One Maine school gave a warm welcome to an incoming six-year-old deaf student by teaching all staff and students American Sign Language (ASL).
The students welcomed Morey Belanger to the Dayton Consolidated School in Ohio with handmade signs placed on the school’s walls before her expected arrival date so her peers could speak to her using sign language, KLFY reported.
WTMW reported that Morey, who would be the first deaf student to attend the school, had a welcome party on Friday with her classmates, along with a Disney princess who knew sign language.
“This is a special day for her [Morey], not only to celebrate her and all of her growth and achievement, but the school as well and how much sign language the students and the staff have learned,” teacher Shannon Cavanaugh said.
Educators in the field say Morey’s addition to the classroom has helped her classmates learn more about students with special needs.
“They have been phenomenal, makes me a little mushy. They probably know at least 15 signs, if not 20,” educator Debby Gallant said.