Las Vegas school for hearing-impaired children is waiting to serve

Now and then you meet someone who has found her calling. Earlier this year I met Jennifer Trupiano.

Trupiano hears perfectly well, but since childhood she's had a desire to learn American sign language, one of the systems deaf people use to communicate.

"I've always just been fascinated by the language and the culture," Trupiano says.

She first tried sign language as a fifth-grader when a teacher taught her the alphabet. After becoming a dental hygienist years later, Trupiano found herself working with hard-of-hearing patients. She also took night classes in deaf studies and interpretation at the College of Southern Nevada.

So when she learned that the fledgling Las Vegas Charter School of the Deaf was taking shape, she volunteered. When a job for office manager came open, she leaped at the opportunity. From the start she has helped with fund-raising and marketing.

Perhaps she didn't realize the job description would include promoting the school itself. These days she finds herself doing just that as the facility at 124 N. Tenaya Way struggles to grow and get the word out.

So far, the charter school has just two students in a kindergarten-through-third-grade curriculum. Clearly the school, which opened in September, is still getting off the ground.

But its mission is important. Although the Clark County School District makes some accommodations for deaf and hearing-impaired students, there's a need in a booming valley for a facility of this kind. (Its status as a charter school means its curriculum has been approved by the school district. It also means students attend the school without charge.)

"Unfortunately, there's not a system to notify the parents that says, 'Hey, there's a school for your deaf and hard-of-hearing children.' We're pretty much on our own to pound the pavement."

For months, Trupiano has found herself pounding away, promoting the school's ability to teach young students English and other school lessons through sign language in a comfortable atmosphere.

Teacher Tina Gahagan signs to her students, and her aide, Jaime Vitale, is deaf and also signs.

"There's so much passion here," Trupiano says. "It would be such a shame for it not to be a success."

If you go by national statistics alone, there's an obvious need for public schools to be sensitive to students suffering from hearing impairments and deafness.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, an estimated 37.4 million adults suffer from hearing loss or deafness. Finding an accurate statistic for children, however, is a greater challenge. It's estimated that from 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children will develop hearing loss by age 9, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports. "Whether this hearing loss is mild, moderate, or profound, it affects children's ability to participate in daily activities," the NIDCD Web site states.

"While most people with hearing loss are older folks who have lost hearing with age, approximately 12 out of every 1,000 persons with hearing impairment are under 18 years of age, based on the most recently available NCHS statistics," NIDCD Director Dr. James F. Battey Jr., writes. "That means that the chances are excellent that at least one student in your child's school will have a hearing loss."

The greater challenge is identifying the many students who suffer from undiagnosed hearing loss, Trupiano says, for traditionally there has been a direct relationship between hearing loss and success in school, especially in reading and English communication proficiency.

"The biggest gamble in this town right now is this school," Trupiano says. "Our heart and soul is so into this school. The odds are so against us, but we're determined to make it work."

ON THE BOULEVARD: Speaking of callings, Metro cop Pat Barry has pursued a couple over the last three decades. Barry is set to retire in January after 30 years with the department. With wife Dawn, he also operates Barry's Boxing Center at 2664 South Highland Dr., which helps disadvantaged youth in the community and is always in need of assistance.

BOULEVARD II: The word is "Omar" Siddiqui, the Fry's Electronics executive suspected of defrauding his company out of $65 million he used to pay his Strip gambling debts, was an affable fellow with plenty of acquaintances in Las Vegas. If you know any stories about him, I'd like to hear them.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith