Students at Kidder Elementary in Brunswick learning American Sign Language to better communicate

Описание: What started as a classroom conversation at Kidder Elementary in Brunswick has turned into a schoolwide effort focused on inclusion.

Second graders in Abigail Hardy’s class began learning American Sign Language (ASL) after attending an assembly where they learned that some students in their building have hearing loss. The topic prompted questions from students about how they could better communicate with classmates.

“They really wanted to explore sign language to include everybody,” Hardy said. “And when they’re passionate about something, you just have to take it and keep going with it.”

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about two to three of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both years and more than 37 million American adults report some trouble hearing. In Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center reports having served nearly 4,000 clients in 2024 alone.

The class incorporated ASL into regular lessons, beginning with the alphabet before progressing to songs. Students now regularly use signs such as “hello" and "nice to meet you."

“It’s been really cool, like, learning with our class,” one student said.

Another added, “Because some people can’t hear or can’t talk, so you have to use sign language to talk to them.”

According to Hardy, the lessons quickly extended beyond the classroom. Students began practicing in the hallways and on the playground, sharing phrases for playground equipment like "slide" and "swings" with their peers.

She recalled a moment this school year that underscored the impact of the lessons. A younger student was injured on the playground and was crying too hard to communicate verbally. Hardy said her students used sign language to help guide and support the child in that moment.

“They were able to be the voice of that student who could not speak in that moment,” she said. “Seeing that they have so much empathy and compassion towards others was really heartwarming."

Mrs. Hardy said her hope is that the skills, and the mindset behind them, continue as her students move on to higher grades.

"They're just wonderful students that want to learn something new to help the world and help others be included with everything," she said.

Story link: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/edu... --

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