On Oct. 12, American Sign Language (ASL) 3 and 4 students traveled to Fort Worth to attend Deaf Deaf World, an event that brings awareness to the culture and life of the deaf/hard of hearing community. Through the trip, students were able to immerse themselves in a completely deaf environment and apply their ASL skills in real life.

“Compared to simply practicing in class, signing with deaf people, as well as being in an ASL-only environment, forced me to be a lot more expressive with my body language and facial expressions,” junior Alexander Patricoff said.

About 15% of the American population reports having some trouble hearing, and approximately 600,000 people in the US are completely deaf. The 2010-2018 National Health Interview Surveys revealed that the use of ASL between hard of hearing, deaf and hearing individuals was 2.8%. Therefore, it is important for more people to learn ASL, or at least become familiar with the language. This will increase inclusivity between both hearing and deaf communities.

“ASL is extremely important if we wish to coexist alongside one another rather than live in two separate societies,” Patricoff said. “Events such as Deaf Deaf World are great ways for ASL students to experience communicating with deaf people and develop communication skills that can’t be learned in the classroom.”

The two high school ASL teachers are Jenna Glory and Amy Diaz, who just entered the profession last year. Diaz herself is a member of the deaf community and brings her expertise to the classroom.