Rhonda Champion
Board Member, Colorado, USA
"Everything you need to know in life, you learned in Kindergarten"
Two of my cousins were born deaf. They lived across the street and we were inseparable playmates until our first day of school. We all packed our lunchboxes and headed for school with all the excitement and apprehension of normal five year olds. Within hours, those feelings turned to sadness and confusion. The teacher was upset. What was she supposed to do with deaf kids? My cousins were sent home and the next day I went to school without my two best friends. They were sent to the state school for the deaf 400 miles away. They thought they had done something wrong. I don't remember exactly what I thought. I do know that on some level, I knew even then that they had a right to understand and be understood.
After high school, I received a BS degree in Education and taught in a Special Education classroom for a few years in a small town in South Dakota. Even though it was supposed to be a "least restrictive environment," the focus was still on differences and exclusion. Time to move on.
I moved to Denver, CO, and aquired a degree in Applied Science (Interpreting). I worked as an interpreter in a school for multiple handicapped and then a high school after becoming nationally certified. In 1995, I picked a student to "graduate with" and began full time community interpreting.
Cats, dogs and birds have always been a part of my life but my first experience with deafness in dogs did not happen until 1989 with Foster, a stray of mixed breed who appeared to have age related deafness. Since then I have shared my life with four deaf Dalmatians; Pebbles (at the Bridge), foster Koa, who has found a wonderful home, and currently, Champ, Zap. We share our space with a feisty black feline named Midnight.
I joined the deafdogs list in 1998. I am an active member of Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado, the ColoradoDeafDogs yahoo group owner/moderator, and the owner of www.SpiritofDeafDogs.org. I and Diane DuBose, the co creator of the Colorado Deaf Dog group, organize yearly Play Days for our deafies. This year, 2009, will be our 10th anniversary! Our contact list has grown from 11 to more than 260. I love the deafies and try to be available anytime someone says, "What am I supposed to do with a deaf dog?"
My other interests include woodworking, gardening and natural healthcare. However, if my name is brought up in the dog community, the interpreter community, the deaf community or my own neighborhood, I am the one with deaf dogs. Ya gotta love 'em!
