THE OPPORTUNITY AT HAND This article, From Isolation to Inclusion: An Educator’s Journey in Raising an Adopted Special Needs Child invites educators, families, and practitioners to imagine a different reality. What if sign language were integrated as a universal design for whole school communication? Sign language has proven to be an incredibly effective tool for hearing children with varying communication needs. Language access is a fundamental right. Not only can sign language be a critical lifeline for Deaf and hard of hearing chil- dren and youth, it can open doors for disabled and non disabled students in mainstream school environments. Research shows that bilingualism in general has cognitive and linguistic benefits for children. The use of sign language benefits not only children who are Deaf or hard of hearing. As the popularity of signing with infants continues to climb, studies show that early exposure to sign language leads to increased emotional regulation, strengthens cognitive processing, and enhances communica- tion for preverbal children. When classrooms embrace signing as a shared language, Deaf and hard of hearing students experience a greater sense of belonging, and their hearing non-disabled peers gain valuable communication skills. In mainstream schools — where 95% of Deaf and hard of hearing students learn alongside hearing peers—basic ASL skills among teachers and classmates could make mainstream schools truly inclusive. Deaf and hard of hearing students could chat with their peers before, between, and after school. They could communicate more easily with others during extra curricular activities. They would be able to communicate with peers without having to bring an adult inter- preter into the conversation. There are several additional ways in which sign language could be the great equalizer for many types of students. Sign language could be a way for students who struggle with speech delays or have other communication challenges due to various disabilities to communicate more freely with their peers and school personnel. Immigrant students who come to a school not knowing the norms and language of the dominant majority could find common ground without fear of being ostracized because of their accent. Imagine the possibilities if students and staff who depend on or would benefit from sign language for communication could have access to a community of peers and adults with whom they could interact easily and directly? What if we could …?
WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY PARENTS My mom taught me and showed me by example my whole life that if you can do something to make someone else’s life a little better, you do it. Sometimes you might even have to give up something in order to make a difference for someone else, but in the long run, if you are able to do so, it’s worth it on many levels. Here are a few things about me that put me in a position to do something to make a difference: 1. I have taught American Sign Language for 35 years. I was the director of the American Sign Language-English Trans- lation and Interpreting Studies program at Palomar College for 23 years. Because I got my first, second, and third inter- preting contract positions in colleges and universities, I was able to retire early in 2021 and do something different with my time, financial resources, and effort. 2. I have graduate and doctoral degrees in teaching and learning. I have expertise in curriculum development, first and second language acquisition, and educational interpreting. My research on the work and decisions of K-12 interpreting has been published in full by Gallaudet University Press and a chapter published by Routledge. I also had the honor of writing a chapter on the complexity of competing demands for visual attention in interpreted classrooms in a book on ethical considerations in education of Deaf or hard of hearing students (Christensen, 2011). 3. I have personal experience on the consequences for Deaf and hard of hearing children who are not immersed in a language rich environment during their formative years. I experienced and observed the consequences of that reality first hand. 4. I have strong ties to and relationships with Deaf friends, colleagues, mentors, family members, and professionals who support me and my efforts. I recognize that I am an ally, but I will never know what it is to be Deaf. I am grateful to the Deaf community for my academic degrees, profes- sional opportunities and achievements, and even my family. I will work as hard as I can to use my position, exper- tise, and efforts to make a difference. ASL FLURRY: A TECH AND MEDIA PLATFORM CREATING HIGH QUALITY SIGN LANGUAGE VIDEO FOR EDUCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL NEEDS During three decades of teaching, presenting, and publishing, I kept asking myself the same question… When would Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur respond to the growing demand for learning sign language? American Sign Language is the third most commonly studied language in the US and Canada.
February / March, 2026 | https://www.closingthegap.com/benefits-of-membership/ 31 Closing The Gap © 2026 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
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