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Courage, determination show Dallmann’s character |
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
 By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
Imagine living in a world where everyone around you speaks a different language, and you can't master it . . . the culture of those around you is different from your own, but you can't be a part of it . . . no matter how much you struggle to fit in, you never will. And what if this is your lot in life not by choice but by chance.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 34 million Americans have a significant hearing loss; of these almost six million are profoundly deaf. One of them is Mark Dallmann - Broken Bow resident, UNK student and Pizza Hut employee.
Mark grew up in Arizona and Kansas, making the move to Nebraska a couple of years ago to attend college at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Just last week he began his second year of studies at the university, majoring in social work.
Born deaf, Mark has learned to read lips very well. He does have cochlear implants which allow him to recognize some sounds, but he virtually does not hear anything. However, that has not deterred Mark from wanting to live a “normal” life, which includes furthering his education and working.
He came to Broken Bow during his break from school to live with his grandmother, and began the search for summer employment. He answered an ad for a delivery driver at Pizza Hut, and that’s when he met “awesome” Tammy Fritsch.
Mark says Tammy gave him a job, but rather than putting him to work as a delivery driver she encouraged him to wait tables.
“I was really scared to do that,” says Mark. “But she (Tammy) convinced me to try.”
His ability to read lips enables him to communicate well with the public, and Mark says he is grateful to the community for the way they have embraced him. He says he knew his job would present him with many challenges.
“I have to speak a lot,” says Mark. “That is hard.”
College life has also presented several challenges for Mark, as he does not have an interpreter there. He says though he can read lips well, he has difficulty understanding what people say. Sign language, he explains, is much different than English - sign language does not use short words such as a, an, and the.
His grandma says Mark has always been an independent person who enjoys learning and loves people. He is determined to not let his disability dictate his life.
When asked what advice he would give other young people with disabilities, Mark replied, “You can try anything - but there are risks. However, there are always risks in anything you do. You just have to try.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 September 2008 )
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