No sound, but world opens up

How you can help Advance tickets for Chick Flick Night are $10; $12 at the door. For tickets, call 991-2117. For information about Corpus Christi Area Council for the Deaf services and its parent support group, call 993-1154.

Mario and Heather Guerra began reading to their 2¤ -year-old son, Nathaniel, while he was still in the womb.
   These days, the Guerras still read to Nathaniel, but because he was born deaf they now sign the words.
   Although he may be too young to comprehend much more than simple board books, the Guerras have found a new avenue to expose him to the world of language.
   Last week, the Guerras attended the first interpreted children's storytelling at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, a new initiative sponsored by the Corpus Christi Area Council for the Deaf.
   While the bookstore storyteller read a book to her young audiences, Myrnaloy Manning, an American Sign Language teacher at King High School and certified interpreter, signed the words.
   "Hearing impairment cuts these kids off from everything hearing kids hear around them all the time," said Manning, who has a son in high school who is deaf. "As a parent, then, you look for ways to expose them early on to language. And this is a neat way to do that."
   Feeling accepted
   Heather Guerra, a board member for the council for the deaf, said she is grateful that her son has an opportunity to enjoy what all other children do.
   "It helps them feel accepted in the hearing world," she said. "And I hope that as he gets older he'll be able to read at the same level as his peers."
   Eventually, the Corpus Christi Area Council for the Deaf hopes to take the approach to other storytime programs around town, such as at the Corpus Christi Public Library, said Toni Padilla, a program specialist for the council.
   "It's just another way to allow these children and their families have as normal a lifestyle as possible," Padilla said. "Families who love to take their hearing children to storytelling ought to be able to take their hearing-impaired children too.
   "It's also a way for us to help meet some of the needs of the family that the school can't always meet due to time restrictions," said Padilla, adding that the nonprofit organization is looking for ways to offset the cost of providing interpreters.
   Party with a purpose
   Among upcoming fund-raisers benefiting the council is one by Pink Dot Productions, which is sponsoring Chick Flick Night, a for-women-only event from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. March 30 at the Center Theatre, 410 N. Chaparral St.
   The event will feature the film "Groundhog Day" and includes a pre-movie pajama party, complete with cocktails, chocolate, party favors, and a chance to register for giveaways.
   It's a party with a purpose, said Patti Biro, director of health-care programs at Del Mar College who helped organize the fund-raiser.
   "This is not one of those $200-a-ticket fancy balls or fund-raisers that the average person can't afford," said Biro, who has a master's degree in special education and at one time worked with hearing-impaired infants.
   "This is an event catering to everyday people, the library clerk, the secretary, the salesperson, and getting them together to support a not-for-profit organization that helps the community.
   "The Council for the Deaf may not be so glamorous, but they do incredible work 12 months out of the year. They just do lots and lots of hard work on every level."