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Kids speak silently, thanks to sign club | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register
Capitol View Elementary students are learning American Sign Language so they can communicate with deaf peers.
Fourth- and fifth-graders clustered on the floor after school. Without making a sound, they carried on a conversation.
At Capitol View Elementary School, an after-school club teaches American Sign Language to help students communicate with their peers who are deaf.
Capitol View, 320 E. 16th St., is a magnet school for deaf students. Throughout the Des Moines school district there are approximately 50 students who are deaf or hearing-impaired. The district employs six deaf adults and six interpreters at Capitol View to work with students who have varied hearing needs.
Abby Clayton, an interpreter at Capitol View, founded the sign club. She started the organization after participating in a similar group at Roosevelt High School, and saw an increased need for it at Capitol View.
Clayton's goal is to give participating students basic sign language skills so they can communicate with hearing-impaired and deaf students.
As she signed her name, Yeimy Florse explained how sign club makes it easier to communicate with her friends who are deaf.
"It's easier because you get to put the words from your mouth into your hands," said the fourth-grader.
Every year 30 students are invited to attend sign club. During the meetings, teachers and interpreters also help them understand what it's like to be deaf or hearing-impaired. At sign club last week, Clayton and Ursula Dierauer, another interpreter at Capitol View, explained to students how a TTD telephone allows the deaf to communicate.
The goal is to make students more comfortable around deaf students and allow them to communicate better.
"A lot of students here have peers who are deaf," Clayton said. "Our goal is to try to educate them and give them ways to communicate with their peers, and not to be shocked by deaf students."
Fourth-grader Janette Ruiz said sign club will allow her to communicate with a hearing-impaired relative.
"My cousin from Arizona is deaf, and I wanted to learn more sign language so that I could talk to her," Janette said, adding that it's a good idea to learn sign language because "some deaf people don't always understand what we say." By signing she's able to communicate better.
Since sign club began, fifth-grader Mya Bensley has been able to have conversations with her best friend, who is deaf. She's learned enough sign language that now they are able to talk without speaking.
"I'm so glad I'm able to have conversations with her," Mya said.
Capitol View Elementary students are learning American Sign Language so they can communicate with deaf peers.
Fourth- and fifth-graders clustered on the floor after school. Without making a sound, they carried on a conversation.
At Capitol View Elementary School, an after-school club teaches American Sign Language to help students communicate with their peers who are deaf.
Capitol View, 320 E. 16th St., is a magnet school for deaf students. Throughout the Des Moines school district there are approximately 50 students who are deaf or hearing-impaired. The district employs six deaf adults and six interpreters at Capitol View to work with students who have varied hearing needs.
Abby Clayton, an interpreter at Capitol View, founded the sign club. She started the organization after participating in a similar group at Roosevelt High School, and saw an increased need for it at Capitol View.
Clayton's goal is to give participating students basic sign language skills so they can communicate with hearing-impaired and deaf students.
As she signed her name, Yeimy Florse explained how sign club makes it easier to communicate with her friends who are deaf.
"It's easier because you get to put the words from your mouth into your hands," said the fourth-grader.
Every year 30 students are invited to attend sign club. During the meetings, teachers and interpreters also help them understand what it's like to be deaf or hearing-impaired. At sign club last week, Clayton and Ursula Dierauer, another interpreter at Capitol View, explained to students how a TTD telephone allows the deaf to communicate.
The goal is to make students more comfortable around deaf students and allow them to communicate better.
"A lot of students here have peers who are deaf," Clayton said. "Our goal is to try to educate them and give them ways to communicate with their peers, and not to be shocked by deaf students."
Fourth-grader Janette Ruiz said sign club will allow her to communicate with a hearing-impaired relative.
"My cousin from Arizona is deaf, and I wanted to learn more sign language so that I could talk to her," Janette said, adding that it's a good idea to learn sign language because "some deaf people don't always understand what we say." By signing she's able to communicate better.
Since sign club began, fifth-grader Mya Bensley has been able to have conversations with her best friend, who is deaf. She's learned enough sign language that now they are able to talk without speaking.
"I'm so glad I'm able to have conversations with her," Mya said.