Celebrating Differences w/ Chris Hannah

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How A Deaf Dog Teaches Empathy and Acceptance

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About The Episode

Growing up with a speech impediment, Chris Hannah was always shy. When he was eight years old, his father gave him his old trombone and sent him on his way to music lessons. Chris learned more than just how to play, his music teacher ended up giving him the ability to believe in himself. Over time, Chris was able to test out of speech therapy but the experience stayed with him forever, inspiring him to become a music teacher himself in hopes of instilling the same courage into other students, particularly those with special needs that may be feeling left out.

In late March of 2017, Chris decided to adopt a rescue dog. Upon looking at his local animal shelter’s website – South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter – he was drawn to Cole, a deaf pitbull puppy. Immediately thinking of his 9-year-old nephew Kevin, who is also deaf, Chris submitted his application. Other families had come to visit Cole before, but they deemed him too “broken” to be adopted. Without having that prejudice, Chris went in with an open heart and instantly bonded with Cole and took him home soon after.

When Chris told his deaf nephew Kevin about Cole, it was a moment of connection to other people and animals out there like him. Immediately, Kevin wrote down the American Sign Language signs they had to teach Cole, and thus became an integral part of ASL training for both Cole and Chris – something that they still work on today. Cole gave Kevin a confidence that Chris had never seen before. After witnessing Cole light up his nephew, Chris knew that Cole had an ability to empower children with special needs and to teach others acceptance.

In 2018, Cole earned his therapy certification through Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc., allowing him to attend class with Chris. Chris incorporated Cole into his lessons and school assemblies to teach students about the consequences of labeling and the beauty of celebrating their differences. The pair also volunteered weekly in local veteran and hospice homes.

It started out with Chris incorporating Cole into his lessons and school assemblies to teach students about the consequences of labeling and the beauty of celebrating their differences. All the while, Cole earned his therapy certification. When they led a couple of events at different schools, his hunch of the potential for change was immediately confirmed.

The unique social-emotional learning program eventually gained traction in the Tri-State area, leading to its ongoing success. Formed together officially as The Team Cole Project, they aim to teach students that a disability is not an inability and that just because someone is different, doesn’t mean they can’t do something you can do – they just do it differently. But more importantly, these different perspectives should be admirable, not divisive.

Chris hopes that he can continue to share these lessons of kindness full time in the near future now that he recently adopted a sidekick for Cole, another deaf puppy, Cece. The Team Cole Project proves just how important dogs are in teaching empathy, as they don’t just open humans’ minds, they open humans’ hearts through their unconditional love.

About The Guest - Chris Hannah

Chris Hannah has been an elementary school music teacher for 20 years. At the Dr. Mennies School in Southern New Jersey, he launched a unique social-emotional learning program by arranging school assemblies and presentations that centered around his pitbull Cole as a “deaf superhero.” This has evolved today into the Team Cole Project, and they’ve logged over 500 hours to date. In addition to plenty of Press coverage, they also were awarded the Presidential Silver Service Award.

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