VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Claire Bradshaw
Organizers of the ASL for ALL 5k hoped to promote a future shared-signing community in Olathe and beyond, where the deaf and non-deaf use American Sign Language to communicate together.
The run and walk took place Saturday morning at Frontier Trail Park in Olathe. The inaugural event was organized by the Kansas School for the Deaf Endowment Association and the Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture.
To the untrained ear, the 5K may have seemed toned down. Relying on one’s eyes showed there was a lot to be said and signed about the event’s purpose.
“When deaf individuals come into any place of business, like a restaurant, a store, any place in the community, they have the opportunity to expand their connections in the community and be able to sign in all areas for communication purposes,” said Luanne Barron, the superintendent for the Kansas School for the Deaf.
Barron highlighted that Olathe and the surrounding areas have one of the largest ASL and deaf communities in the country. The effort to promote ASL has extended into the classroom, with students in the Olathe School District having the opportunity to take ASL courses.
Jared Mnich teaches ASL at Olathe Northwest High School. He brought some of his students out Saturday to immerse them into the ASL community they have learned so much about.
“Even though we take time and take lessons in class. So much of it is just talking to each other and communicating,” ASL student Ghana Vhishtawi said.
“It's easier for hearing individuals to learn American Sign Language than for deaf individuals to learn how to read lips or use spoken English. You can do it. If high school teenagers can take an ASL class, then the broader community can as well,” Mnich said.
ASL may intimidate first-time learners, but it makes all the difference for the people who use it every day.
“We are people, too. And we are fully capable of doing anything that non-deaf people can do. And so it’s nice to have that collaboration,” ASL user Sarah Goure said.
If you are interested in taking an ASL course, the Kansas School for the Deaf has resources for families and communities online.
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