Huntington Middle School 8th grade English teachers Robbin Nordsten and Jenna Bruner were looking to provide a meaningful, memorable experience for their students to acknowledge April being Autism Awareness Month. While teaching the novel ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ – a book which centers around autistic super sleuth Christopher Boone and his endeavor to solve the mystery of the dog Wellington’s death – Nordsten and Bruner thought it would provide an opportunity for their students to partner with the moderate to severely handicapped students on campus.
They spoke to their fellow teacher, Erika Carrillo, and her team about partnering with the Special Day SELPA class. SELPA is short for Specialized Education Local Plan Area, a program that seeks to provide a uniform learning environment for students with special needs.
Carrillo was thrilled, and stated that many of her students are non-verbal, but understand sign language. That’s when the real planning started.
The group began a daily exercise in teaching – and learning – ASL, or American Sign Language, to bridge the communication gap. Also involved in the program are instructional assistants Danny Torres, Lucy Magallanes, Gloria Martinez, Valerie Moreno, Mabel Ramos and Kimberly Miranda.
Starting with the ABCs, students in 8th grade English classes have now moved on to sign complete phrases. Many students are using these skills – after less than a month of practice – to have simple communication with their new friends.
Students assemble and practice sign language with teachers before the students – SELPA and standard – take over the class to teach words and phrases including “What’s your name?” “Nice to meet you, “Please stop,” “Help me,” “Help you?” “Restroom,” and “Hungry.” Everyone in the room seemed proficient with that one.
“It has been heartwarming to see our students empathetically respond to our newfound friends,” said Bruner.
“I remind my students every day that education should not be only about the grade, but about the journey of learning,” said Nordsten. “They are suddenly realizing this through ASL [American Sign Language] as a means to an end: communication with new friends.”
The experience has also been valuable for the students.
“Learning sign language is a great opportunity to communicate in a different way,” said 8th grader Margot Saldebar. “At school we don’t have a chance to communicate with our special friends, at least we never knew how to, but learning sign language allows us to do that. I believe this class will allow us students to be more interactive with other kids at school. Plus, it gives us a skill that we can use to interact with others for the rest of our lives.”
Margot didn’t have to wait long for the experience to pay off. Just four days after her initial interview, she informed The Tribune of a breakthrough.
“My friends and I were in the dugout at the baseball field at lunch and we saw some of our special friends; Robert, Kenneth, and Allen,” Margo said. “We signed ‘hello’ to them and they all came to sit down with us, for the entire lunch. We all had a blast. Robert was showing us some of the signs he was learning and hugging us. Kenneth was sitting and playing ball with us, and Allen was showing us some of his favorite songs. This experience made us feel like we were truly interacting with the kids for the first time.”
Luke Jain has found similar value.
“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we are able to enjoy right now at Huntington,” Luke said. “Not only are we able to learn sign language, a skill that will be very useful later in life, but we are also able to speak with a group that we are normally unable to talk to. The special students are not in our classes, they aren’t in our friend groups, and they aren’t in our social circles, but they are a part of our school. With the program that we are going through now, all students can feel like part of one school.”
“Being with the special students is a very special experience,” said Ben Guo. “This made me see in an entirely different perspective what it is like for our special friends on campus. This made me feel a little closer to them. I think having this class is not just about learning ASL, but also about us becoming closer to the special needs students.”
“I think that it’s great that we’re learning sign language to communicate with some of our special friends on campus,” said Tavis Chen. “Not a lot of people talked to them before, but I believe that more students have the opportunity now since they can understand sign language. In addition, learning sign language may also benefit us in the future whenever we encounter someone who communicates using sign language.”
Chloe Wilson said, “This lesson will enable me to interact with so many more wonderful people in the world, that I currently misunderstand. Already, countless ideas are buzzing around my head, things I could do with a new language under my belt.”
Holly Wong reported that since the program began, students have been more welcoming to those with special needs.
“Now, whenever they arrive to their special tables at lunch, we clap to let them know we care,” Holly said. “I’m so glad to see that this experience has prompted our class to appreciate their struggle and do something to help them. I’m ecstatic that we can continue learning.”
The concept has progressed far beyond the wildest dreams of the two educators.
“The students are really excited about learning sign language,” Bruner told The Tribune. “I’ve noticed a renewed enthusiasm for learning, which is unusual this late in the school year. When I walk across the quad I see kids signing to each other rather than looking down at their cell phones…how wonderful is that! I wouldn’t be surprised if an ASL club crops up here at HMS in the next couple years.”
Nordsten agrees.
“The more I talk to the kids, the more I realize it is beneficial to them and also beneficial to the entire campus,” she said. “The students’ level of compassion and empathy has grown. They really care about our special kids.”
