SPOKANE, Wash. – At Ferris High School, a unique classroom experience is unfolding as students immerse themselves in American Sign Language (ASL) and deaf culture.
The ASL program is led by teacher Bethany Hultz, who lost her hearing over time. Part of her curriculum is to address misconceptions about the deaf community.
“The deaf community does not see deafness as a disability,” Hultz said. “The community sees it as a linguistic minority.”
Hultz’s journey into the deaf community wasn’t typical. Her family didn’t learn sign language when she lost her hearing, which was challenging.
“It would have helped, but I know they were grieving, and it was hard. There’s a lot that goes into it for families,” she said.
Despite this, Hultz naturally picked up lip reading and continued to communicate with her family.
“I wanted to communicate,” Hultz said. “And I had never seen anyone sign and I didn’t know that sign language was an option.”
In her classroom, the focus is solely on sign language.
“It’s the quietest and most interactive classroom,” Ferris Principal John O’Dell said. “For our deaf students who for their whole schooling have had to access a hearing environment, they’re now in a place where they’re in an ASL environment with their peers. It’s really a beautiful thing.”
Grace Oakley, a junior and president of the ASL Club, is among the students engaged in the program. When she started at Ferris, she knew nothing about ASL or deaf culture.
“Now as I’ve kind of over the two-year span, I have really kind of immersed myself into deaf culture and the deaf community,” Oakley said.
As Oakley herself loses her hearing, her story mirrors that of her teacher.
“We’re not really sure if in the future, I’m not going to be able to hear, be completely deaf, or if I’m going to be hard of hearing and have a little bit of my hearing left, we don’t know,” she explained.
Having Hultz as a role model has been significant for Grace.
“Hultz is amazing. She’s really introduced me into culture and experiences that I didn’t know about,” she said.
Grace’s enthusiasm for ASL has even inspired her family. “The kids in my family and they’re walking around and they’re seeing me sign and they’re saying ‘oh I want to do that’ ‘that looks so cool’… so it’s really cool to see the kids and younger kids in my family to be so excited about something that I myself am so excited about,” she shared.
Bethany Hultz finds pride in teaching and connecting with her identity through her work.
“I love teaching and…this has really helped me become more connected with who I am,” Hultz said.
