photo by: Photo by Joselyn King

Wheeling Park High School swim team members Daevon Dukes, left, and Aidan Kosol discuss how Kosol learned sign language to assist Dukes, who is hearing impaired.

WHEELING – A Wheeling Park High School athlete’s effort to learn sign language to help a teammate seems to be going swimmingly.

Senior Aidan Kosol was called upon by boys swim team Coach Mike Cook last month to assist sophomore Daevon Dukes, who is hearing impaired.

Dukes has worn a hearing aid since age 5 and had a cochlear implant three years ago. It has improved his hearing, but Dukes said he still isn’t able to hear Cook’s directions amid the sounds and echoes in the pool area.

Dukes had played soccer in the past, but joined the swim team this year to keep active during the winter.

“About three weeks ago, I was thinking about quitting,” he said. “I just didn’t think I was improving.”

Kosol said prior to the start of this school year, he did not know Dukes. But after Cook asked Kosol to assist Dukes, Kosol decided he needed to be able to communicate better with his younger teammate.

That night he went home and began to learn to sign words that would be helpful at the pool such as the words for each of the different strokes – “free,” “breast,” “butterfly” and even the sign for “turn” for when a turn in direction is needed.

The next day Kosol began signing to Dukes during practice.

“It has been very beneficial,” Kosol said. “I have been able to help him better with his instruction.”

And the swim team coaches were amazed at both Dukes’ improvement and Kosol’s efforts to assist him.

“They just don’t make people like that who go above and beyond – that take an interest in people. They just don’t,” Cook said. “We had had some communication issues, and this was our next step. We had asked him to work with him, and it made a world of difference.

“Then he took it upon himself to go home and learn sign language. … He went above and beyond what anybody would have asked.”

Girls swim coach Emilee Salatino said what makes Kosol’s effort even more special is that he doesn’t think he did anything out of the ordinary.

“He doesn’t understand why everyone is making this into such a big deal,” she said.

She added Dukes now has found both a friend and a sense of belonging on the team.

“He has a place to fit in now,” she said.

And Dukes has learned that while he may not always hear perfectly, he does have a voice.

“Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself,” he said. “In sports, they will find you the help you need.”