Kathy Treubig
Born and raised in Louisiana, Kathy Treubig is no stranger to the rehabilitation community. At the age of three and a half, her parents noticed that she would watch them when they spoke, rather than merely listening to their voices. It was soon determined that the use of the antibiotic streptomycin to treat a viral infection (cat scratch fever), had severely compromised her hearing. Attending regular public schools, Treubig says, "was difficult… pretty lonely," and she had no signing training through her school years, relying on oral interpretation and speech therapy.
Following graduation from high school in Bossier City, Treubig enrolled at Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches, where she met her husband, August, on a blind date, married months later, and postponed her education to raise the kids: Craig, now 35; Karen, 33; and Mark, 29.
Returning to school when the children reached teen years, and with tuition help from Louisiana Rehabilitation Services, Treubig received a Manual Communications degree from Delgado Community College and, at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans, earned an Associate of Science degree in Juvenile Counseling, a Bachelors degree in Social Counseling, and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her extensive knowledge was put to good use in the provision of case management services for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities, and individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities at several area private agencies. In 1999, she began work with Louisiana Rehabilitation Services as State Program Coordinator for Deaf Services and School to Work transition throughout Louisiana.
Then, on the heels of Hurricane Katrina's vast devastation, Kathy and August, who works at the Date Center, volunteered to move to Little Rock's office when his company decided to move part of the center from the New Orleans area further north, out of the path of future hurricanes. For lifelong residents of the Bayou State, the move in September 2006 was a big adjustment.
But one thing excited Kathy about the change: "I'd been reading up on the CapTel phone for awhile," she explains, "but Louisiana didn't offer it. Arkansas does, so one of the first things I did was get in touch with Rehab to order one. I was so happy to finally have one."
With the CapTel phone, users place a call the same way they do when using a traditional phone… by dialing the number directly. It then automatically connects to CapTel Relay Service as you dial. It has the capability to be amplified with volume control so if a person has some residual hearing, they may be able to understand part of the conversation. What they cannot hear, they can read on a small screen on the phone. The CapTel cpationing service has an operator that utilizes voice recognition software through a computer to provide the written text on the screen of what the other party is saying.
Betty Abrams, Services Coordinator for ARS' Telecom-munications Access Program (TAP) under the Office for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, says, "Kathy is just a delight to work with. [ODHI Administrator] David McDonald had met her at several regional and national conferences; the Deaf community is like a family, and we keep in touch with each other, regardless of state lines. Kathy knows the business of rehab and what works for her. She was so happy about finally being able to order the CapTel phone from us, and we are glad to have been able to help her out. Hopefully, one day," Abrams laughs, "we may convince her to bring her knowledge and share with ARS."
While that day may be ahead, Treubig is presently adjusting to her new home in Maumelle and has dealt with an overload of family health issues in the last four months. "Right now," she explains, "my family is my priority, and being able to spend this time with them is most important."
Asked to share what she has learned in her own life, Treubig says, "Having worked with transition as well as the general deaf community, I would strongly advise emphasis be placed on daily living skills… it's so important to teach the basics, and what can be done, not what you can't do. And these days, if you don't stress the importance of keeping up with all the technology that's out there, like the TAP equipment, then so much opportunity will be missed." Abrams agreed and added, "We try to emplasize the capability, not the disability."
