Helen Keller Services brought sign language into a second grade classroom on Long Island today.
James Jensen, a Deaf and Low-Vision participant at Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) in Port Washington, visited second-grade students at Manorhaven Elementary School for a holiday read-aloud.
Second grade students sat and watched James use American Sign Language (ASL) to read the book, while his teacher, Sarah Greco, read the book aloud.
James, 42, from Des Moines, Iowa, has been a student at HKNC since September, learning life and job skills as part of the programs offered to Deaf, Blind and Low Vision individuals there. The read along event was created to demonstrate to students that a person can be both Deaf and blind/low vision and still have the ability to read.
“He taught us some of the signs of the animals before we started and so the children were able to do some signs,” said Lorraine Bellmann, second grade teacher at Manorhaven Elementary. “It’s really to get the children and their parents excited to read, both in an out of school.”
About Helen Keller Services:
Helen Keller Services’ mission is to enable individuals who are blind, deaf-blind and/or have combined hearing-vision loss to live, work and thrive in their community of choice. HKS offers services and programs through two divisions: Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. For more information, please visit www.helenkeller.org. Follow HKS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.