durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 28 Huge Selection of oeM RecYcleD Auto PARtS thank You for Voting us #1 in Durham Region for Auto wrecking/Recycling 905-434-4566 toll free: 1-800-481-7272 1604 Baseline Road west courtice sales@domsauto.com • domsauto.com Buy any 3+ qualifying kitchen appliances, Buy any 2 qualifying kitchen appliances, SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $100* SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $300* MARCH 31-APRIL 27, 2022 Paddy's Market It's Worth the Drive to Hampton! 2212 TAUNTON ROAD, HAMPTON APPLIANCE WAREHOUSE: 905-263-8369 • 1-800-798-5502 www.PaddysMarket.ca THANK YOU FOR VOTING US DURHAM REGION'S BEST OF THE DIAMONDS 2021 Appliance Repair | Appliance Store | BBQ Centre Kim Reid has been an American sign language (ASL) instructor for more than 30 years. Over the decades, she has taught hearing families to communicate with deaf children, introduced Scouts and Brownies to sign language and taught at colleges. This winter marked the first time she has taught ASL to high school students, as part of a class they're taking. Reid recently spent a series of evenings working with students in the Health and Wellness Specialist High Skills Major program at Dunbarton High School and Pine Ridge Secondary School. For students who want to one day work in health care, she says, ASL is an important skill. "For years, the deaf community has been advocating for better access for deaf people to health care," Reid says. Students in the Health and Wellness Specialist High Skills Major are required to complete certifications such as CPR and standard First Aid. When a Dunbarton student who is a member of the deaf community proposed an ASL certification, teacher James Blair was on board. In fact, he would like to see ASL become a mandatory part of the health and wellness program. "I think that's unbelievably important," Blair says. Sign language is on the Ministry of Education's radar too. In 2021, the province announced plans to offer for-credit high school courses in ASL using a ministry-developed curriculum. The province has also released a curriculum for Langue des signes québécoise. "One of the challenges for hearing people learning ASL is not hearing a voice and having to use their eyes for receiving messages and hands, body and facial expression to communicate expressively," Reid says. "The structure is not the same as English and they need to learn how to think in ASL." Adam Barbary, a Grade 12 student at Dunbarton, says learning some ASL made him more aware of the barriers people who are hearing impaired encounter in the community. "I've ... wanted to learn it for a very long time now because anyone can find themselves in a situation where they would need to communicate with someone who can't hear them," Barbary says. Other Dunbarton and Pine Ridge stu- dents say they want to learn ASL to prepare for a career in health care or to better communicate with a friend or family member who is hearing impaired. 'UNBELIEVABLY IMPORTANT' CHANCE FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS Mackenzie Ripley takes part in an online class in American sign language. Students in the Health and Wellness High Skills Specialist Major program at Dunbarton High School and Pine Ridge Secondary School recently wrapped up a course that taught them some ASL basics. DDSB photo