Johns accepted at exclusive camp for deaf
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An exclusive camp devoted to preparing young people with hearing impairments for leadership roles in the deaf community has extended an invitation to a former student in the Mount Ayr schools.
Kaitlyn Johns
Kaitlyn Johns, a junior at the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs, is one of only 64 applicants who have been accepted to attend the National Association for the Deaf Youth Leadership Camp July 2-26 in Stayton, OR.
Kaitlyn is the daughter of Debra and Garrett Hogue of Clearfield and Ben and Joy Johns of Ankeny. She attended Mount Ayr Elementary through the middle of her third grade year.
The nearly month-long camp immerses attendees not only with information but also provides them the skills, opportunities, and experiences to put that information to practical use.
“It is adopting an old Chinese proverb,” said Debra Hogue. “Tell me, and I’ll forget; show me, and I’ll remember; involve me, and I’ll learn.”
The camp’s schedule challenges the attendees to adapt to routines outside their comfort zones. No social media, cell phones are checked in upon arrival, and days begin with 7 a.m. calisthenics.
Kaitlyn stated she wants to be an advocate for the deaf community in a hearing world.
“She’s in a unique position with that,” said Hogue. “She’s also part of the hearing world with her cochlears [implants]. With her cochlears off, she has a profound hearing loss bilaterally. When she wears them, it is mild to moderate, depending on her surroundings.”
Following graduation from high school, Kaitlyn hopes to enroll in medical school.
“Vocational rehab has it set up so she can take classes over to Lewis Central next year, which is the high school right across the road right from the ISD campus,” said Hogue. “They have all sorts of anatomy and physiology classes that she wants to take.”
Hogue said Kaitlyn’s interest in the medical field has been influenced by her brother Bradley and his wife Nicole, who are both doctors.
“She’s a smart kid,” said Hogue. “I mean, there’s nothing she can’t do. She just may have more obstacles than most.”
Kaitlyn has begun to form her post-high school education plans, which may include the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.
“They actually have a deaf college within them,” said Hogue, “and it has a really good medical program. One of the top cardiovascular doctors in the country is deaf, and he is located there in Rochester.”
Kaitlyn and her family are currently trying to raise the estimated $4,000 to pay for the camp and airfare to Oregon. They have set up a GoFundMe account on Facebook, selling T-shirts, planning a silent auction, and accepting Venmo donations @debrawilson23.
