Rhemy Elsey is a student at Mark Bills Middle School in Peoria, Illinois, and he’s been deaf since birth.
Although he has hearing implants, he relies on American Sign Language to speak, and he even has a translator who accompanies him to school.
In an effort to connect with Rhemy more, students at Mark Bills did something incredible! They started an ASL Club, trading in their lunch and recess time once a week to learn sign language.
Tammy Arvin, Rhemy’s translator and the instructor for the school’s ASL Club told ABC News she’s already taught the students basic conversation and vocabulary words for items at school, food, clothing and even the signs for family members.
In an email with ABC, Rhemy said that he’s thrilled his classmates started the club because “they want to be like me,” and “sign language is cool.”
Arvin noticed that since the club was formed, Rhemy has “gained confidence with his classmates and with expressing himself, and it’s made it easier for the other students to approach him.” She continued, “It’s wonderful to see him have interactions with students that are one-on-one and that are more natural interactions that make him feel less isolated in the school setting.”
However, the club hasn’t just helped Rhemy, it has greatly benefitted his classmates as well.
“The students are just having fun,” Arvin said. “They don’t necessarily realize they’re learning … about deaf culture by participating in this club. It really gives them a perspective on this other culture within the U.S. that they previously weren’t aware [of], so they’re benefiting ginormously just in terms of learning about diversity and having a broader perspective on the world around them.”
Did these students thoughtful act of learning sign language to better communicate with their classmate inspire you?
If so, please SHARE this story with your friends and family on Facebook to spread the love!
[Featured Image: Tammy Arvin]
Fifth Graders Start Sign Language Club To Communicate With Deaf Classmate is an article from: LifeDaily