Not Always Fun and Games

Feelings at Hearing Summer Camp

As a deaf/hard of hearing teen, I have had a hard time in camps for hearing kids. I have gone to hearing summer camps for six years-and I always felt mad. Everybody made fun of me, even the counselors and my brother. It seemed like no one cared. I tried talking with my mom, and she tried talking with the counselors, but it didn't help.

Many times, when it was time for announcements, I would ask the counselors what the director said. The counselors always told the kids to tell me, but I asked the counselors to tell me. "Excuse me, I can't understand a kid's voice, so could you please tell me…yourself?" They acted like it wasn't important for me to know. No wonder I didn't know the rules and always got into trouble. I felt that I should know the rules and what was going on because I was part of the camp, too. Everyone should know the rules!

I always used to cry on the last day of school because I didn't want to go to camp for the summer. I wanted to stay at school. I felt like school was fun and camp was jail.

I felt so mad because I am just a regular person who can't hear as well as the hearing kids. I mean, what's wrong with getting along with deaf and hard of hearing people? Doesn't anyone know that no one is perfect?

That's what makes the world interesting.

By Janelle Wolfgang
Harrisburg, PA