Trials with Deafness

In Advertising, Calkins is portrayed as a "sensitive," "self-conscious" deaf boy whose success in advertising can only be attributed to downright ability (Calkins, 1929a). Calkins attributes his deafness to a bout with the measles at the age of six, in addition to a probable genetic predisposition. Sadly, his family, teachers and Calkins himself did not recognize his medical condition until he was over ten years of age. Prior to losing his hearing completely, Calkins was convinced that he would hear if he only paid closer attention to his surroundings. This thought was reinforced by a teacher who continually reprimanded him, demanding that he sit face forward in the front row of the classroom. As a consequence, Calkins was unable to hear any commentary from his classmates behind him. Thus, the only time Calkins heard a voice other than the teacher's, was when he chose to interject his thoughts into her lesson. He was labeled a trouble-maker, and this opinion of him extended from his elders to his fellow classmates. As a consequence, a timid Calkins isolated himself on the playground for fear of being chastised. Although Calkins was naturally drawn to books, his loneliness and social isolation intensified his desire to immerse himself in the world of literature (Calkins, 1924). Years of misdiagnosis culminated the day Calkins objected to his school superintendent's accusation of inattention; the situation was finally investigated, and his deafness was revealed (Calkins, 1924).

To no avail and with the limited financial resources they had, Calkins' family pursued a number of medical treatments for deafness (Calkins, 1924). The treatments proved as unsuccessful as the ill-equipped public school system in dealing with his handicap. In a one to two year period prior to being reinstated at the public school and before high school, Calkins attended a nontraditional program founded by a neighbor. Much like the Montessori's of today, Mr. Halsey's school rested on the philosophy that children will learn when they are interested in an activity. Likewise, the environment should be stimulating, and support a number of endeavors initiated by the child. The experience proved positive for Calkins who enjoyed spending time with Mr. Halsey's son, Will, the closest relationship to friendship he had ever experienced. In addition, the less strict environment was more tolerant of his deafness (Calkins, 1924).

Calkins' college experience was precipitated by a conversation between his father and a member of their community, Professor Churchill. With Churchill's support, he was enrolled at Knox College and instructed by him his first semester. Despite Calkins' dislike of mathematics, he excelled in Churchill's class, surprising everyone with high grades in algebra, geometry and trigonometry. Unfortunately, no other instructor he encountered at Knox approached teaching with the same vigor and enthusiasm that successfully broke through the silence. The remainder of the four years, Calkins attended lectures he could not hear, completely detached from his classmates and without the benefit of understanding his relative performance. Classes supplemented with visuals served to lessen the monotony (Calkins, 1924).

According to Calkins, deafness was an omnipresent force in his life; it impacted all personal, professional, social and recreational endeavors he pursued: "It made or marred my attempts to earn a living, it selected my friends for me, and determined what I was to enjoy of social life, what my amusements were to be" (Calkins, 1924). Calkins likened the deaf individual to Æsop's bat, neither animal nor bird, making the creature disabled in both worlds. Further, he referred to two classes of friends: individuals that circumstances dictate must interact with you, and people blessed with such clear speech that they will never truly comprehend the severity of the handicap (Calkins, 1924). However, nature dictates that the deaf man will only become close with clear-speaking individuals (Calkins, 1924).

During his tenure working for Bates in New York, in order to minimize the difficulties associated with his handicap, Calkins attended a number of courses on lip reading. He commented that understanding a clear versus unclear speaker was similar to deciphering poor versus good handwriting; comprehending unclear speech could be a lengthy process. Ultimately, he obtained an electrical hearing-device that he first employed to talk to his future wife, Angie Cushman Higgins, who died in 1904 (Calkins, 1924, New York Times, 1964b). In "Louder Please!", Calkins mentions that his wife disregarded her love of music to participate in activities they both could share. Calkins utilized both lip reading and electrical devices to hear anything at all. In addition, he used his wife's "...ears as freely as though they were [his] own" (Calkins, 1924). He comments that she spent so much time keeping him abreast of daily happenings, little remained to pursue her own interests (Calkins, 1924).

Calkins provides advice on dealing with deafness. First and foremost, one must acknowledge the handicap to oneself and others. By accepting the positives and negatives, one will realize that the rewards are far more plentiful. Calkins expounds on the assets and liabilities associated with his particular situation in the following list: