Workshop to discuss deaf culture
Sarah Pray uses sign language like most people use words.
But this Shelby Township senior uses this language for more than communication.
"What I like about signing is being able to express what I am trying to say in a different way and it is a lot of fun and it is a good way to be able to show respect for different cultures," she said.
Deaf culture is one of the many topics to be discussed during the American Sign Language Workshop from 9 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium and all the Lake Rooms upstairs.
CMU's American Sign Language Society is hosting the workshop. Admission is $6 presale and $8 at the door.
ASLS president and Gaylord senior Matthew Pearson said this event is an opportunity to raise awareness about deaf culture in the local area.
"There are a lot of people who encounter deaf individuals anywhere in our society, and it is nice to be able to communicate and have a familiarity with culture itself because it reaches a wide variety of people in different educational groups," Pearson said.
The workshop also highlights different protocols when interacting with a deaf person.
"They're going to get out of this workshop something that they can use immediately afterward with the knowledge they have from here," Pearson said.
The workshop consists of six sessions, and attendees will be able to learn about topics varying from beginning signing to what people should do if they meet a deaf person.
The workshop is not just to learn about sign language, Pray said, but understand that it is a real language.
"We want to show the diversity of the language and educate more people about that," Pray said. "We are working to change the misconceptions about sign language, deafness and the culture."
For more information, contact ASLsociety@gmail.com.
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