from other individuals, is important for a child’s development. This is another reason why the Rocky Mountain Deaf School is so powerful. The children have 100-percent accessibility to the teachers, administrators, assistants, students and parents. Everyone at the school is fluent in American Sign Language. Everyone can communicate directly with everyone else. This allows the children to have the same rich educational experience that their hearing peers receive. Remember, most people who are deaf are not impaired in any other way. In most cases, they show no signs of other special needs. It is simply that one of the five senses doesn’t function. Because of this, the Deaf community has a rich history in the United States. Rochester, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are just a few of the cities in this country with thriving Deaf cultural centers. In fact, it is not unheard of in these cities to walk into a Starbucks and be the only person not using American Sign Language. And, Washington, D.C., is the home of the well-respected Gallaudet University, which is for deaf students.This is the sort of community that Troy and Kay found at the Rocky Mountain Deaf School. Troy was no longer defined by his lack of hearing. He simply became Troy, and it is a beautiful thing. The thought of losing the special things the school offers is just too much for Kay and anyone else connected to the school to comprehend. Kay has even earned a real estate license, using all of her commissions to support the building fund that has been started for the school. Unfortunately, all of Kay’s fighting, thus far, has not been enough. If the kids are going to have a school that they can truly call their own, we all have to come together. So Colorado, the kids need you. If you would like to help, the building fund’s 501C3 is at the Colorado State Bank. For more information, contact Dr. Janet Careny, the school’s director, at janet@rmdeafschool.net or the school’s public relations representative at julie@rmdeafschool.net. Also Legendary Properties, Sotheby’s International Realty, Evergreen Office will be making a cash contribution to the school fund with the closing of each transaction. There is also an amendment currently in legislation that would give 100 percent of the funds needed to special needs charter schools. So, if letters or phone calls are more your style, contact your state representative and ask him or her to vote to pass the amendment. You can find your legislators at www.leg.state.co.us. With all you’ve done Kay, Troy and the school thank you.
-303 Magazine
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