Mercer Times

The College of New Jersey's School of Education recently hosted an event called ASL Fun Day, which brought together over 100 individuals from both the hearing and deaf communities. Participants included local high school students and members of the college’s Deaf Hearing Connection student group.

The event featured activities such as a deaf business fair, scavenger hunt, challenge room, ASL & Deaf Culture trivia, and board games like Guess Who? and Scattergories. These activities were designed to encourage interaction using American Sign Language exclusively.

“One of the best things about this event is that it was a barrier-free experience,” stated Heather Osowski, an adjunct professor at TCNJ’s Center for Sensory and Complex Disabilities. “We did not use interpreters to help translate, so it allowed everyone to put their knowledge of the language to practical use throughout the day.”

Participants came from four different high schools across the state. Deanna Perry, a teacher of the deaf at Mountain Lakes High School in New Jersey, praised the event: “The day was well planned out and a wonderful opportunity for hearing students learning ASL to meet and interact with deaf and hard-of-hearing peers.”

Melanie Phillips, coordinator for TCNJ's education program for the deaf and hard of hearing, expressed hopes for making this an annual event. She emphasized its importance in raising awareness about learning ASL not only for communication but also as beneficial to students' professional lives. “It’s usually an eye-opening moment for students to realize how knowing ASL can make the world a more accessible place no matter what their professional pursuits are,” she said.

For further details on TCNJ’s offerings related to education for the deaf and hard of hearing, interested parties are encouraged to visit their program's website.