“I think of not only my own kids but all the other parents getting this same level of commitment and support in EPS,” said Michael. Because Morgan has spent her entire academic career in EPS, with many of the same students in her classes, most don’t notice her interpreter or other accommodations anymore. In the instances where another student has asked her interpreter a question about her, the interpreter always directs that student to ask Morgan themselves. “Some people at school know why I have an interpreter, other people are curious and ask questions and some people want to know more sign language,” said Morgan. Before the pandemic, one of Morgan’s teachers invited her to start an ASL class for other students. “The most important thing was that Ms. Stevenson asked me to teach the class; it’s neat that they acknowledge me with a disability,” said Morgan. Clay self-admittedly doesn’t rely on his interpreter as much as his sister, both because his hearing loss is not as profound and because he is sometimes self-conscious. Clay went through a period where he was removing his hearing aids once at school and not interacting with his interpreter at all. “People were making fun of me,” said Clay, who worked up the courage after several semesters to stand up to the bullies. “They rethought it and walked away. Over time people started being nicer. But I still lived through that pain of being made fun of.” Rachel Sell, special education teacher consultant with EPS, said kids who have any equipment or qualities that make them visibly different
THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY. BY CAROLINE ELIZA PHOTOGRAPHY.
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Sept 24 th - Oct 17 th Friday-Saturday 10am-6pm Sunday 1pm -6pm All proceeds go to Wings Special Needs Community 405.242.4646 • wingsok.org 13700 N. Eastern Ave, Edmond
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56 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / SEPT-OCT 2021
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