Dance another form of communication for McLinden
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff reporter
Some people might say that a person who is deaf can't live a normal life. Tomi McLinden of Marion, however, proves the fallacy of that thinking.
The 17-year-old is a senior at Marion High School.
Two years ago she signed up when a dance team was formed, and she found a new love. Her eyes light up when she dances, indicating a newfound freedom of expression.
Her sports interpreter, Deena Wuest, said Tomi learns dance patterns quickly.
"A lot of people who watch her dance don't know she's deaf until they see me signing to her," said Wuest. "People don't understand how she can dance."
She explained that she counts out the beat using sign language and her lips, and Tomi follows.
Speaking through Wuest, Tomi said, "The rhythm is in my head."
Tomi's classroom interpreter, Pat Nystrom, said Tomi always has had a positive attitude toward life but dance has given her something to excel in, something she can do better than others who can hear. She said dance has given Tomi a real boost in confidence. "She makes a good ambassador for the hearing-impaired," Nystrom added.
After graduation next spring, Tomi plans to attend Butler County Community College in El Dorado and also take classes at BCCC in Marion.
She said she would love to dance at college, then for a theater company, and then be a high school dance instructor.
Before she became involved in dancing, she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, she said, something she still might do, but also dance.
Tomi was diagnosed with "profound" deafness as a one-year-old. Her parents, Tom and Audrey McLinden, had her tested early because she has an older sister, Amanda, who had hearing problems.
She immediately began learning sign language from an instructor from Marion County Special Education Cooperative, who made home visits. Like a baby learns to talk, she learned to read lips.
Her mother took sign language classes at Butler County Community College in Marion.
When Tomi started school, she began speech lessons, as well. Wuest said her speaking skills have increased dramatically in the past four or five years. Her mother said she speaks at home quite a lot and more and more with her friends.
Tomi said she has always enjoyed being involved, and only on a few occasions have people made her feel that she can't do certain things.
Her parents have always treated her like any other child, she said, and allowed her to do whatever she wanted.
In elementary school, she occasionally received special education services but always was part of a regular classroom. She enjoyed playing softball during the summer.
In high school, she spends time with a tutor but, otherwise, is part of the mainstream student body. Pat Nystrom has been a constant companion since pre-school, serving as her interpreter in the classroom and in conversation with friends.
Nystrom noted that English isn't Tomi's first language, sign language is.
"It takes a great deal of courage to associate with people who speak a foreign language and people she can't hear," she said. "She has come into her own the last couple of years."
Tomi is involved in the local FFA chapter and has attended national FFA conventions. This past school year, she was a student council representative, played volleyball and basketball, was a member of cross-country and track teams, attended Sunflower Girls' State, was a cheerleader, and was involved in a school play. She also enjoys swimming.
Tomi's friend, Katherine Pike, said, "Tomi never ceases to amaze me with all her talents and abilities, all the while being basically shut out from the rest of the world except for sign language. Tomi is the one person I know who defies all odds. She is extraordinary."
Every summer Tomi attends deaf camp where she gets to make new deaf friends.
"A lot of times I meet people when I'm signing with someone," she said.
Tomi is the only deaf student at Marion High School.
"I'm very proud to be deaf," she said.
Her sister, Amanda, 22, is a certified nurse's aide at St. Luke Living Center. Another sister, Ann, 29, works at Flint Hills Embroidery.
"I think Tomi's an awesome person," said her mother, who operates Custom Threads in Marion. "She doesn't let anything stand in her way."
