The Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology will host a week of events in conjunction with Deaf Awareness Week, which is observed from Sept. 19-25.
Ann Gilger, an assistant professor in the department and anAmerican Sign Language instructor, shared that ETSU’s Deaf Awareness Week will kick off early with a tailgate party before the home football game against Furman University on Sept. 17.
The pre-game tailgate will be hosted by the American Sign Language Honor Society and is set to begin at 12 p.m. in Lot A.
Students who attend the tailgate will receive free food, as well as a silver and gold awareness ribbon, which is the official ribbon of Deaf Awareness Week.
On Monday, Sept. 19, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., the department will set up various stations at the Cave in the Culp Center for an event called “Deaf Deaf World.”
“Deaf Deaf World” promotes interaction without speaking, by only allowing participants to communicate through sign or gestures while engaging in the games set up at each station.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the department will host its monthly Deaf Chat from 5-7 p.m. in the Sherrod Library.
During a Deaf Chat, attendees interact using sign language and play various party games. There will also be refreshments provided.
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, there will be a recruiting booth set up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Culp food court where students can meet some of the ASL faculty.
The event proposed for Thursday, Sept. 22, is a Lunch and Learn with interpreters, but is pending approval from the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
The final event on Friday, Sept. 23, will be a screening of the movie “CODA” in the Martha Street Auditorium. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the showing will start at 7 p.m. Attendees are urged to bring canned goods to donate to the food pantry.
For students currently in the ASL program, Gilger hopes that participating in Deaf Awareness Week will not only give them a better understanding of deafness, but also “give them a different experience with deaf people not in a classroom setting.”
Gilger also hopes that Deaf Awareness Week will encourage others to view deafness outside of the typical clinical perspective, an idea she promotes in her classes.
For more information on future events, check out @etsu_aslhs on Instagram.
