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Bowling Green Daily News
Deaf children, teens and even adults will have an opportunity they may have never had before - to tell Santa just what they want for Christmas.
From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Skate Box on Three Springs Road, the American Sign Language Organization, a newly formed group, is giving the deaf the chance to meet, greet and talk with Santa. The group will have a signing Santa to communicate with those who are deaf as well as those who are hearing.
“Before they would have to go to Nashville or Ohio to talk to (a signing) Santa,” said Regina Priddy, a member of the organization.
The signing Santa will be Andy Hensley, who is a local resident. Although Hensley is not deaf, he is fluent in ASL, which is what the group was looking for in a Santa, said Ashley Chance Fox, assistant professor at Bowling Green Community College and an adjunct ASL teacher at Western Kentucky University and BGCC, and the organization’s advisor. She said they were also looking for someone who could communicate with the hearing and the deaf.
“So if a deaf child comes or someone who’s hard of hearing, they’ll be able to talk with Santa,” Priddy said. “Or if a parent has a child that is deaf and children that are hearing, Santa can talk to both.”
The group is a new student organization at Western Kentucky University, and is open to students, faculty, staff, the community and anyone interested in sign language or deaf culture, Fox said.
“We want to bridge the gap between the hearing world and deaf world,” she said. “We feel like it is separate worlds and we want to bridge that gap.”
Fox said there is a huge interest in ASL, and there are a lot of students who would like to spend their time learning sign language or improving their skill from native signers outside the classroom setting.
“We thought having this organization would accomplish that,” Fox said.
There are about 25 to 30 members - the majority are Western students, she said. Fox said their meetings will have activities to help anyone learning sign language to improve their signing skills. She said they hope to coordinate activities on and off campus that will bring together the community and students on campus.
Also from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the first Monday of every month, the organization will be hosted by Greener Groundz Coffee and Cafe, a local coffee shop and eatery. Fox said owner Molly Kirby wants her employees to be more aware of the deaf community and educated on how to communicate with the deaf.
Fox said through their activities, she hopes to get more participation from those outside the ASL classes.
“It’s easy to recruit from the ASL classes, but we hope to have interest from students who just finished the class or previously took the class as a way to continue their skill, also,” she said.
The organization started last spring, working on forms to be recognized as an official organization on the campus, Fox said. However, she said, the focus was switched to the signing Santa, so paperwork to be a formally recognized group will be completed this semester.
The idea for a signing Santa came last spring, and was Priddy’s brainchild, Fox said.
“This is our first big event,” Priddy said. “We just wanted to do something special.”
Fox said they’ve received donations from area businesses, such as Little Ceasers - which is donating pizza - and Greener Groundz.
In addition to Santa being on hand to hear the wish lists of the children and to take pictures, the Vette City Vixens, a roller derby team, will perform.
The event is free, Fox said.
“We are so excited about this,” she said. “We’re finding there are a lot of children here that have not had the chance to communicate with Santa, so this is the first opportunity to give Santa their wish list in their native language.”
Fox said the children in the deaf community have been overlooked, and it’s exciting that now they have this opportunity to go to Santa and be able to communicate with him.
“We take for granted that we can just go to the mall and see Santa and give him our wish lists as a hearing society,” Fox said. “So this is an awesome opportunity for those who’ve never sat on Santa’s lap ... I think it will make their whole holiday.”
— For more information, call or send a text to 791-9168.
Deaf children, teens and even adults will have an opportunity they may have never had before - to tell Santa just what they want for Christmas.
From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Skate Box on Three Springs Road, the American Sign Language Organization, a newly formed group, is giving the deaf the chance to meet, greet and talk with Santa. The group will have a signing Santa to communicate with those who are deaf as well as those who are hearing.
“Before they would have to go to Nashville or Ohio to talk to (a signing) Santa,” said Regina Priddy, a member of the organization.
The signing Santa will be Andy Hensley, who is a local resident. Although Hensley is not deaf, he is fluent in ASL, which is what the group was looking for in a Santa, said Ashley Chance Fox, assistant professor at Bowling Green Community College and an adjunct ASL teacher at Western Kentucky University and BGCC, and the organization’s advisor. She said they were also looking for someone who could communicate with the hearing and the deaf.
“So if a deaf child comes or someone who’s hard of hearing, they’ll be able to talk with Santa,” Priddy said. “Or if a parent has a child that is deaf and children that are hearing, Santa can talk to both.”
The group is a new student organization at Western Kentucky University, and is open to students, faculty, staff, the community and anyone interested in sign language or deaf culture, Fox said.
“We want to bridge the gap between the hearing world and deaf world,” she said. “We feel like it is separate worlds and we want to bridge that gap.”
Fox said there is a huge interest in ASL, and there are a lot of students who would like to spend their time learning sign language or improving their skill from native signers outside the classroom setting.
“We thought having this organization would accomplish that,” Fox said.
There are about 25 to 30 members - the majority are Western students, she said. Fox said their meetings will have activities to help anyone learning sign language to improve their signing skills. She said they hope to coordinate activities on and off campus that will bring together the community and students on campus.
Also from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the first Monday of every month, the organization will be hosted by Greener Groundz Coffee and Cafe, a local coffee shop and eatery. Fox said owner Molly Kirby wants her employees to be more aware of the deaf community and educated on how to communicate with the deaf.
Fox said through their activities, she hopes to get more participation from those outside the ASL classes.
“It’s easy to recruit from the ASL classes, but we hope to have interest from students who just finished the class or previously took the class as a way to continue their skill, also,” she said.
The organization started last spring, working on forms to be recognized as an official organization on the campus, Fox said. However, she said, the focus was switched to the signing Santa, so paperwork to be a formally recognized group will be completed this semester.
The idea for a signing Santa came last spring, and was Priddy’s brainchild, Fox said.
“This is our first big event,” Priddy said. “We just wanted to do something special.”
Fox said they’ve received donations from area businesses, such as Little Ceasers - which is donating pizza - and Greener Groundz.
In addition to Santa being on hand to hear the wish lists of the children and to take pictures, the Vette City Vixens, a roller derby team, will perform.
The event is free, Fox said.
“We are so excited about this,” she said. “We’re finding there are a lot of children here that have not had the chance to communicate with Santa, so this is the first opportunity to give Santa their wish list in their native language.”
Fox said the children in the deaf community have been overlooked, and it’s exciting that now they have this opportunity to go to Santa and be able to communicate with him.
“We take for granted that we can just go to the mall and see Santa and give him our wish lists as a hearing society,” Fox said. “So this is an awesome opportunity for those who’ve never sat on Santa’s lap ... I think it will make their whole holiday.”
— For more information, call or send a text to 791-9168.