Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 1 Fall 2013 | Page 8

Deaf Community Connections
EDITOR’S NOTE: WSD aims to develop the whole child: academically, culturally, linguistically, socially, and
emotionally. In this issue the writers have highlighted several events that reach out to and connect with the Deaf
Community through Deaf adults, our alumni and the International Deaf Community via the Dea ympics.
BELOW: Mr. Eby locates Taiwan on a map.
RIGHT: Charles Hammack explains the
inspring feeling of the Dea ympics.

ABOVE LEFT to RIGHT:
Matthew Eby, Steve Haynie,
Ryan Kelly

International Week of the Deaf - IWD
During the last week of September, WSD celebrated International Week of the Deaf (formerly Deaf Awareness
Week). The theme of this year’s annual event was Dea ympics. Originally known as the International Games
for the Deaf (1924-1965), the Dea ympics were organized by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds,
CISS (The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf). The name was changed to the World Games for
the Deaf (1966-1999). Since 2000, Dea ympics has been the of cial name and is an International Olympics
Committee (IOC) sanctioned event for Deaf athletes to compete at an elite level.
The elementary students kicked off the week with a trip to the local Southern Lakes Association of the Deaf
clubhouse. Dean Kelly, a 1975 WSD graduate led a Dea ympics ‘Show and Tell.’ Dean showed the students
framed photos of former Dea ympians and added his own stories. Some of the young students may not yet
have a full appreciation of the honor of participating in the Dea ympics, but as they get older, they will develop
a greater understanding as they remember Dean’s photos and his stories.
WSD was also lucky to have a number of current and former Deaf athletes who were willing to come and share
their experiences with the whole school. On Tuesday, we had three presenters. First was our very own Athletic
Director, Matthew Eby. Matt shared his story of being a member of the U.S. Deaf National Soccer team since
2004. He competed in the 2005 Dea ympics in Melbourne, Australia; the 2008 World Football Championship
in Patras, Greece; the 2009 Dea ympics in Taipei, Taiwan; the 2011 Pan American games for the Deaf in
Barquisimeto, Venezuela; and the 2012 Deaf World Cup in Ankara, Turkey. The students thoroughly enjoyed
the photos Matt shared of his experiences in other countries, and they especially loved the action shots! To read
more of Matt’s experiences, check out his blog. http://ebyusdeafsoccer.blogspot.com
Steve Haynie, a 1985 graduate of the Illinois School for the Deaf, drove from the Chicagoland area to share
his experiences participating in both indoor and beach volleyball in the Dea ympics as a member of the USA
Deaf National Volleyball Team from 2001 to 2013. Steve participated in the Dea ympics in Rome 2001 and
Melbourne 2005 as an indoor volleyball player. For the 2009 Games in Taipei, he competed in both indoor and
beach volleyball. Steve is still involved in volleyball as a player for the semi-pro circuit and as a coach for a
girl’s club team. Steve has experience coaching at the high school level and is considering becoming the Men’s
Head Coach for the national team as they prepare for the next Dea ympics in 2017.
Fall 2013 - 8