ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – There’s a new museum telling the story of the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf. It’s located inside the school. Students say it’s a place that reminds them of all their possibilities.
At the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, communication may look different than at many other schools, but it is rich in meaning and expression.
“This school offers students the opportunity to have a similar experience to their hearing peers where they don’t feel isolated. They feel connected,” said Superintendent J. Jack Johnson.
Many of the students said they are used to people defining their hearing problems as limitations rather than strengths. Teachers tell students a different story. The museum tells a different story.
“When people look at deaf people, they see the deficit: they have a hearing loss. But we see deafness as an asset for deaf people. They are part of a culture with a diverse range of people around the world. We don’t see ourselves as weak or incapable, we are capable. We may have difficulty hearing, but we have our own language. We have our own culture and we have our own community that we belong to,” Johnson said.
The museum tells the stories of students who came to this school years before. Students who had achieved great things and refused to fit into the box society would have put them in. Students who wanted to be heard and seen for who they are.
“When they come to school, they feel this sense of connection and this museum reinforces that and gives them hope that they can be successful. They can be part of the larger deaf community. This should give them a sense of pride and self-worth,” Johnson said.
The museum was made possible through the Georgia United Credit Union School Crashers program. Johnson applied for the grant to create the museum space.
The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf was one of the six schools selected.
“This is not like any other crash we’ve had before,” said Kim Wall of the Georgia United Foundation. School crashers.
The School Crashers program helps schools remodel, add space, or start and finish projects that the school budget may not allow.
“Every student has lived through this space and been able to build a connection with past generations,” Wall said.
Students said the museum allows them to see possibilities rather than limitations in the world and in themselves.
“I just have to say that this space has changed, right? We never used to celebrate our history, and now we have this. We can feel safe here,” said Alyssa Chastain, a student.
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