HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — September is Deaf Awareness Month, a time to celebrate Deaf culture and community while raising awareness about the experiences of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. At Northern Kentucky University, one Deaf instructor is helping students build connections through American Sign Language.
For Annie Welch, teaching American Sign Language is about much more than helping students learn a new way to communicate.
“My goal is to spread the language and the love of the language,” Welch said. “The love of the culture, the love of the community and the love of Deaf people.”
Welch, a deaf instructor at NKU, teaches ASL to hearing students, helping them learn not only the language but also the culture and community behind it.
“I want Deaf people, including myself, to feel that we belong in the larger community,” she said.
Hands become the bridge — connecting hearing students with a community whose language is seen, not spoken.
For students like Maddox Shackelford, that connection is already extending beyond the classroom.
“I've used it honestly a lot more than I thought I would have, just working and providing access,” Shackelford said.
Shackelford hopes to incorporate ASL into a future career as a musical theater interpreter. Learning the language has also given Shackelford a deeper appreciation for the experiences of Deaf people.
“It's very important because nobody can understand what it's like to have those experiences and live those experiences other than a deaf person,” Shackelford said.
For Kristen Plorde, ASL could become part of her future in early childhood education.
“Deafness isn't like realized early on,” Plorde said. “So just having that kind of inclusion in an early childhood setting is really cool to me and really important, and I just kind of value the opportunity to be able to provide that.”
For both students, learning ASL is becoming about more than memorizing signs. It's about understanding a culture, creating accessibility and finding new ways to connect with people.
And Welch hopes her students will continue those connections long after they leave her classroom.
“So keep signing, keep interacting with Deaf people,” Welch said. “Maybe you may not work with a deaf person, but you can still go to Deaf community events and interact with Deaf people.”
