Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 25, 1994                   TAG: 9410010011
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S23   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STUDENT HAD TO RELEARN ABCS TO STUDY IN ENGLAND

Heather, a sophomore at Patrick Henry High School, spent three weeks in England as part of the school's annual exchange program with Allerton High School in Leeds. The program is coordinated by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

She went not as a deaf exchange student, but as an exchange student who happens to be deaf.

Heather was insistent on applying to the program, and, with the help of her world geography teacher, Becky Fariss, and a local organization for the hearing-impaired, she secured funding for herself and Betty Hardin, the interpreter who accompanied her.

Heather explored not only British culture, but also the deaf culture in England, where, to begin with, the alphabet differs.

``In England, they use both hands for the ABCs,'' she said. ``Americans use one.'' Lip reading is harder because the British form their words differently and their vocabulary is sometimes not the same - elevator is ``lift,'' exit is ``way out,'' a policeman is a ``bobby.''

This initially presented problems for Heather, but as is her nature, she found solutions. She memorized the British ABCs and taught hers to the British deaf students, as well as some common signs.

British sign language differs from American Sign Language and straight English, the method Heather uses most often. She also uses speech.

``Heather got along beautifully,'' Hardin said. ``It was a unique experience this year to send a handicapped student.''

Hardin is a newly retired Patrick Henry teacher of the hearing-impaired and a free-lance interpreter.

British schools for the hearing-impaired are traditionally oral, teaching students to speak rather than to use sign language. When Heather visited a school for the deaf, she was asked not to sign in front of the children.

Schooling for the deaf in England does not involve as much mainstreaming into regular classrooms as in this country, though this is beginning to change. Deaf students often attend state-run schools for the deaf far from home because of a lack of regional programs.

During her visit to Leeds, Heather spent time at a social club for deaf youth. Teen-agers were teen-agers, and communication flowed easily.

As do most young tourists, she enjoyed seeing the sights, visiting the pubs and, especially, ``going out at night.''

Heather was treated regally on a visit to the lord mayor of Leeds, who allowed her to sit in the royal chair.

Two years ago, a former lord mayor of Leeds, as a special project, promised to distribute free TDDs - text telephones - to all the deaf in town. He was unpleasantly surprised to find out just how many deaf there were and spent a good deal of his own money keeping his promise.

(A TDD has a typewriter-style keyboard with an acoustic coupler for telephone conversations with others who have a TDD. Typed messages are seen on an LED display, as well as printed out.)

Heather was delighted to find that closed captioning in England is multicolored. Each speaker's words are displayed in a different color. ``It's much more interesting than at home,'' she said.

Although home is certainly where her heart is, Heather's eyes sparkle when she speaks about England.

``I loved it. I can't wait to go back.''