AURORA, Colo. — Many kids who are deaf or hard of hearing find themselves left out while other kids get to tell Santa what they'd like for Christmas. Deaf Santa Claus is working to change that.
At Gaylord Rockies Tuesday, Santa greeted kids, including students from Rocky Mountain Deaf School. For many of them, it was their first chance to really tell Santa what they want for Christmas.
"It's really phenomenal to have a deaf Santa Claus, someone who can really communicate with her," said Traciann Hoglind, who visited with her daughter Jovaline Hoglind-Goldberg.
"Jovaline was very excited to see Santa Claus," she said. "She saw him dressed up before we actually started. She was nervous once she got to see him, got a little bit afraid."
Inside his workshop, Deaf Santa Claus, also known as Charles Graves, smiled brightly as each child made their way over.
"I absolutely feel blessed to see these children, how they look at me. I see it in their eyes, you know, they glisten. The glow in their eyes just gets to me. It feels so good. It makes my day as much as it makes theirs," he said.
Santa said growing up, he often felt left out.
"My parents, my family, they did not learn sign. And they would talk -- I was the only deaf person in my family. It was 'I’ll tell you later,' 'I’ll tell you later,' or 'it’s not important, you don’t need to know this,'" he said. "I missed out on a lot."
Being left out continued into the holidays for him.
"One day, my family went to see Santa Claus with my brother and my sister, and I'm the baby in my family. I watched them laughing and taking their turns and it came time for my turn. And the Santa dropped his smile. He gave me this blank face. He didn't know what to do with a deaf person," he said. "I felt off. He was laughing with my brother and sister, but not me. Why not me?"
Now, he's made it his mission to reach children like Jovaline who might otherwise miss out.
"For many hearing Santas, they don't even know what these children want for Christmas. For me, I can see their sign, I understand. That communication access brings a different look on their face. I understand what they want for Christmas," he said.
"Families were very excited as well," said Stephanie Carson, Assistant Principal of Elementary and Childhood Education at Rocky Mountain Deaf School. "They're just so thrilled because the opportunities for their children to see deaf Santa Claus in the community just doesn't happen very often at all."
"Even with an interpreter, it’s not the same as having the direct access, because I’m looking at the interpreter, that doesn’t mean I have the full access to a deaf person who is just like me, or I should say, like Stephanie," school Director Eileen Kratzer said. "So that’s why it’s really important to have someone who is deaf."
Santa travels around the country to meet with children.
"There are a lot of kids who are really excited to see deaf Santa Claus, so I'm blessed. It's a joyful season," Santa said. "It's jolly. It's a lot of joy being spread, and we're really making everybody's day."
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