I jogged to catch up, pen in one hand, and my small reporter notebook in another. I wasn’t running after a spry fifteen-year-old….

…I was trying to keep up with Richard Huebner, the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association (OSDAA) President. Huebner, 66, was far from the stereotypical frail senior citizen: he had a brisk walk, a razor-sharp memory, a 60-hour workweek, and a no-nonsense outlook on life. The DeafNation crew got to sit down with the President, who regaled us with some history and facts of Columbus Colony:

• The Colony was opened in 1979 in Westerville, Ohio, and was the first U.S. community planned primarily by and for elderly deaf, deaf-blind, and multi-handicapped deaf persons;
• The Colony currently has 218 people residing on the campus;
• The 90-acre Colony is split into three aspects: the main office, the Columbus Colony Housing, and the Columbus Colony Elderly Care (CCEC);
• Columbus Colony Housing are apartment complexes for those seeking to live in an area where slight day-to-day assistance is needed, as well as providing the opportunity to live amongst an Deaf, older group of people (must be 55+ years old);
• Columbus Colony provides plenty of activities and social events (indoors, outdoors, and off the campus grounds) for those living in the complexes;
• The Colony houses a beauty shop, a small convenience store, a library, a gym, a chapel, and a handful of gardens;
• The Colony also has a 250-seat multipurpose room, used for everything from movie nights to meetings;
• Columbus Colony Elderly Care is a nursing facility, providing medical assistance to the elderly, all the while alongside deaf people;
• CCEC’s health care services include: nursing services, nutritional therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dentistry, podiatry, audiology, psychology, and much more.

While the DeafNation crew walked around the campus, we met many of the residents, who were quite interesting characters, such as a man who used to be one of President Ronald Regan’s bodyguards, and a quaint, sweet woman who will be an hundred and one years old in December!

As we continued to tour the Colony, Huebner regaled the crew with OSDAA’s latest project – a community center, whose groundbreaking occurred early September after years upon years of planning. This community center, Huebner said excitedly, will include many great features: a museum room, which will hold OSDAA and OSD memorabilia collected and saved from nearly an hundred years, and a 230-seat theater specifically designed for the Deaf – everything from the seating plan to lighting to removing acoustic barriers, for both people in the audience and on stage. “We couldn’t be more excited about this project – it’s been a long time coming,” Huebner says. “We have a great community here, and we’re really looking forward to it opening – and using it!”

Despite Columbus Colony providing top-notch services, they are always looking for more help, especially nurses for CECC! Or, not looking for employment but want to live in Columbus Colony? You can find all the details at www.columbuscolony.org!