Every September, the decades long celebration of Deaf Awareness Month has provided Deaf people with a sense of belonging within society. This September is no different for those in LT’s American Sign Language (ASL) club, who have worked relentlessly to create activities and events that showcase the Deaf community.

 Krystle Conrad, Deaf ASL teacher and sponsor of ASL club, plans on continuing to promote Deaf culture and belonging during Deaf Awareness Month and throughout the entire school year.

“Deaf Awareness Month is just as important as other awareness months,” Conrad said. “We need to be seen, and finally in the last five years the Deaf community is showing up on TV, [in] movies, winning awards, etcetera. Finally the world sees us as human beings. We are considered [by the general public] as a minority group who can’t do anything because we are Deaf, but the only thing we can’t do is hear. We still have so much work to do and Deaf Awareness Month is a great way to learn about the Deaf community.”

Conrad has worked closely with members of ASL club to ensure that club meetings will be just as entertaining as they are informative. From creating informational posters to display around the school, to hosting silent dinners, the club has worked to promote Deaf culture to the community, club member Riley McCarthy ‘24 said.

“I think [with] sign language club, the goal will be to recruit [members] and educate everybody on Deaf culture,” McCarthy said.

In order to recruit more club members, ASL club has begun a new initiative this year that splits the group into two categories: conversational and beginners, McCarthy said. With this system, those who do not know much sign language are able to enjoy the activities the club has to offer. This environment will allow them to communicate with other beginners and learn the language at their own pace. 

Similarly, those who are more experienced in the language will be placed in the conversational group and able to practice at their level. This way, everyone who comes to the club is able to be in an environment that is best suited for them.

“I’m so excited,” McCarthy said. “The organization of it will be a lot better this year, so it’ll be more streamlined and clear, especially with these two different groups.”

All in all, the goal of ASL club is to provide all those who are interested with an opportunity to immerse themselves in Deaf culture while learning more about the community, club member Genevieve Hart ‘24 said.

“The deaf community is overlooked a lot of times, and it’s important that we’re aware of these groups and the things they go through so that we can know how to better our society,” Hart said. “The world was made for hearing people, not Deaf people, so all of these things that we do aren’t really with Deaf people in mind. Deaf Awareness Month is a part of breaking those barriers between hearing and Deaf people and coming together and creating [spaces] where Deaf people feel included.”

For those looking to partake in meetings, ASL club meets Wednesdays after school at the SC library.