011820_HER_A 6.pdf
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She feels that one of the most beneficial learning moments for her
was at the Sioux Falls School of the Deaf where she was able to observe
communication between several deaf people and their interpreters.
Though there is not a large deaf community in Yankton, Huber is
not without resources. A few times each month she is observed by
a representative from a South Dakota School for the Deaf outreach
program and is given recommendations or advice. Every Monday for
about an hour, Brittany Stanek, who is also deaf, spends time teaching
the student. Stanek is a Community Support Specialist with the
Communication Service for the Deaf in Sioux Falls.
I had the opportunity to meet with Huber, Stanek and the student
while getting ready to take their picture. Words flowed seamlessly with
everyone as we enjoyed some casual conversation. It was incredible to
watch how smoothly literally unspoken words can be understood.
There are some misconceptions about the deaf community, she
explains. “A lot of people can think that deaf people can read lips. I
did some research. 17% - 20% is what they really can understand.” She
explains not to assume a deaf person can hear if they look up when an
airplane flies by or when they hear a loud noise such as a fire alarm.
Some of the deaf can hear a little or can feel vibrations from the noise.
“It is their language,” she continues. “The deaf community likes to
teach their own language.” Though she’s assisted with teaching sign
language, the proper way to learn the language is from a deaf teacher.
Huber would then be the interpreter between the two parties. If you
don’t know sign language, she explains that communication can simply
be through pen and paper.
Huber does some freelance interpretation in the Yankton Area
and approximates that there are about a dozen deaf people in our
community. She feels that interpreting is more of a necessity than an
option, “If you have meetings or changes, it’s always best to have an
interpreter. It is a struggle to get employers to pay for an interpreter,
though. Always has been.”
Those that she helps are held closely in her heart. “It’s like a family.
Once you meet them, they remember you forever. It’s like your deaf
community and if you have been their interpreter, you are pretty much
included in that deaf community.”
Huber has had many rewarding moments during her career. “When
a deaf person succeeds at a job or getting out of HSC or treatment so
they can keep going in life. And even like the students here. Seeing
them blossom and learn. It’s rewarding to know that you’re doing good
for someone.”
She is grateful for her family and credits them for being so
supportive of her career. Her husband John is the Highway
Maintenance Supervisor for the state Department of Transportation;
son Hunter will graduate in May from the Precision Ag program at
MTI; and daughter Paityn, a sophomore at Menno Public School, is
involved in many things including sports, band, FFA, FCCLA, theater
and student council.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind
can see,” Mark Twain once said. Huber is truly a link between the deaf
and the hearing communities, eliminating barriers to blend the two
cultures together in one language of kindness. n
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