Griffith High School’s American Sign Language (ASL) students took a field trip on November 1st to the Deaf Nation Expo.
Griffith’s ASL teacher, Jason Maloney, planned a field trip for his classes to visit the Deaf Nation Expo held at University Sports Complex in Bedford Park, Illinois. The field trip was offered to both the ASL club members and the ASL course students, with a total of 16 students that attended.
The location was chosen based on its ability to provide a unique and real-world experience that would be difficult to replicate in a classroom. Students who attended were able to use the skills they’ve learned in class to help them communicate with deaf vendors who were at the expo. Communicating with these vendors using ASL provided them to experience deaf culture firsthand.
Even though sign language is one of the most common ways of communication for deaf individuals, the expo offered many other forms of communication such as technology and body language. People can also use these two forms of communication when talking to a deaf person. During the field trip, technology was offered to help aid deaf people. “I learned about how there’s different methods of communication besides just ASL,” said sophomore Harlee Spivak.
Maloney planned this trip hoping it would deepen students’ respect for the deaf community. Students experienced a bit of culture shock before realizing deaf people are confident in their forms of communication. Confidence shown by others caused students to become more confident in their own skills and helped motivate them improve their signing.
A lot went into planning the trip. Along with coordinating transportation and sending out permission slips, they also had to recruit interpreters. Students also were provided with pre- and post-discussion questions to help students reflect on their expectations and experiences. A scavenger hunt was also set up to help encourage students to engage with exhibitors and help them practice ASL in a more appealing way.
The trip ended up being a huge success, and students seemed more confident in their skills. Maloney said that seeing students’ personal growth and excitement after the event felt incredibly rewarding.
“This kind of experience reminds us that learning ASL isn’t just about language; it’s about understanding people and culture,” said Maloney.
