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Deaf associations hold second annual picnic | The Janesville Gazette | Janesville, Wisconsin, USA
Hundreds of children and adults filled the West Park pavilion.
Old friends made cheerful reunions, and new friends happily met.
Despite the excitement, the pavilion was peaceful and nearly silent. Nearly all the warm communication took place with hands and faces.
Four associations for deaf people-from Milwaukee, Delavan, Racine/Kenosha and Madison-held a picnic at West Park all day Saturday. The second annual event drew close to 1,000 people from all over the country.
Funds from the event will go back to the clubs for other events and scholarships.
Event chairman Dean Kelly of Darien pointed out the word "deaf" wasn't on the banner announcing the event."Picnic. That's all it says. Everyone and anyone's invited," Kelly said through family friend and interpreter Kim Bagley of Madison.
With hundreds of sign language users in the crowd, the annual event would be a great place for people who want to learn sign language, Kelly said.
"Everyone signs differently, just like people all speak differently with different accents and different ways of saying the same thing," Kelly said. "Some people might prefer to spell out signs versus those who prefer to sign words."
While the event is a way to promote awareness of the deaf community, its primary intent is to ensure members of the deaf community get to stay in touch. Saturday was "old home day" for many in the crowd.
"This is home for me," said Virginia Morford, a 1990 graduate of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan. Morford is studying communication at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
The only way to improve the event next year, Kelly said, would be to encourage more members of the hearing community to attend. It's a challenge, he said, explaining even his own hearing friends hesitate to come out.
"When hearing people do come, I want to commend them," Kelly said. "They're brave enough to come here and try to learn a new language. I appreciate that."
Hundreds of children and adults filled the West Park pavilion.
Old friends made cheerful reunions, and new friends happily met.
Despite the excitement, the pavilion was peaceful and nearly silent. Nearly all the warm communication took place with hands and faces.
Four associations for deaf people-from Milwaukee, Delavan, Racine/Kenosha and Madison-held a picnic at West Park all day Saturday. The second annual event drew close to 1,000 people from all over the country.
Funds from the event will go back to the clubs for other events and scholarships.
Event chairman Dean Kelly of Darien pointed out the word "deaf" wasn't on the banner announcing the event."Picnic. That's all it says. Everyone and anyone's invited," Kelly said through family friend and interpreter Kim Bagley of Madison.
With hundreds of sign language users in the crowd, the annual event would be a great place for people who want to learn sign language, Kelly said.
"Everyone signs differently, just like people all speak differently with different accents and different ways of saying the same thing," Kelly said. "Some people might prefer to spell out signs versus those who prefer to sign words."
While the event is a way to promote awareness of the deaf community, its primary intent is to ensure members of the deaf community get to stay in touch. Saturday was "old home day" for many in the crowd.
"This is home for me," said Virginia Morford, a 1990 graduate of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan. Morford is studying communication at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
The only way to improve the event next year, Kelly said, would be to encourage more members of the hearing community to attend. It's a challenge, he said, explaining even his own hearing friends hesitate to come out.
"When hearing people do come, I want to commend them," Kelly said. "They're brave enough to come here and try to learn a new language. I appreciate that."