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Deaf festival bridges silence | London | News | London Free Press
The scene was typical of a kindergarten classroom: five children sitting in a circle, passing around a toy watermelon in a creative round of an interpretation game.
Someone hummed into the fruit, making it a harmonica. Another put it on her head, transforming it into an eccentric hat.
This was more than a game of interpretation. The children, pupils at Robarts School for the Deaf in London, were communicating without spoken language.
Volunteer interpreters described what the pupils were trying to inventively convey.
The school welcomed students across Ontario through its doors Thursday to celebrate a festival honouring deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL).
“We’ve opened up our school to mainstream students this year to raise awareness about deaf culture, but also help our students build their network,” said Darren Holst, educational co-ordinator, through an interpreter.
The deaf children’s festival had the highest turnout in its nine-year run.
Exotic animals and a petting zoo, international performers and artists, a book signing, inflatables — school administrators and organizers offered it all for the day.
“This year’s theme is ‘Hands Around the World.’ We wanted an international perspective to both celebrate American Sign Language and explore different languages and cultures,” Holst said.
Estonian Sign Language, Israeli Sign Language and South African Sign Language were explored, along with tasty treats from across the world available at concession booths.
The school’s 40 students two years ago began preparing for the festival, which alternates between Ontario’s three deaf schools, said principal Arnold Potma.
Fundraising was the first step to securing performers such as Vancouver storyteller John Warren, author Alexis Domney, and Toronto-based artist Peter Owusu — all, deaf people who communicated with the students through ASL.
“We raised over $20,000, thanks to the tremendous help from the deaf community in London, the southwestern Ontario chapter of the Lions Club, the Royal View Deaf Church, among others,” Potma said through interpreter Paulette Baum.
Elementary pupils from London, Sarnia, Windsor and as far as Belleville visited the school’s flag-strewn halls to experience communication through ASL.
Volunteer interpreters were there to help, but pupils broke down walls and connected on their own, Potma said.
“It is the first time many students here are being exposed to sign language. And our students and visiting students from mainstream programs are communicating and learning from each other while they build spice racks together or wait in line to ride a pony,” he said.
Deaf culture is Canadian culture, stressed Susan Dadalt of the Toronto Association for the Deaf.
“This festival has brought together not only the deaf community, but also the Canadian community. Hands Around the World is a great vision that is being met here today,” Dadalt said.
The scene was typical of a kindergarten classroom: five children sitting in a circle, passing around a toy watermelon in a creative round of an interpretation game.
Someone hummed into the fruit, making it a harmonica. Another put it on her head, transforming it into an eccentric hat.
This was more than a game of interpretation. The children, pupils at Robarts School for the Deaf in London, were communicating without spoken language.
Volunteer interpreters described what the pupils were trying to inventively convey.
The school welcomed students across Ontario through its doors Thursday to celebrate a festival honouring deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL).
“We’ve opened up our school to mainstream students this year to raise awareness about deaf culture, but also help our students build their network,” said Darren Holst, educational co-ordinator, through an interpreter.
The deaf children’s festival had the highest turnout in its nine-year run.
Exotic animals and a petting zoo, international performers and artists, a book signing, inflatables — school administrators and organizers offered it all for the day.
“This year’s theme is ‘Hands Around the World.’ We wanted an international perspective to both celebrate American Sign Language and explore different languages and cultures,” Holst said.
Estonian Sign Language, Israeli Sign Language and South African Sign Language were explored, along with tasty treats from across the world available at concession booths.
The school’s 40 students two years ago began preparing for the festival, which alternates between Ontario’s three deaf schools, said principal Arnold Potma.
Fundraising was the first step to securing performers such as Vancouver storyteller John Warren, author Alexis Domney, and Toronto-based artist Peter Owusu — all, deaf people who communicated with the students through ASL.
“We raised over $20,000, thanks to the tremendous help from the deaf community in London, the southwestern Ontario chapter of the Lions Club, the Royal View Deaf Church, among others,” Potma said through interpreter Paulette Baum.
Elementary pupils from London, Sarnia, Windsor and as far as Belleville visited the school’s flag-strewn halls to experience communication through ASL.
Volunteer interpreters were there to help, but pupils broke down walls and connected on their own, Potma said.
“It is the first time many students here are being exposed to sign language. And our students and visiting students from mainstream programs are communicating and learning from each other while they build spice racks together or wait in line to ride a pony,” he said.
Deaf culture is Canadian culture, stressed Susan Dadalt of the Toronto Association for the Deaf.
“This festival has brought together not only the deaf community, but also the Canadian community. Hands Around the World is a great vision that is being met here today,” Dadalt said.