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Students reach out to deaf community at Dayton center

Olivia Newton (from left), 6, of Oakwood receives help with her holiday project from Centerville High School senior Meghan Brown and junior Katie Keene at the Deaf Community Resource Center in Dayton. Contributed photo

Pamela Ferris-Olson/Deaf Community Resource Center Olivia Newton (from left), 6, of Oakwood receives help with her holiday project from Centerville High School senior Meghan Brown and junior Katie Keene at the Deaf Community Resource Center in Dayton. Contributed photo

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By Pamela Ferris-Olson, Contributing Writer 3:24 PM Thursday, November 19, 2009

DAYTON — Their little fingers were in constant motion as they glue and drew, and talked with their new friends.

On Nov. 7, youngsters at the Deaf Community Resource Center, 3333 Stanley Ave. in Dayton, helped with a holiday decorating project with Centerville High School students enrolled in Jean Adkinson’s American Sign Language classes.

“My biggest joy is seeing the ASL students realize that they are making a difference when they interact with the deaf kids,” Adkinson said.

Adkinson, a 1970 graduate of Fairview High School in Dayton, has full use of her five senses. Both her father and mother, however, are deaf. Adkinson has taught ASL at Centerville for the past 13 years.

Junior Katie Keene, 17, is in her second year of ASL at Centerville. She said she was not nervous about using her sign language skills with the children at the center.

“The deaf community is very open to new learners,” Katie said. “I really try and experience ASL outside of the classroom by volunteering, and soon, hopefully, shadowing interpreters.”

Katie said sometimes she finds herself unconsciously signing lyrics to music.

Meghan Brown, a Centerville senior, said signing has become almost automatic for her. Both teens said they plan to use their ASL skills in the future to help bridge the gap between the hearing and hearing-impaired worlds.

“For me, teaching ASL is my way of giving back to the deaf community ...,” Adkinson said. “My students work in the community and are running into deaf people all the time.

“Now the deaf can get their needs met when they go into restaurants or stores where my ASL students work. I have students working all over that now can sign ‘may I take your order’ or ‘can I help you?’ This is awesome for the deaf community,” she said.

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