Honas Shares His Story, Inspiring Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

When junior Husker Football player Todd Honas was in high school, ABC News broadcasted a story highlighting his journey to joining the Nebraska football team as a hearing impaired athlete. From that point on, Honas began receiving letters from kids that were also deaf and hard of hearing. He stayed in touch with these families throughout his time at Nebraska, and his experience connecting with others in the deaf and hard of hearing community sparked an idea to do more with his platform as a student-athlete. Honas met with Life Skills advisor, Sammi Cowger, and designed an event for those in the deaf and hard of hearing community of Nebraska, hoping to create a space of support for children and parents facing the same challenges Honas experienced.  
 
Through some research, Honas got connected with the Nebraska Chapter of Hands & Voices, a non-profit and parent-driven organization dedicated to supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Together they hosted an event on September 15th, where Honas could offer his perspective and families could share with one another.
 
Over 130 people attended the event in Memorial Stadium where Honas fielded a Q&A session for children and parents, families were able to connect and network with others facing the same challenges. Following the program, attendees were invited to attend breakout sessions specific to mothers, fathers, and youth to discuss the challenges and triumphs they share. Kids were also invited to attended a community event, Husker Heroes on the football field following the program.
 
From Honas's perspective, working with Hands and Voices and reaching out to this community served as a chance to give back. "I wanted to offer any advice I had from my journey and be able to help any child or parent that will go through the same things that I went through the same things that I went through. I hope every kid that attended our event knows that you can dream big and be whatever you want to be in life in spite of how the world looks at your 'disability'", shares Honas. He continued, "It is important to meet those that are like you, to be able to have those shared experiences and talk about them can be helpful when you back to your day to day life. It's a great reminder that you are not alone."
 
The Husker football player discussed the importance of independence for deaf and hard of hearing children, how he overcame personal challenges on his rise to playing Husker football, and the importance of community.
 
The Nebraska Chapter of Hands and Voices discussed how important these events are for those a part of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Shelling Janning, the Program Coordinator for Guide by Your side, a Hands and Voices program, commented "Sometimes these parents have never met another person who is Deaf of hard of hearing (D/HH). Events like this help families understand that with support their child who is D/HH can be just as successful as any other person."
 
One parent shared after the event, "I know advocacy is important, but hearing it from Todd as he stressed the importance of teaching your children to advocate for themselves sure made more sense." Another parent in attendance added, "We truly appreciated hearing encouragement from an athlete that my son admires, letting my son know he can aspire to do whatever he puts his mind to." Moving forward, Honas hopes to continue utilizing his platform in the deaf and hard of hearing community, encouraging them to overcome obstacles and dream big.
 


To learn more about the Husker Life Skills program, visit: Huskers.com/lifeskills