Posted: Thursday 7 January 2010

Making Dreams Possible at Kilmarnock College

Making Dreams Possible at Kilmarnock College

Two years ago Jordan Kerr (24) from Castlemilk, Glasgow, came to Kilmarnock College with dreams of studying sports coaching, but wondered how this would be possible as Jordan is deaf and doesn’t have any oral communication ability. Thanks to the commitment of the College’s staff and his classmates, Jordan’s dreams became a reality and he is now currently mid-way through his HNC in Sports Coaching at Kilmarnock College.

With the help of a Communication Support Worker (CSW), Jordan passed his interview and practical assessment for the introductory NQ Leisure and Sports course with flying colours and in the summer of 2008, enrolled at Kilmarnock College.

Prior to Jordan beginning his course, staff from the Sport and Fitness department, alongside the CSW, discussed the challenges Jordan may face and implemented a number of measures which would help him communicate with staff and students effectively, including the introduction of a whiteboard facility in the games hall. Jordan’s classmates were also determined to support him as far as possible and requested an introductory sign language class. Staff contacted Deaf Connections, who were invited in to college to raise deaf awareness amongst the NQ class, and the CSW gave up her spare time to hold regular sign language classes.

In addition to achieving his NQ and successfully progressing on to the HNC in Sports Coaching, Jordan also captained the 5-aside Kilmarnock College football team, which went on to win the inaugural Scotland’s Colleges’ Sports Championship, and in May, was selected to represent Scotland’s Colleges in an 11-aside football match against England’s Colleges’, the first of its kind to take place. 

Principal of Kilmarnock College, Heather Dunk, said: “Future College activity will be influenced by the lessons learned from the work of the CWS and the Sports and Fitness staff. The project has been a huge learning experience for all involved. For the last 18 months, staff from the Sports and Fitness department have been attending regular sign language classes and now have the skills required to help other deaf students. As a result of the dedication and commitment of staff and students, Jordan not only completed the NQ course but also achieved excellent grades. We would like to wish him the best of luck for the future.”

Jordan added: “I am very grateful to the College and my CSW. I have really enjoyed my time at College so far and look forward to progressing to HND level in 2010. I’ve always wanted to be a Sports Coach and thanks to Kilmarnock College, I’m one step closer to achieving that dream.”

For further information on sports courses or any other courses available at Kilmarnock College, please contact 01563 523501 or visit the courses section.

 -END-

 For more information, contact:

Denise Clark, Halogen Communications, (T) 0131 202 0120 (F) 0131 225 3757 (E) denise@halogencom.com         

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