Deaf Awareness Week underway, continues until Thursday

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Halfway through Deaf Awareness Week, its volunteers are still full of enthusiasm for the events to come.

Tuesday night’s event, “Deaf World,” was held in the Rotunda and designed to shed a new light on the deaf world by putting people into various situations in which they could not speak.

“It was a very eye opening — and ear opening — experience,” said Allen Park sophomore Mattina Rosinksi.

On Monday night there was a showing of “The Legend of the Mountain Man,” an American Sign Language film.

“We had to go get a second movie because there were so many people,” said Saginaw junior Kaila Trombley.

Deaf Awareness Week is an annual celebration put on by the deaf program. It was recognized on the national level last week. Events started on Monday and will conclude on Thursday.

Wednesday’s events include a “silent lunch” with Kendra Miller and “deaf games” with the ASL Society. The lunch will begin at noon and be held on the lawn between the Health Professions Building and Finch Fieldhouse. The deaf games will start at 7 p.m. and be held at the Indoor Athletic Complex.

The ASL Society is a Registered Student Organization devoted to ASL and deaf culture.

The closing event on Thursday is titled “ASL Rocks!” and it involves deaf people signing their favorite songs, jokes and stories.

“It allows deaf people to see the poetry,” said Kevin Cramer, who lead Tuesday night’s function.

Cramer has been an ASL instructor for eight years and is now an instructor at CMU. He has been involved with Deaf Awareness week for almost as long.

“When you have something of value, you want other people to appreciate it. I value deaf culture,” Cramer said.

The motto for the week is working to change the misconception that deafness is a disability, Trombley said.

“We are trying to bring a new light to the deaf world,” said Nicole Ruth, a Middleton junior.

Trombley and Ruth are members of the event board that helps run the events this week. Ruth has been involved with Deaf Awareness Week since she was a freshman.

“Deaf culture is my passion,” Ruth said.