On Nov. 8, Wright State University hosted the bi-annual Deaf Community Resource Center, also called DCRC, Deaf Festival. This event occurs every two years as a day full of culture, community, knowledge and celebration of the Deaf community.
The event was held in WSU’s Apollo Room. As an introduction, each person received a complimentary bag and was welcomed to the event by multiple speakers. This included Barb Dunaway, a senior lecturer and American Sign Language, or ASL, interpreter at WSU, and the organizer of the event.
As attendees walked throughout the room, there were various vendors and booths selling different merchandise, as well as many different organizations designed for the Deaf community and to promote knowledge of ASL. There was an ASL workshop, a Children's ASL interpreter and entertainer and a magic show.
ASL 101 workshop
The workshop ASL 101 was put on by Deron Emmons and Arlon Nash, both of whom are members of the Deaf community and teachers of ASL.
The workshop included a brief history of ASL, the six characteristics of ASL, which of those characteristics is most used, the differences between speaking ASL and English and a discussion on the commonly asked question “can deaf people talk?”
Vendors and entertainment
There were a plethora of vendors and booths, many of which sold merchandise including t-shirts, jewelry and cups with various sayings written in ASL signs. Many of the booths were also run by different organizations in the Deaf community, including “Dayton Deaf Senior Citizens.” Also called DDSC, this is an organization that was created as an outlet for the Deaf community.
"We want to support the senior citizens and support other people who need it," a member of DDSC said, as she attended the DCRC Deaf Festival for a second time.
DDSC hosts events every other week that they are free to attend, including a variety of game nights and various holiday parties. In addition to vendors, there were a few other forms of entertainment included in the festival.
“When the Deaf club was shut down, there was not a lot of interaction for senior citizens. So, that's when this kind of got established, and we could start building up more support and more group interactions,” the President of DDSC said.
A few students taking ASL at Fairborn High School showcased their progress by signing various songs for the audience, including “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from Disney's “The Little Mermaid.”
There was also an ASL children's interpreter who walked around on stilts and made balloon animals. Also featured was a magic show in a separate room put on by “Magic Morgan and Liliana.”
Awareness for the Deaf community and ASL
The DCRC Deaf Festival is an event loved by many. This event promotes awareness towards not only the deaf community but also those who are hearing and want to learn more about ASL.
Many of the booths were promoting various ASL programs, and there were many interpreters in attendance.
“Growing up as deaf, people don’t speak your language. But here is somewhere you go that you’re the majority,” a student interpreter said. “For [those] in ASL classes, I think it’s great because they can see how deaf adults are interacting and how people fluent in sign language are.”
This event was also impactful for those simply interested in learning more and experiencing a new community and language.
“For those who don’t know sign language, I also think it’s good to see what exactly the community is without having to know the language,” the interpreter said in conclusion.
It is clear from the significant turnout and positive remarks that DCRC Deaf Festival is an event that has and will continue to bring awareness and a lasting impact on the Deaf community.
