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

DATE: TUESDAY, January 17, 1995                   TAG: 9501180028
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FRANCES DINKELSPIEL KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: BERKELEY, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Medium

HIP MAGAZINE SENDS LOUD, CLEAR MESSAGE ABOUT THE DEAF WORLD

As a parent of a hard-of-hearing daughter, Ellen Dolich was always interested in meeting accomplished San Francisco Bay Area deaf people. She often would introduce them to 11-year-old Lindsey to show her positive role models and examples of how deaf people successfully navigate through the world.

Now Dolich and Robin Gladstone, father of a deaf son, have taken that message nationwide. They've created a new, colorful magazine called HiP to present upbeat stories about the deaf world to kids ages 8 through 14. The Berkeley-based periodical, the first of its kind in the country, aims to break the isolation many deaf children feel and to show them they are not alone.

The bimonthly magazine is filled with zany graphics, puzzles and comics aimed to appeal to those on the cusp of adolescence. There are articles on accomplished deaf people such as Curtis Pride, a professional baseball player who played for the Montreal Expos last season, and amusing pieces, such as a question-and-answer article on the funniest thing that ever happened to your hearing aid.

``I'm trying to show kids they can go out on their own and not be fearful,'' said Dolich, who is married to Andy Dolich, former vice president of the Oakland A's and the new president of the Golden State Warriors. ``Others have done it before them.''

Although Dolich and Gladstone have produced only one issue, the response to HiP has been overwhelmingly positive. Kids and their teachers from around the country have written in to say how much a magazine like this was needed. The name HiP is not initials for anything, the publishers say.

``We love the magazine,'' wrote Suzanne Davis, who teaches in a hard-of-hearing program in Albany, N.Y. ``The kids' eyes lit right up as they read the articles about adults and kids like themselves.''

Deaf children, particularly those in regular schools, can feel very isolated. Although many of them speak and read lips, they are often left out of casual conversations and worry they are the butt of jokes when other kids whisper and giggle.

``Children need to feel they are not alone with their hearing loss,'' said Nancy Hammon, an adviser to the magazine who is deaf and also has a deaf son. ``When I was growing up and was the only hard-of-hearing person in my school and my family, it made me feel I was less than normal.''

Dr. Adeline McClatchie, the director of pediatric audiology at Children's Hospital in Oakland, said the magazine could help break down barriers.

``The magazine [links children] who might not find each other in the playground,'' said McClatchie. They go from feeling different ``to being children with a common bond.''

The magazine also aims to improve deaf kids' reading skills, which are often below average. Hearing children's language is reinforced thousands of times a day as they listen to conversations, the television and the radio. But deaf children do not get that reinforcement.

So HiP introduces new words in every article and provides definitions for them. There are also crossword puzzles and idioms that readers are asked to interpret.

Erika Geiger, 11, who attends the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, liked the challenge of the new words. But her favorite part was the article on new technology, which talked about a device that would provide closed captions at the movies.

``I think it's really wonderful,'' said Erika, using sign language. ``I heard it was the first magazine about deaf people for children. I'm really happy it started.''

HiP is published six times a year and costs $14.95 annually. To subscribe, write to HiP Magazine, 1563 Solano Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 94707.

by CNB