This month, 6th grade Language Arts class in Ada-Borup-West read The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. After reading the story in class, students were shown several support videos that explained braille, braille machines, Pro-tactile Signing, and several interesting facts about Helen Keller. To stimulate the experience of a person who is DeafBlind, the students wore blindfolds and earplugs. They were directed by others to complete an activity and were able to experience a small sampling of the challenges faced by people who are DeafBlind. An ABW student who is Deaf was able to fingerspell letters into the hands of her peers to simulate how Helen learned language.
Helen Keller was an amazing woman, with incredible intelligence and insight. The class was grateful to have the opportunity to learn about the challenges others have faced and how they persevered to do great things. This is an awesome example of the constant collaboration between ASEC Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Krystal Anderson, Special Education Teacher Tyelyn Erickson, and 6th grade LA Teacher Annie Goldader. Way to go, team!