Dallas ISD recently concluded its Spark ASL multilingual sports camp, a program designed to teach American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture to students. The one-month summer initiative integrated physical activities, including volleyball, basketball, and swimming, with educational lessons on the history and experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
The curriculum focused on practical communication skills. Students practiced the alphabet, numbers, colors, and food vocabulary through games and interactive exercises. A popular activity involved a sign language version of the telephone game, where students passed messages down a line using signs.
Ashley Smith, a teacher of education for deaf students at K.B. Polk Center for the Academically Talented and Gifted, served as an instructor. She noted that teaching sign language at an early age helps students become more effective communicators and advocates. "It is easier to learn a language when you are young," Smith said.
Students participated in the camp to bridge communication gaps. Nirali Q., a fourth-grade student with hearing difficulty, described herself as a link between two worlds. "Most hearing people do not try to communicate with deaf people," she said. "There are two different sides, and I want to be the person who unites them."
Other students expressed interest in creating inclusive environments. Maiya L., a fourth-grader, stated she wanted to learn ASL to interpret conversations for those with hearing difficulties. Jimena D., a third-grader, enjoyed learning about famous deaf individuals, specifically baseball player William Hoy, who is credited with creating many hand signals still used in the sport.
The camp concluded with a presentation where students demonstrated their skills to friends and family. Smith expressed hope that the program will expand into an extracurricular activity at various schools during the academic year. She emphasized that deaf individuals do not view deafness as a problem to be solved, but rather as a community with its own methods of communication.
