Every year over 50 students graduate from the Literacy and Basic Skills program, and every student has a story.  Here are just a few of these stories.

Andrieu Runcan 

Andreiu is from Romania and he knows Romanian sign language. In his home country he worked as an electrician.  Andreiu came to Canada on Feb 25, 2005 and he joined Impact-ASL Program on April 5, 2005.

He is a professional chess player, 7 times world deaf champion, as well as other medals with hearing chess players in Europe and worldwide.

Andreiu and his wife recently went to Smithville, Ontario (near Niagara Falls) for the "Picnicul and Cupa Faptu" on July 29 - 31st.

The "Picnicul and Cupa Faptu" is a big picnic and all day sports tournament for Romanians in Canada. Andreiu wanted to play "CHESS!". It was Andreiu's first time joining a chess tournament in Canada. He wasn't sure if it would be the same as his chess experiences in his country, Romania. Andreiu won the chess tournament and recieved a medal! WOW!!

Check the photos of Andreiu and the Romanian website http://www.faptudivers.com

Wave hands to Andreiu \o/ \o/ \o/

Thomas Weereratne

Thomas Weereratne came to Canada in June of 2000 fleeing the war in Sri Lanka. He had worked in the family business as a baker and caterer and wanted to apply these skills in his new homeland. However, having been born deaf and having no knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) or English, Thomas needed support.

Thomas’s cousin, already residing in Canada, put him in touch with CHS and its Literacy and Basic Skills Program. He was very nervous the first day of class and was overwhelmed by his classmates’ knowledge of ASL. After a few months of hard work and encouragement from his instructors, Thomas felt much more secure.

He learned ASL and in addition learned computer skills, English literacy, math skills and résumé and job skills. After leaving the Literacy and Basic Skills Program, Thomas was hired to work in the kitchen and bakery of Le Marché Movenpick. His work ethic and positive attitude led his coworkers to nominate him for a certificate reflecting his hard work and positive personality. In addition to working two jobs and running his own business, Thomas volunteers with CHS and other organizations that support deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people. He has also returned to CHS’s Literacy and Basic Skills, and Speech- Language Pathology programs to improve his ASL and English in order to achieve his goal of becoming a Canadian citizen. Thomas encourages other deaf people to, Roll up their sleeves and get involved in things that interest them, to improve their skills and quality of life.