This Deaf Awareness week is one to remember. GJHS ASL students walk the halls in tie dye showing their pride and expressing that you don’t have to make a sound to take a stand and have a voice.

“Most students at this school don’t know a lot about deafness and have probably never interacted with a deaf person,” Mrs. Mack, ASL teacher, said.

“By wearing the ASL T-shirts I am hoping it will spark people’s interest. It’s a way to talk about sign language and about the people who use it as a main mode of education,” Mack said.

On Wednesday the ASL 2 classes made their rounds to multiple classrooms to teach students about American Sign Language.

“I realiz[ed] one way that I could make my Deaf students feel less isolated is by teaching hearing people sign language,” Mack said, “ If anything I hope this will encourage people to reach out and learn another language and start building bridges between communities.”

Communication is key to ending isolation between the deaf and hearing world. Our GJHS ASL students are doing their part in raising awareness and by teaching sign they are laying the bricks of a foundation towards acceptance.