Richland County Sheriff's deputy Jamel Bradley, a school resource officer at Joseph Keels and Forest Lake elementary schools, chats with Joseph Keels third-grader Omaria Murray-Broadwater, Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Bradley is a former USC basketball player who is hearing impaired.
Basketball came into Jamel Bradley’s life when he was in the fourth grade, and it changed everything.
Finally he had found an avenue to show people he was more than his disability. He could get on the court, “hearing aids flying all over the place” — and play ball. And play he did, going all the way to USC.
Now as a school resource officer with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the former USC guard is sharing with elementary school children his story of overcoming his hearing loss.
“I want them to understand there will be obstacles in life, but that if you persevere, you can achieve your goals,” said Bradley, 29.
Bradley lost about 80 percent of his hearing after a high fever when he was 18 months old. He wears digital hearing aids in both ears.
Growing up, Bradley said, it was clear people thought he was different, but he always saw himself as a normal kid.
He had been saying simple words when he lost his hearing, and speech therapy in elementary school improved his speaking skills.
But the biggest boost, he said, came when USC, in accordance with NCAA rules, gave him state-of-the-art hearing aids.
“I was really able to hear myself,” he said. “I used to talk loud. Now people tell me I talk softly.”
A NEW CAREER
Bradley graduated from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy earlier this month.
He splits his weeks between Forest Lake and Joseph Keels elementary schools in Richland District 2.
Although he was looking for a job, Bradley said, before last year he had never considered law enforcement. His degree, received from USC in 2003, is in administrative information management.
Bradley thought being a cop meant dealing with unsavory types and frequent shootouts.
But in late 2007, he kept running into Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. And Lott kept asking if he had considered law enforcement.
Lott, a longtime USC basketball fan, already admired Bradley for his skill on the court and his achievements despite his disability.
But Lott was impressed anew with another trait he learned about Bradley during those conversations last year at a prayer breakfast and golf tournament.
“All he talked about was how he wanted to help kids,” Lott said. “That, to me, is what a school resource officer has got to have — a love of children. He had that. He came to me with that.”
Bradley went through the hiring process and training at the academy just like everyone else and did not receive preferential treatment, Lott said.
“People complain about a lot of things,” Lott said. “Here’s a person who’s never complained and just went forward and accomplished goals in life.”
A ROLE MODEL
Bradley said he’s excited to learn more about law enforcement and let kids know that officers are the good guys.
He spends his days being visible and taking aside the kids who might need a little more attention. He’s working on a certification that will allow him to spend more time in the classroom.
Keels principal Lynne Ladue said Bradley is an asset to the school. He has developed relationships with the students, their parents and the staff. He is constantly trying to improve himself.
“He presents himself in a positive way to students,” she said. “In an elementary school, it’s extremely important students see law enforcement in positive light.”
Bradley is also a good role model for boys who might not have other positive male figures in their lives, she said.
“We were not brought into this world to be complacent,” Bradley said. “We were brought here to do great things.”
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