Do You Hear What I Hear?

by Jill Duff-Hoppes

When Lainey Mahnken’s big sister Lauren began playing clarinet, Lainey wanted to follow in her footsteps. Lauren was in middle school at the time, and Lainey, who is two-and-a-half years younger, was in elementary school.

“Lainey was just champing at the bit to get involved,” recalls their mom Paige, whose family lives in Winter Springs.

It’s not unusual for younger siblings to want to emulate their older brothers and sisters. What makes the Mahnken family situation unique is that Lainey, now a 15-year-old freshman at Winter Springs High School, was born deaf. Lainey has refused to let her hearing loss stand in the way of her musical aspirations, though. She has not only learned to play an instrument (make that two instruments – flute and piccolo), she is also a proud member of the WSHS Band of Gold.

“My husband David and I didn’t envision her marching in band,” says Paige. “We didn’t even know how that would be possible.”

But with someone as determined as Lainey, anything is possible.

A Pint-Sized Pioneer 

Lainey and her twin brother Jace (who is hearing) were born in October 2009 at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. Lainey failed the newborn hearing screening, and after more tests, doctors confirmed that she had severe to profound hearing loss. Hearing aids didn’t help, so Lainey’s parents opted for cochlear implants for their daughter when she was a year old.

Cochlear implants are small yet complex electronic devices that help a deaf or hard-of-hearing person perceive sound. Lainey was the first pediatric cochlear implant patient at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, receiving bilateral cochlear implants (one in each inner ear). The procedure was so new to the Orlando area at the time that our sister publication Lake Mary Life featured a story about baby Lainey and her family.

For Lainey, music became a big part of her life when she was in sixth grade at Indian Trails Middle School. In addition to taking private flute lessons, she joined the school band.

“I didn’t just want to do music lessons,” she says. “I wanted to get the whole experience. I wanted to be involved in something. There aren’t a lot of people who are deaf who play an instrument. But I didn’t really focus on the challenges it would mean for me. I just wanted to give it a try and enjoy what I could play.”

Lainey, who is fluent in ASL (American Sign Language), uses a sign language interpreter during classes, band rehearsals, and even when the band performs at football games. Even though Lainey has cochlear implants, an interpreter is needed to help make sure nothing gets lost in translation, especially when there is new material to be learned.

She’s With the Band

Lainey’s first marching season this past fall with the WSHS Band of Gold was especially exciting for her. She loved sitting in the stands during football games with her band friends, playing music, and rooting for their team. On occasion, she had to deal with technical issues involving her cochlear implants, which tend to experience glitches when she’s outdoors in stormy weather. But overall, Lainey has found exactly what she was seeking in band – a full-fledged experience and a community of kindred spirits.

“It’s a lot of fun, and we play some nice tunes,” says Lainey. “I like fast-tempo stuff. It’s tricky, but it’s very fun to learn. I like music that has a quick, groovy vibe to it.”

As a mother, Paige appreciates how welcoming the school, band director, and Lainey’s fellow band students have been.

“They’re all super supportive,” says Paige. “They deserve a lot of credit for working with us.”

Brittni Autrey, Lainey’s private flute instructor, knows how much Lainey likes being under those Friday night lights with her friends in band. She has seen Lainey make significant strides in her music lessons over the past year, improvements that will surely carry over to her band performances.

“She’s actually really starting to feel the music more as she moves and plays at the same time,” says Brittni, who is also the associate director of bands at Lawton Chiles Middle School. It’s really interesting to see how much more connected she’s getting to the music, the older she gets.”

A Community Leader

In addition to staying busy with her academic studies and band, Lainey is also active in the deaf community. She is a member of her school’s ASL Club, and this past summer, she was a junior counselor at Camp We Sign, a weeklong day camp in Orlando for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, their hearing siblings, and children of deaf adults.

Lainey also attends deaf chats at the Oviedo Mall and the Altamonte Mall. At the events, ASL students, teachers, interpreters, and members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community gather for meals and socialization, with everyone communicating via sign language.

Although Lainey isn’t sure what career path she will pursue, she is considering studying psychology so she can help other people with disabilities. Paige is thrilled that music is playing a key role in Lainey’s life, and she hopes her daughter’s journey can inspire others.

“I definitely think that Lainey’s determination has set her on course to be a good role model for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons,” says Paige. “She really has committed to music, whether it’s her lessons, collecting vinyl records, attending concerts, or spending time with her band family.”