Often you see mention of the “sounds and smell” of sports. That could mean the smell of the soccer/football field, the rich aroma of hot dogs, or the non-stop chants of sports fans. But what if you can’t, for example, hear. Does being deaf mean being unable to play sports, to enjoy all that it has to offer. Thankfully, no.

We came across a story that brings this truth to the attention of many. Ben Cohen, who won the 2003 RWC and is clinically deaf, has joined the campaign to bring more attention and support to the efforts of the England Deaf Rugby Union (EDRU) and the Rugby Football Union.

We applaud this effort and all of those by organizations such as the USA Deaf Sports Federation to bring the joy, which transcends all senses, to those around the world.

To read Charlotte Pearl’s full news piece, please click here. Also, here is a quick excerpt, quoting Ben:

“Anything that helps coaches communicate with deaf players, particularly young players who are new to the game, is going to help promote the sport among the deaf community, and integrate these players into mainstream clubs. If coaches can converse with players using signing, even on a basic level, it is going to increase their enjoyment of the game.”

Hats off to Ben Cohen and the RFU for supporting this project.