In 1994, Deaf Services Center, in response to a parent of two deaf children, expressing concern regarding the lack of accessible social and recreational programs for deaf children, began providing informal monthly activities. While providing the informal activities, DSC’s staff began researching the need for such programming. It was discovered that there were approximately 312 deaf and hard of hearing children attending schools in the Central Ohio area. Through an informal telephone survey of 30 youth oriented community programs in Columbus, 17 reported that they had no knowledge of any Deaf youth participation within recent years, 5 programs had only one deaf participant and 7 programs believed they had deaf participants, but did not keep track.
As a result of the findings, DSC’s Board decided in 1995, to formally establish a youth program called Deaf Youth Leadership Program and seek funds to support it. This program was designed to assist Deaf and Hard of Hearing children ages 10 to 14 to develop the necessary self-esteem, self-confidence and leadership qualities that will allow them to transit from the protected environment of the home and school into the world of young adulthood. However, the program was presented to the kids as a club, in which the kids dubbed it Deaf Kids Club, to have fun, meet new friends and develop new interests. With the generosity of the Ohio Children’s Foundation and The Columbus Foundation, a program coordinator was hired to develop and expand the activities.
In May of 1996, the program expanded to include ages 10 to 15 and the name was changed to Deaf Kids & Teens Club (DKTC). In that same year, a week long Deaf Kids Camp and Deaf Teens Camp was established to focus on teaching team-building skills. In 1997, the program again expanded its age group from 9 to 15 and again in 2000 from 9 to 18 years old.
In January of 2000, the Teen’s Corner was established in response to deaf teenagers expressing the need to have access to information to cope with peer pressure issues. Teen’s Corner was a monthly "get together" for 13 to 18 year olds to help teens, through peer discussions, develop the ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. A grant from the Columbus Medical Association helped establish the activity the first year.
When the program first began in 1995, it had 15 children involved in the first activity and now as of our FY 2007-2008 it had a mailing list of 300 kids and over 500 individuals attended its activities. The success and longevity of the program has been made possible through support from The Columbus Foundation, D.E.A.F. (Dorothy Ann E. Fund), Vera M. Tazelaar of The Columbus Foundation, Grove City Sertoma and Advocates for Kids.
