Deaf Ninja inspires deaf and hard of hearing children
By Forrest Sanders
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FRANKLIN, Tennessee (WTVF) — A man tells us, as a child, he had a shortage of role models with his life experience. He decided he’s going to be that role model for kids.
There are some people whose stories just command attention.
“You try again and again and again,” Kyle Schulze told a crowd of kids and parents gathered at Johnson Elementary in Franklin on a Saturday morning.
Kids from the Franklin Special District, Williamson County, and other local families were in attendance.
“I had to stand up and still keep going cause unless you allow yourself to make mistakes, you can never learn from those mistakes. That’s the key! Practice.”
Kyle is known as the Deaf Ninja. The audience learned about Kyle’s run as a contestant on the obstacle course TV show American Ninja Warrior.
“That was my goal to finally hit that buzzer, and I kept trying and kept going, and I finally got it,” Kyle said.
Speaking of obstacle courses, there was something waiting for everyone in the next room. Let’s call it a little audience participation. The gym was made into an obstacle course of ropes, trampolines, a rock wall, and jungle gyms for the kids.
Kyle was born deaf. He was a natural athlete but didn’t have many deaf role models. Since 2018, he’s been that for kids. He travels across the country to give presentations to children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
“I give them a fist bump, so they see up close I’m the exact same person that they are, so they can see I’m similar to this guy,” Kyle said.
The event was happening with help from Gentry’s Educational Foundation and the Tennessee Disability Coalition.
Among the kids was Kelly Bandas’s son, 9-year-old CJ.
“CJ’s deaf,” Kelly said. “He was born deaf, and he didn’t have any amplification until he was 4.”
Something else about CJ; give him a challenge, and he is all in. He quickly leapt through every obstacle in the room.
“CJ’s never seen an obstacle that he couldn’t tackle in all senses of the word,” Kelly smiled. “He’s really brave, he’s strong.”
Sometimes things don’t work entirely to plan. Sometimes you need a little help from a friend. What Kyle is teaching is the possibilities that come from confidence and the support of a community.
“Some of the kids are just amazing me with their capability and their strength,” said Kyle. “I want them to see they can achieve something as simple as these obstacles, apply that for their life.”
“Having deaf mentors for these kids is super important,” Kelly continued. “For him to come in and present something really cool for these kids is a huge thing. An event like this where [CJ] can be around other kids and other adults who are deaf really bolsters his self confidence. You can just see how it brings out the light in these kids.”
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