The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory

When Coach Adams and his wife Carol, who are both Deaf, had their first child, Trevin, they were not upset by the news that he was Deaf, as their doctor expected. They knew that technological advances would make his life much easier than theirs. As teenagers, Adams and Carol relied on a devices called a text telephone/teletypewriter to communicate via phone. Now, Trevin was able to text his hearing friends on a smartphone and sign to his Deaf friends using FaceTime. Fuller predicts that future technologies like smart glasses and translating apps will also benefit Deaf communities. Like all parents, the Adams’ worried about smartphone abuse; however, they believed that the access they provide outweighed the risks.

In September 2021, Dominic Turner transferred to CSDR after bouncing through seven schools. Although Dominic had always been a good student, he struggled at hearing schools where his classmates teased him. He joined the Cubs and helped the team secure their fifth consecutive victory. Born profoundly deaf, Dominic underwent surgery at age 5 to install a cochlear implant, a small device under the skin that allows Deaf people to hear at varying degrees. Since its invention, the device has been controversial: Deaf advocates argue that deafness is not a disability to be cured, and worry that widespread use of the device will harm