The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory

In August 2022, the CSDR Cubs coaching staff met to discuss their plans for the new season. Because the staff was comprised of deaf coaches, they arranged their chairs in a semicircle, so everyone could see each other and sign effectively. Despite the fact that it was purposely built for CSDR, the campus was not fully accommodating for Deaf people: there were buzzers that signaled the end of classes, and speakers in the hallway for emergency announcements. Fuller notes that architects intentionally designing spaces for Deaf people include wide hallways, so that people can sign while walking, and rounded corners, so that people don’t run into each other when turning corners.

On the first day of practice, the team was energized and ready for the new season. The new rules of the Southern California Interscholastic Federation meant that they would be playing a larger number of teams, some from much bigger schools. Phillip Castaneda was excluded from practice after being caught taking younger students to a nearby cannabis dispensary. Although he was kicked off the team, he watched every game from the sidelines.