KC makes transfer deal with ETBU Articulation affirms accessibility beyond KC
Diana Castillo / THE FLARE
ETBU president Blair Blackburn signs an articulation agreement with KC’s President, Dr. Brenda Kays, during a press conference Wednesday morning.
Tigers and Rangers came together Wednesday morning to celebrate a new cooperative program between East Texas Baptist University and KC. The goal of this articulation agreement is “to offer students (at both schools) access to more enhanced educational opportunities,” according to a KC press release. “Students are the reason that we do what we do and they are at the heart of this merger between ETBU and KC,” said Dr. Brenda Kays, KC president. “This agreement will create more opportunities for students.” Heather Hadlock, vice president of student affairs at ETBU, views
the partnership as a benefit to all students. “It makes for a way for a really easy transition for students, and lets them know that what they are doing here is going to benefit them in the future going toward that four-year degree,” she said. “The community college experience is so important as it is a great place to start, and the partnerships help make those transitions easier for the students wanting to a four-year school.” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn was himself a product of a community college education, first as a Tyler Junior College Apache cheerleader in the late ‘80s,
and then as a club sponsor at Paris Junior College. “Community college prepares you for a number of jobs, but there are career opportunities that will require a bachelor’s degree,” said Blackburn. The agreement ensures that all hours are considered transferable between the campuses and that both schools will provide support and campus information to prospective students. The agreement also makes available scholarships for special programs to students seeking to transfer, such as an $11,000 scholarship to See Agreement on Page 3
Vol. 81, No. 8 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
November 3, 2017
2.3% n of Texans are hearing impaired.
www.libguides.gallaudet.edu
1,000,000 2,309,000 n Americans are deaf, although 10,000,000 have partial hearing loss.
n people between the ages 1834 are deaf or hearing impaired. www.libguides.gallaudet.edu
www.academic.oup.com
Mason Myers / THE FLARE
Jack Burleson and his interpreter/Grandmother Charlene Burleson sign. Burleson’s grandmother encourages him to succeed in everyday life.
Give me a sign
Interpreter pushes grandson to succeed in welding career SARAH REDFORD News Editor
J
ack Burleson is a young man who knows what he wants to do with his life and he is not letting anything stand in his way.
Burleson, an Overton sophomore, was born
deaf. “My whole family is deaf,” he said. He does not let this slow him down. Burleson wants to be a welder like his father and grandfather, so he is attending KC for formal training. “I have been welding since I was 9 or 10,” he said. Burleson attended Longview ISD from
kindergarten through sixth grade. There was usually an interpreter in his classes. This changed when he started the seventh grade, so his family sent him to Texas School for the Deaf in Austin to finish his education. “TSD taught me how to take care of myself, not just school work,” he said. “They taught me about finances and provided job training.” Burleson chose KC because, “it has a better welding program.” Burleson applied to KC’s Disability Services Office to ask for an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. The person assigned to him was his grandmother, Charlene Burleson, a long-time KC employee. “I had to learn ASL when my son, Jack’s daddy, was born deaf, but it took me years to become fluent,” she said. Burleson, who can read lips somewhat, often relies on his phone to communicate
with others, both hearing and non-hearing. “He texts a lot,” Mrs. Burleson said. “I like seeing my grandmother every day. She pushes me to succeed,” Burleson said. “When we are at school, he is a student. He is my grandson at home,” Mrs. Burleson said. One of the difficulties Jack faces at KC is he writes in ASL. “It is harder for my instructors to grade my work,” he said. It can also be difficult for him and his interpreter to keep up in class, especially with technical words. They usually must be spelled out manually and this can cause them to miss part of the lecture. “At home, we have made up signs for complex or new words. We needed a sign for “Schlotzsky’s” so we use the sign for “German,” Burleson said. “One of the hardest things about being deaf is not being able to hear music,” he
said. “I can feel the bass if it is loud enough though,” Burleson said. Jack can hear some sounds, but they do have to be very loud. Burleson recently joined the KC Gaming Club and his grandmother often attends as his interpreter. “I like to play Black Ops II,” he said. “The gamers have been very nice and have accepted Jack and even asked me to join in the games,” Mrs. Burleson said. Burleson foresees there could be difficulties when he graduates from KC and enters the workforce. He plans to stay in East Texas but knows some companies may be hesitant to hire someone who cannot hear. “Welding can be dangerous and I would not be able to hear someone shouting if there was a problem,” he said. Burleson is not daunted by this fact. He said, “My father has managed and I will too.”