Cindy Czerny is Josh’s teacher. She signs during class, and speaks, but also keeps the classroom dramatic to hold students’ attention.By Sara StrongAt nine months old, Joshua Connell’s mom knew something was wrong."He was sitting in the living room with his back to the door," she said. "My mom came in and slammed the door pretty hard, and he didn’t turn around. We had a five-minute conversation, and he still didn’t turn around."After that, Terry and Chantel Connell, Luverne, took their son to a hearing specialist, where Josh was diagnosed profoundly deaf.After years of surgeries and hearing aid upgrades, Joshua is now considered hard of hearing, not deaf … and he never misses a chance to greet his grandma (Bev Viessman) when she stops by.Josh is 11 now, a fifth-grader at the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls. There, he hears teachers as he follows their signing, and communicates through American Sign Language and speech.Josh is counted as a student in the Luverne school system, which buses him to Sioux Falls for classes. He’s one of only a few in the history of the district to attend the School for the Deaf.Chantel said, "He’d rather live in the hearing world than the signing world."She said Josh hasn’t complained about living between two worlds, though. "The only time I’ve ever heard him really comment about it," Chantel said, "was when he had a friend staying overnight, and he went to take out his hearing aids to go to sleep, and said to his friend, ‘I’m going to go deaf now.’" Josh says he has goals of becoming a mechanic some day, working at the family business, Connell Car Care.Before that time comes, he said, "I might like to teach people to sign, or what it’s like for me."Getting helpThe surgeries Josh had involved tubes to get fluid out of his eardrums. His current hearing aids are the same he’s had for a year, purchased for $3,500. They allow him to hear at 50 and 70 decibels in either ear. (Most people can hear at 10 to 15 decibels.)He’s had hearing aids since before he was 2. Josh started receiving speech therapies at home at 18 months, but by the time he was 3 1/2, the Connells made contact with the School for the Deaf. He enrolled on his fourth birthday.Soon after, he started talking.Looking back, the Connells remember things such as Josh not making "cooing" sounds as an infant, probably signaling that he was deaf early on. Even with the signs, the 16 ear infections in his first year were well on their way to damaging his ears before the Connells or their doctors noticed anything different.Once he turned 4, and was able to express himself more effectively, things were better for the whole family because Josh’s "acting out" was reduced as daily life became less frustrating for him.His school’s philosophy is that all deaf and hard of hearing children should be able to fully communicate with others, through sign or speech. Chantel said, "He’s a very good lip reader."She thinks the old adage might be true that other senses are heightened when one is weak. "He’s got a nose like a bloodhound," she said.Communicating wellThe Connells are interested in getting a cochlear implant, but he hears too well with hearing aids for it to be allowed under Minnesota standards.A cochlear implant is a device implanted under the skin that picks up sounds and converts them to impulses transmitted to electrodes placed in the cochlea, restoring hearing.Although he hears well enough to communicate, Chantel said he still holds back a little because of his hearing loss.In hockey practice, for instance, he watches what others do when he can’t hear well or lip read the coaches."He likes to be first in line, but then he steps back so he can watch first," Chantel said.Reading is more difficult for Josh. Early on in school, it was confusing for him to hear and sign and translate those concepts to paper. Plus, he missed almost two years of hearing and learning the language before he got hearing aids.One thing that isn’t difficult for Josh is having fun. He loves hip-hop music and its strong beat; he enjoys sports; and he very much enjoys cars, motorcycles and bikes.Local friends have been kind, Chantel said. "I don’t think he’s ever been teased about his hearing aids."Josh said, "Sometimes people just say ‘What’s that in your ear?’"Josh has an older brother Jesse, 13. His grandparents are Melvin and Bev Viessman, Luverne, and Dave and Donna Connell, Sioux Falls.About the South Dakota School for the Deaf (sidebar)During gym class at SDSD, the teacher stomps on the floor to get everyone’s attention — which is difficult, with fun distractions like balls, bats and friends.When deaf students look away from their teacher at the school, they miss the lesson. So, there’s lots of hand waving and body motion to keep students’ eyes up front.There are 63 enrolled at SDSD from ages 2 1/2 to college age. Another 163 are helped through outreach programs where therapists and other experts visit schools across the state.The South Dakota School for the Deaf, formerly Dakota School for the Deaf Mutes, was founded in November 1880 in Sioux Falls by the Rev. Thomas Berry. At that time, Berry rented a private dwelling known as the Thomas Lodging House on Main Avenue.Since then, the school has grown from a rented building to a large, modern facility that houses the academic program and the residential dormitory.Through the years, the mission of the South Dakota School for the Deaf has changed and expanded, now including public schools (regular classrooms, resource rooms, and special classes), special schools, home instruction and hospital instruction. The state of South Dakota pays for these services for enrollees through age 21. The school serves children who are residents of South Dakota and western Minnesota, and occasionally children from other surrounding states. Because SDSD is state-funded, there is no charge to the South Dakota school districts or parents for tuition, room and board for resident students, for specialized services, or for consultation.Out-of-state students are charged tuition, paid by their home school district.
