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Mother Father Deaf Day aids understanding

Local church offers first Clark County commemoration of event established  to honor members of the deaf community.

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By Bridgette Outten, Staff Writer 11:18 PM Sunday, April 26, 2009

Arlon Nash doesn’t believe that people who can hear should try to fix deaf people. Instead, they should try to understand the deaf community.

“What we’re trying to do is (help) hearing-people understand the culture and the language,” Arlon Nash, who is deaf, explained through an interpreter.

Nash, American Sign Language teacher at Springfield High School, was one of the organizers of a Mother Father Deaf Day celebration at Convenant Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 26.

According to the church’s Web site, Mother Father Deaf Day was established in 1996 by the organization Children of Deaf Adults International to be commemorated each year on the last Sunday in April.

Recognizing the day for the first time in Clark County was the idea of Marianna Stewart, wife of Covenant’s pastor, the Rev. Raymond Stewart, and a member of the Clark County deaf community.

“It was my dream to do this,” said Stewart, whose parents and brother were deaf. “It is such a special legacy to be able to share.”

The deaf community group has been in existence for more than a year and meets monthly. It presented a worship service to commemorate the day at Covenant. The program included interpreters and a signing choir of Springfield High and Sinclair Community College students.

About 200 people, hearing and deaf, attended the program. A potluck followed.

Springfield High signer Dominick Glanton, 16, thought the event was a good step toward informing others about the deaf community.

“It lets them know what we’re about,” said Glanton, whose mother is deaf. “It lets them know that we’re here.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.

»Learn more about American Sign Language  www.deafterp.com www.dcrohio.com

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