VALDOSTA — The Fourth Annual Deaf Field Day brought together more than 100 deaf or hard-of-hearing youths from area and neighboring school districts. 

For some students present, the event is the only time they get to interact with other deaf people, said Haley Chaney, staff interpreter at Valdosta State University.

“That’s really the goal of the event is for students to interact with each other and meet other kids that are just like them,” Chaney said. “There have been students in the past that have never met a deaf kid before.”

Located inside the VSU Student Recreation Center, the field day had a rock climbing wall, basketball, racquetball and an arts and crafts room.

The event is not supposed to be competitive — the field day serves as a time for deaf or hard-of-hearing youths to socialize with each other and learn about community resources, said Kelly Spell, a VSU staff interpreter.

It was the first year the event hosted vendors, such as Audibel Hearing Aid Center and VSU’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, Spell said.

“When you’re alone in your county or school system, you don’t know all of the services that are there and readily available for you,” Spell said. “Having the vendors here are a way for the students to see that there are services here specifically to help them and make their lives easier and better.”

The VSU ASL Club was present to show support for its deaf and hard-of-hearing students at VSU and in its organization, said Jeremine Burks, club president.

“A lot of our club members are hard of hearing or deaf, so supporting this event is really important,” Burks said. “To engage with deaf or hard-of-hearing children out in the community is a great opportunity for us to have our hands up.”

Eight school systems, including its deaf or hard-of-hearing students, employees and parents, were represented at the event: Lowndes, Berrien, Coffee, Colquitt, Thomas, Ware and Brantley county schools and Valdosta City Schools. 

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.