Page 37 - issue
P. 37
Bais Yaakov 33
say hi or smile. Now I realize that they are not doing anything
wrong and that there isn’t anything wrong with them. This is
just how Hashem made them.”
Rina Lipsky researched deafness with her partners Tirtzah
Sondhelm and Shira Rochel Bloom. “I always felt distant
from people who have disabilities, but now I feel connected,
I brought in an article by a man who is Deaf
and wished that high schools would offer ASL classes to their
students as opposed to French or Latin.
tion, the Ma Nishtana! If we need to, we practice things over
and over until we get them right. Mrs. Zelinger is always so
patient and makes the class interactive, stimulating, and
enjoyable.”
Mrs. Zelinger’s ASL students are also drilled in how to talk
to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. “A language takes
years to acquire, but these students have learned not to wait
to master ASL before venturing into a conversation with a
deaf person,” said Mrs. Zelinger, who brings deaf guest
speakers to her class. “More important is to engage a person
with hearing loss in conversation beyond ‘Hello, how are
you?’ by speaking slowly and clearly, using gestures, and ask-
ing the person to repeat themselves, multiple times, if neces-
sary.
“Mrs. Zelinger is teaching us all about Deaf culture as
well,” said Esther. “We recently watched a movie called
Sound and Fury, about the controversy over cochlear
implants. It was really fascinating, and I gained a whole new
perspective on the Deaf community.
“One of our assignments in class was to bring in an arti-
cle about something relating to deafness. I brought in an
article by a man who is Deaf and wished that high schools
would offer ASL classes to their students as opposed to
French or Latin. I definitely agree with that. Sign language is
so useful. We are more likely to have an opportunity to con-
verse with a member of the Deaf community than with
someone who speaks Latin!”
Indeed, Esther has already been able to hold simple con-
versations. At last fall’s “challah bake,” she approached a
table where a number of women who are deaf were knead-
ing their dough. She introduced herself and enjoyed a
delightful conversation with one of the participants.
“Deaf people would really appreciate it,” concluded
Esther, “if high school students knew the basics of how to
communicate with them in their own language.”◆
A link to “Tips for Communicating with a Deaf Person” can
be found at http://bit.ly/1MflJx5.
u 410 358 8509 u
say hi or smile. Now I realize that they are not doing anything
wrong and that there isn’t anything wrong with them. This is
just how Hashem made them.”
Rina Lipsky researched deafness with her partners Tirtzah
Sondhelm and Shira Rochel Bloom. “I always felt distant
from people who have disabilities, but now I feel connected,
I brought in an article by a man who is Deaf
and wished that high schools would offer ASL classes to their
students as opposed to French or Latin.
tion, the Ma Nishtana! If we need to, we practice things over
and over until we get them right. Mrs. Zelinger is always so
patient and makes the class interactive, stimulating, and
enjoyable.”
Mrs. Zelinger’s ASL students are also drilled in how to talk
to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. “A language takes
years to acquire, but these students have learned not to wait
to master ASL before venturing into a conversation with a
deaf person,” said Mrs. Zelinger, who brings deaf guest
speakers to her class. “More important is to engage a person
with hearing loss in conversation beyond ‘Hello, how are
you?’ by speaking slowly and clearly, using gestures, and ask-
ing the person to repeat themselves, multiple times, if neces-
sary.
“Mrs. Zelinger is teaching us all about Deaf culture as
well,” said Esther. “We recently watched a movie called
Sound and Fury, about the controversy over cochlear
implants. It was really fascinating, and I gained a whole new
perspective on the Deaf community.
“One of our assignments in class was to bring in an arti-
cle about something relating to deafness. I brought in an
article by a man who is Deaf and wished that high schools
would offer ASL classes to their students as opposed to
French or Latin. I definitely agree with that. Sign language is
so useful. We are more likely to have an opportunity to con-
verse with a member of the Deaf community than with
someone who speaks Latin!”
Indeed, Esther has already been able to hold simple con-
versations. At last fall’s “challah bake,” she approached a
table where a number of women who are deaf were knead-
ing their dough. She introduced herself and enjoyed a
delightful conversation with one of the participants.
“Deaf people would really appreciate it,” concluded
Esther, “if high school students knew the basics of how to
communicate with them in their own language.”◆
A link to “Tips for Communicating with a Deaf Person” can
be found at http://bit.ly/1MflJx5.
u 410 358 8509 u
