LAFAYETTE, La. — A local woman is competing in the Supreme Sneakerhead contest for the chance to fly to Los Angeles, Ca. and design a sneaker that represents deaf culture, but she needs your help.
Laura Gary says she went deaf in her right ear when she was seven years old.
"I was riding a horse, and he ran into one of those wires that connects the telephone poles to the ground, and it took off my right ear," Gary said. "And so, it severed my ear drum, so I don't hear out of this ear."
Now, she works as a deaf/hard of hearing education resource paraprofessional at S.J. Montgomery Elementary School, where she provides aid to students who are hearing impaired.
Gary is competing in the Supreme Sneakerhead contest hosted by The Shoe Surgeon, which is a "collective of creatives built to further the industry and push the unique and timeless craft of custom shoe making and design," according to the Supreme Sneakerhead website.
The contest is an opportunity for one "sneakerhead" to design their own shoes and spread awareness for a meaningful cause. In Gary's case, this is the representation of deaf culture within the fashion industry, both visually and functionally.
"I would like it to be customizable...like, you could change it out with letters or words, signed," Gary said. "And I want it to be one of those shoes that you step into, that just pops up because when we look down to tie our shoes, we lose our visual input."
Gary explains how looking away from a person speaking to you to tie your shoes makes it much more difficult for someone who is deaf/hard of hearing to follow the conversation.
She also emphasizes how important visual stimulation can be for someone with hearing impairments.
"Personally, in my experience, I rely on visual input: reading lips, closed captioning. And so, I like to look at things that draw my eye or are pretty or something that I like," Gary said.
The winner will be flown to Los Angeles, where they will team up with The Shoe Surgeon to design their own sneaker and be given $10,000.
Gary says, if she were to win the money, she would use it to fulfill her mother's lifelong dream to visit Ireland and take herself on her first cruise.
Gary is currently holding the first place position in her group, but there are more rounds of voting to go. This round ends in early November.
Each Facebook user receives one free vote per day. If you would like to vote for Gary to win the Supreme Sneakerhead competition, follow this link: Is Laura Gary the Supreme Sneakerhead?
Then, click "Vote," then "Free," then "Verify with Facebook." If you're already logged into Facebook, you should then see a banner at the top of the screen that says "Your free vote for Laura Gary was received."
You can also pay to cast additional votes. Each additional vote costs $1.
"Please vote for me. Thank you!" Gary says and signs.
