The idea came from Ms. Charowsky, who was working with a student who didn't verbally communicate, had fluctuating hearing loss, and was entering Ms. Gschwend's room at the beginning of the school year. Ms. Charowsky approached Ms. Gschwend about the possibility of teaching the other students in her class a few signs. The idea was approved by administration from CIU 20 and Pleasant Valley and has positively impacted communication for everyone involved.
Ms. Charowsky is pleasantly surprised by how the introduction of sign language has helped the students flourish, "In my mind it was going to be just a few signs and the kids just really took off and they loved to learn the signs and wanted to learn more. In addition to the alphabet and songs, they probably know well over one hundred signs. On top of that, my student is now voicing many words."
Ms. Gschwend concurs that sign language in her classroom has helped the students and staff, "The growth they've made has been amazing...signing the words helps with de-escalation sometimes because it's less intimidating and demanding than raising your voice or saying the same thing out loud numerous times. It's less disruptive when students ask to do simple tasks like using the restroom. For students who are struggling with reading, using the associated signs with words has helped engage different ways of thinking to remember the words."
The benefits of the students learning sign language goes beyond the walls of the traditional classroom, Ms. Gschwend notes that "I've had many emails from parents thanking me that the sign language has helped with communication at home as well. This has given my students a sense of pride and it's something they have taught their families, other students, and staff throughout the school."
Ms. Charowsky sees the value in sign language for all students, "I think that sign language is such an amazing language, not only for deaf and hard-of-hearing kids, but for kids that have communication delays or need an alternative way to communicate."