Personalities:Kevin Hall
Sports helped hearing-impaired Kevin Hall overcome adversity at a young age
Kevin Hall knows that he’s a walking human interest story.
“I’m deaf and I’m black,” Hall says, “I’m used to it.”
Hall usually communicates through a sign language interpreter, but he can speak, although understanding what he’s saying requires some familiarity with his voice.
Hall lost his hearing at age 2 during a nearly fatal bout of meningitis, and his parents, Jackie and Percy, helped him adapt to and succeed in a hearing world. They learned to finger spell, taught Kevin to read and encouraged him to take part in sports. Growing up in Cincinnati, he became a nationally ranked junior bowler and Little League standout.
When Hall was nine, a family friend took him to the driving range. His first swing was nearly perfect, with a natural draw. Seven years later Tiger Woods saw that swing at a clinic and said something Hall had no trouble lip reading: “See you on the tour some day.”
The 25-year-old Hall and Woods have kept in touch, and they played a casual round together at Isleworth in February. Hall knows that while he will receive attention should he become the first deaf golfer on tour, his disability will not help him make cuts.
In fact, it’s easy to forget Hall is deaf, considering how much he is able to express. Between bites following a round at the Nationwide Tour’s LaSalle Bank Open Pro-Am, Hall recounts the season finale of House and kids an amateur partner who calls out, “This guy never stops talking!”
Says Percy: “Communication never seems to be much of a problem.”
