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Niagara Gazette - SHOWING CHILDREN SIGNS: Falls teen teaches the hearing to understand the deaf
Jena Kramer looked just a little bit nervous as she sat at the front of a group of teens and pre-teens at the 18th Street Community Center.
Then with a big smile and a nod to her mom she began to sign.
Jena, 14, who will become the first fully deaf (she has her own personal translator) student at Niagara Falls High School this year, is on a mission to teach hearing kids how to communicate in sign language. Every Wednesday in August, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the 18th Street Community Resource Center, Jena will conduct classes to teach the language of the deaf to those who can hear.
“Because I want people to understand what I say and I want them to understand deaf culture,” Jena said in describing her reason for teaching the class. “I don’t want people to think that deaf people are stupid and I want to understand hearing people better.”
She begins her first class, by showing her students the sign language alphabet. The letter A, for example, is a fist with the thumb up.
Jena gently reaches over to help 3-year-old Sadriah Sandberg form the letter correctly. When she does, Jena’s eyes flash with happiness and she laughs.
“It can get lonesome in Niagara Falls if you don’t have enough people to talk to,” Jena says.
The spunky teen has traveled a long way to reach the Falls. Jena was born in Romania and adopted by a deaf couple in Massachusetts when she was 4.
At the age of 9, she adopted by Falls residents Kay Mirabella and Jack Rupert. Therapeutic foster parents, Kay has been an interpreter for the deaf for 35 years.
“Jack and I always wanted to adopted a deaf child,” Kay said. “There were 100 families that wanted Jena and we think we’re very lucky to have her.”
Both Kay and Jack are supportive of Jena’s plunge into teaching.
“The whole idea was to get as many people in the community as possible to communicate with Jena,” Kay said. “We want her to have the fullest possible life.”
Watching her with her students, especially as she patiently demonstrates the signing alphabet over and over until they form the letters correctly, it seems a labor of love for Jena.
“It’s important to help your community,” Jena said. “I think it will help me in the future.”
Jena has already spent time in the Falls School system, attending Gaskill Middle School. She plunged into regular classes there, just as she will do at the high school this fall.
“Her dad and I feel her speech and reading skills have improved greatly (from being in regular school classes),” Kay said. “We can’t say enough about the Falls School District and what they’ve done for Jena.”
Jena isn’t sure what to expect when she arrives at NFHS. She enjoyed her time at Gaskill and said she made “a lot of friends” there.”
She admits that sometimes it can be frustrating trying to understand hearing people.
“If I have time, I read my friends lips or write notes,” she said. But sometimes I feel left out of conversations and a lot of boys are afraid to talk to me.”
Jena is also hoping to bust some “hearing people” myths about the deaf.
“Some people think because deaf people can hear sounds, we should be able to understand them,” she said. “I can hear many sounds, but the sounds are not in the normal speech range.”
One of Jena’s sisters friends, Sherece Wynter is taking the signing class so she can have more fun with Jena.
“I’m around (Jena) a lot and I want to know what she’s saying,” Sherece said.
One last item, Jena also wants to address is showing the hearing world that deafness is not always a handicap.
“Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do,” Jena says as she signs emphatically. “In fact, we’re better drivers because we don’t talk on cell phones and we’re not distracted by music or the radio.”
Jena Kramer looked just a little bit nervous as she sat at the front of a group of teens and pre-teens at the 18th Street Community Center.
Then with a big smile and a nod to her mom she began to sign.
Jena, 14, who will become the first fully deaf (she has her own personal translator) student at Niagara Falls High School this year, is on a mission to teach hearing kids how to communicate in sign language. Every Wednesday in August, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the 18th Street Community Resource Center, Jena will conduct classes to teach the language of the deaf to those who can hear.
“Because I want people to understand what I say and I want them to understand deaf culture,” Jena said in describing her reason for teaching the class. “I don’t want people to think that deaf people are stupid and I want to understand hearing people better.”
She begins her first class, by showing her students the sign language alphabet. The letter A, for example, is a fist with the thumb up.
Jena gently reaches over to help 3-year-old Sadriah Sandberg form the letter correctly. When she does, Jena’s eyes flash with happiness and she laughs.
“It can get lonesome in Niagara Falls if you don’t have enough people to talk to,” Jena says.
The spunky teen has traveled a long way to reach the Falls. Jena was born in Romania and adopted by a deaf couple in Massachusetts when she was 4.
At the age of 9, she adopted by Falls residents Kay Mirabella and Jack Rupert. Therapeutic foster parents, Kay has been an interpreter for the deaf for 35 years.
“Jack and I always wanted to adopted a deaf child,” Kay said. “There were 100 families that wanted Jena and we think we’re very lucky to have her.”
Both Kay and Jack are supportive of Jena’s plunge into teaching.
“The whole idea was to get as many people in the community as possible to communicate with Jena,” Kay said. “We want her to have the fullest possible life.”
Watching her with her students, especially as she patiently demonstrates the signing alphabet over and over until they form the letters correctly, it seems a labor of love for Jena.
“It’s important to help your community,” Jena said. “I think it will help me in the future.”
Jena has already spent time in the Falls School system, attending Gaskill Middle School. She plunged into regular classes there, just as she will do at the high school this fall.
“Her dad and I feel her speech and reading skills have improved greatly (from being in regular school classes),” Kay said. “We can’t say enough about the Falls School District and what they’ve done for Jena.”
Jena isn’t sure what to expect when she arrives at NFHS. She enjoyed her time at Gaskill and said she made “a lot of friends” there.”
She admits that sometimes it can be frustrating trying to understand hearing people.
“If I have time, I read my friends lips or write notes,” she said. But sometimes I feel left out of conversations and a lot of boys are afraid to talk to me.”
Jena is also hoping to bust some “hearing people” myths about the deaf.
“Some people think because deaf people can hear sounds, we should be able to understand them,” she said. “I can hear many sounds, but the sounds are not in the normal speech range.”
One of Jena’s sisters friends, Sherece Wynter is taking the signing class so she can have more fun with Jena.
“I’m around (Jena) a lot and I want to know what she’s saying,” Sherece said.
One last item, Jena also wants to address is showing the hearing world that deafness is not always a handicap.
“Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do,” Jena says as she signs emphatically. “In fact, we’re better drivers because we don’t talk on cell phones and we’re not distracted by music or the radio.”
