One hot summer day in Westland, Michigan a hearing impaired African American boy entered a private Lutheran school and entered the public school system.
Upon entering the school his family discovered, that he was the only male student with this disability. This student’s name was Sam D. Sam was excited, afraid and lonely in anticipation the morning of starting the school. After returning home that day, Sam expressed that the other students appeared to be afraid, but were friendly, acting as if they had never experienced a student of African American decent with this disability. (A hearing impaired African American student with a cochlear implant).
Rick relayed to his aunt about the way the day had progressed and the feelings that he had experienced. He told her that all the students had been together since kindergarten and that they seemed to be like a family and he felt like an outsider. He felt alone because of his differences from the other students.
Although, Sam expressed to his aunt that he felt that by him being a hearing impaired African American student in an all white school that he would be shown, told and experience different things than the other students. First, I was told because of my disability that I would have to work harder, cover my tracks and always stand tall. Secondly, I was shown that whatever I put my mind to do, I was capable of achieving and that if I was of the same decent as the other students with the same disability, would I be treated the same. I also learned that having this disability had both advantages and disadvantages. I was able to use the hearing device to complete my school work, but was unable to hear everything that the other students were talking about.
Sam also learned a valuable lesson, that he would not treat people of a different race of disability different. Thirdly, he was taught about racism, hate treats, lies, breakdowns and love. He had never experienced racism, because he had always lived in neighborhoods, with all races and played with them all. Even though, I felt emotionally lonely inside the entire time I attended the school I made it through all the road blocks, even though I was scared to show my highest academic capabilities while I was there.
Sam stated, “He felt if he did his best he would really feel lonelier there. I have learned that no matter whom you are or how different you are, there is always something special about you.”
After all that, I went to a private High school and things got tougher, I got into fights, disagreements, put downs, rejections, picked on, you name it I experienced it. Sam finally who he was and that what people were trying to take away from him (his pride). Sam said, “The positive side was that all the teachers appeared to like me and cared about me, they tried to help me and the coaches all begged me to play sports for them. While attending school functions the students would ask me to do all the popular dances and asked me to teach them, then after the parties, they would return to be mean and nasty towards me again.”
After Sam’s second year of high school he begged his aunt to let him return to public school, where there were students with the same disability. Sam felt that he was able to fit in better with the students in public school because he would be around his peers of the same. Even though Sam was hearing impaired he did not speak like the deaf culture. Sam said. “The issues he experienced in private school were not the same as he had experienced in public school.
Sam stated that loneliness was a feeling he felt inside and that he kept covered up from the other students. He later stated that he has learned to not only like but, love himself and that it does not matter what others think of him. His motto is “if you don’t like me, why bother me or put me down, get to know me first, I may be different, but I have skills, manners and intelligence,” God has been with me through all the hard times and is still with me no matter what the situation. He has helped me to overcome my negative loneliness and to become an outstanding young man.