Chasing Down an Olympic Dream

By George Berkheimer



Anyone who's spoken with an Australian knows that a decidedly different variety of English rolls off the tongue down under. But for 25-year-old Philip Coleman, a deaf American who speaks with his hands, that nuance didn't mean anything during his three-week visit to the continent in December and January. What made an impression, he said, was the abundance of hearing people he met who didn't give up when they found out he was deaf, but took the time to try to communicate with him.

Coleman took the trip to Melbourne to attend the Deaf Olympics. For him, it was a chance to broaden a dream of participating in competitive sports, one he's held since he discovered a love of running as a child in his native Jamaica. As he looked back on the experience, he explained that it was a dream come true.

"I started running when I was five years old," Coleman said. He was born deaf in one of the island's small towns, and his family moved to Florida in 1997 to seek out more options and better opportunities. He, his mother and sister eventually settled in Columbia. Meanwhile, Coleman continued to run, landing a top spot on his high school track team and seeking out a track league to train with after graduation. "Going to the Olympics has been my goal since high school," he said.

Getting there took a team effort, he acknowledged. Part of the credit lies with his employer, Columbia-based E&G Classics, and with Humanim, a nonprofit organization that has provided a clinic, rehabilitation and vocational counseling services for area individuals with varying degrees of disabilities since 1971.



Determined Focus

Trim and athletic, Coleman exudes confidence much like the sun emits rays. The Humanim employees who have worked with him since his referral from the Department of Rehabilitation Services in 2001 know him as a natural kidder with a contagious sense of humor.

"We assisted Philip with a job search and gave him some help with his résumé," said Alyssa Hayes, deaf services coordinator for case management at Humanim. Her office provides day programs and job services for the deaf as well as free diversity training to workplaces that hire disabled employees. "We have four deaf clients at the moment," she added. "Once we find out their backgrounds and skills, we can teach them the remaining skills they need to find employment or enter them directly into a career development program. Our focus is on job readiness."

In Coleman's case, he spent about five months progressing from Humanim's career assessment tests through job skill training, placement and job coaching. Last year he began working full time for E&G Classics, a company that manufactures after-market custom accessories for higher-end automobiles, including Cadillacs, Lincolns, Buicks, Hummers and BMWs.

"Philip is fairly easy to communicate with," said David Eash, president and owner of E&G, which has employed several other deaf workers in the past. "Show him something once and he picks it right up."

Coleman cuts fabric for convertible tops on the company's production line and said he enjoys the job, which enabled him to buy a car for transportation and allowed him to start saving the money he needs to train and compete. Now that he's found steady employment, he's ready to begin advancing his career. "I'd like to be an accountant," he said. "I love math, and I think it would be a good job." He has already taken some of the college classes he'll need to get there.



Teamwork Pays Off

The track league Coleman joined after high school wasn't suited for his needs and he quit, frustrated with the communication barrier. Training on his own seemed the only option until he became reacquainted with a friend from deaf school who was attending Gallaudet University in the District of Columbia. She introduced him to Thomas Withrow, coach of the university's track team, who agreed to work with Coleman.

Time and money proved the largest hurdles to overcome. "I became a United States citizen in August, which meant I could compete," said Coleman, but he didn't know he was going to Melbourne until November. Additionally, his work and training schedule took precedence over fundraising efforts. "I almost gave up," he said. At the lowest point he considered quitting his job, Hayes said, but the Humanim staff convinced him they could find another option.

After some coordination, Humanim donated $1,500 to the $5,000 Coleman had raised, while E&G Classics donated $2,000 and gave him three weeks off work to compete. Coleman managed to save and raise the final $1,000 he needed. "I don't know if I could have done it without Alyssa's support and help," he said. "It really meant a lot."

Coleman competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter races and in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. He advanced through two qualifying rounds in the 200-meter race but failed to qualify in the semifinal round.

"I accept it and I'm disappointed, but it wasn't a waste of time," he said. "I told my coach I'll be back, and it made him smile." Coleman has now set his sights on the next Deaf Olympics, to be held in 2009 in China.

"We're proud of what he accomplished," Hayes said. "He's our success story at Humanim, something that keeps all of us going."

If Coleman could share with other deaf people one thing he's learned from his experience, it would be the importance of perseverance. "Go talk to people, get information and meet people," he said. "You can do anything you want, but you have to set goals."

Heartened by the acceptance he encountered in Australia, he returned with some advice for the hearing who aren't sure how to approach deaf people. "Just start by learning a little bit about deaf culture," he said. "There's camaraderie among the hearing just like there's camaraderie among the deaf, but there's no difference in spirit between the deaf and the hearing. In that respect, we're all the same."