Derrick Coleman Research Paper

446 Words1 Page

Derrick Coleman is a full back for the Seattle Seahawks, and he is also the first legally deaf offensive player in the history of the NFL. Derrick lost his hearing at the age of three due to a genetic disorder. Growing up he was bullied because he had to wear hearing aids. He was always picked last in games. Not because of his lack of talent, but only because nobody wanted to play with someone who couldn’t hear what they were saying. “I am bound to be misunderstood; there can be no relaxation with my fellow men, no refined conversations, no mutual exchange of ideas” (Fiero 269). However, this wasn’t just from kids his own age, even coaches tried to encourage him to quit sports when he was younger and wanted to play football. Although, he …show more content…

He has been able to overcome adversity his whole life, which has made him not only a great football player, but a good person as well. He was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks and took them to and won the Super Bowl. In a way being deaf has been an advantage. When other players get frustrated because they can’t hear over the raging crowds that’s just Coleman’s defense mode of operation. “You can always make something work if you really put your mind to it, you can definitely achieve it and that is why when people say I can’t do something, I know that I probably can.” (Coleman) He has taken all the obstacles in his life and has turned them into positives and he helps encourage other people to never give up. Also Derrick is the founder and CEO of the Derrick L. Coleman No Excuse Foundation, An organization that advocates for the hearing impaired community as well as works to lessen instances of bullying. Derrick has overcome internal and external obstacles both on the field and off and has become an inspiration to sports fans as well as non-sports fans alike. Not only has he taught people to never give up on their dreams he has also taught them that as long as you believe in yourself and work hard nothing is unattainable.

Show More
Related

  • George Walton Research Paper

    301 Words  | 1 Pages

    George Walton was one of three representatives from Georgia to sign the Declaration of Independence. The exact date of his birth is unknown but it is believed to be in the year 1749 in Prince Edward County Virginia. At a young age his parents died and he was adopted by and uncle who trained him to be a carpenter. In 1769 George moved to Savannah Georgia to pursue a legal career. He soon became one of the most successful lawyers in Georgia. He became increasingly active in the Georgia Revolutionary government and was elected to provincial congress in 1775. In 1776 he first served in the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia where he signed the Declaration of Independence.

    Read More

  • "Rapid" Ray Lewis

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lewis, who was born in a time of rejection, shows that you can achieve your dreams if you want to. Even though he faced many road blocks to his career as a runner, he was still highly successful. He tried everything he could to make it happen, and in the end he did. He also showed how wrong people were of thinking that he was incapable because of his background. He completely changed racial barriers for the better in the sport’s world. Sadly, this wonderful person passed away on November 15, 2003, but that doesn’t mean his legacy doesn’t live on. Ray Lewis is an inspiring person who had a huge impact in the world just because of a simple dream, and that shows that everyone is capable of having an impact, if only you follow your dream.

    Read More

  • Marion Barry Research Paper

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marion Barry also known as “Major for life” served four-term mayor. He was the public face of Washington’s best known former major. He was a man venerated, disgraced and redeemed in a political career. He was charismatic, irrepressible and engaging even in corruption couldn’t keep him out of politics. Marion Barry was a role model and in inspiration for many people. He was also known for being the most influential and savvy local politician of his generation. He was also the president of the city’s old Board of Education. As major Barry became a national symbol of self-governance for urban blacks. He had placed African Americans in thousands of middle and upper-level management positions in the city government that in previous generations had been reserved for whites.

    Read More

  • Lou Williams Research Paper

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    This week, has been an amazing week of basketball for Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Lou Williams. Williams, who is the Lakers' sixth man coming off the bench, has been tasked with the duty of shouldering the offensive workload for a team without Jose Caledron, D'Angelo Russell, and Nick Young.

    Read More

  • Richard Taylor Research Paper

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard Taylor was a Confederate soldier. He followed after his dad’s footsteps and became a great man and one that many will remember. He made the Confederates proud by leading them to a lot of victories.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Mark Drolsbough´s Deaf Again

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the autobiography Deaf Again, Mark Drolsbaugh writes about his life being born hearing, growing up hard of hearing, to eventually becoming deaf. By writing this book, he helps many people view from his perspective on what it is like for someone to struggle trying to fit in the hearing society. Through his early years, his eyes were closed to the deaf world, being only taught how to live in a hearing world. Not only does the book cover his personal involvement, but it covers some important moments in deaf history. It really is eye-opening because instead of just learning about deaf culture and deaf history, someone who lived through it is actually explaining their experiences.

    Read More

  • Reflection Of Through Deaf Eyes

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.

    Read More

  • Overcoming Disability: The Derrick Coleman Story

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Derrick Lamont Coleman Junior is an incredible fullback for the NFL football team, the Seattle Seahawks. He was born on October 18, 1990 in West Los Angeles, California. When Derrick was three years old, his parents took him to a media specialist and he told him that their little boy was deaf in his left ear due to genetic problems. Both of his parents are hearing, however each of them carried the gene. By the time he was in elementary school, the hearing in his right ear disappeared too. When Derrick went completely deaf he was given hearing aids. This helped him in two ways: he could hear again, and kids at school began to bully him. The kids called him names such as “Four Ears”. His method of dealing with the bullying as he got older was to let his anger out on his set of weights at home and to ignore the bullying.

    Read More

  • James Burke's Impact On The Deaf Community

    71 Words  | 1 Pages

    James "Deaf" Burke had a huge impact on the deaf community because he showed thousands of people that they can be professional athletes even if they are deaf. Also because of his early background, he showed many people that even if they are poor, jobless, and no education, they can always turn things around. He proves this to people by appearing in the Ring magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame in

    Read More

  • Kenny Washington

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    In March of 1946, a man named Kenny Washington made a very important contribution for the NFL (Britannica). Kenny Washington became the first African American to ever play in a professional sports league (Amaral). Since he was colored in the 1940 draft class, none of the teams wanted to draft him (Bowen). Even though Kenny was doubted and treated differently than others, he was able to play on a smaller league team near the Pacific coast (Bowen). Then the day finally came when Kenny was allowed to play in the NFL after World War II had ended. This essay will discuss the story of Kenny Washington’s life before he became the first African American football player, what he went through to get there, and why he is important to the NFL.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mark Drolsbaugh's Deaf Again

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again is a biography about his life between two dimensions of the Deaf world and the Hearing world as well as the implications he faced throughout his journeys’. Mark Drolsbaugh was born from two deaf parents and was basically forced to adapt to the hearing world even though his parents are deaf. When Drolsbaugh was born he was hearing, however, by first grade his parents and teachers discovered he was losing his hearing. As time went on Mark realized the issues he faced from trying to adapt to the hearing world. Mark Drolsbaugh quotes in his biography, “Deafness is bad. I am deaf. I need to be fixed. I must be like them, no matter what, because deaf is bad.” However, no matter what his family believed that he

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Deaf Again By Mark Drolsbaugh

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    While reading Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again where he wrote about his experiences with becoming postlingually deaf, I realized that I was able to relate to some of the situations he encountered, especially when he spoke of his frustrating childhood due to his disability. As he grew older, he needed to find new ways to cope with and accept his deafness. Because of his unique viewpoint with deaf parents who were not allowed to sign around him, the book gave readers a different perspective to look at deafness with. Drolsbaugh’s personal account of his life was inspirational as he grew up with a truly exceptional situation, yet was able to overcome his obstacles and become successful after he quit denying who he really was.

    Read More

  • Deaf Culture

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against the Deaf Culture

    2335 Words  | 5 Pages

    The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).

    Read More

  • What Does Strength Mean?

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...deaf since he was three years old. In the 2012 NFL draft Derrick was not picked. Despite that everyone told him he could never do it, he never gave up. Now he just won the 2014 NFL Super Bowl with the Seahawks. He had the true strength to overcome his weaknesses and show what his personal strengths were to the world.

    Read More

More about Derrick Coleman Research Paper

Open Document