In order to increase awareness of deaf culture and identity, senior Maryjo Blunk founded the Sign Language Club and took the responsibility of teaching the members.

“I want to help people be more comfortable talking to deaf people,” Blunk said. “It’s always awkward trying to talk to different people, but I want to help people get used to it.”

Growing up with two deaf parents and being deaf herself, Blunk knows the stereotypes associated with being deaf. Her club aims to prevent these stereotypes and educate people about deaf culture. According to Blunk, deaf people have to make slight adjustments to meet the needs of the hearing world. However, because of new technology, adapting has become easier.

“It’s a good idea for hearing people to understand how deaf culture works. There’s not that many differences. The club helps teach about deaf culture and how sign language works,” Blunk said.

Senior Yvonne Muren agreed, adding that students who participate in the club have a chance to recognize the diversity at Central. Because of her early friendship with Blunk in elementary school, Muren experienced firsthand the small differences between the hearing and deaf culture.

“I believe it’s important for students to be aware of deaf culture because it shows that the world we’re used to seeing isn’t the only one that exists,” Muren said. “It prevents students from having a narrow perspective and the future needs the open mindedness so that everyone can be unique and different while coexisting with one another.”

Every week, Blunk reviews what was taught at the previous meeting, then works with the basics of signing. Although she was initially concerned about teaching new people, Blunk said that teaching gets easier each week. According to Blunk, the best part of teaching is knowing that her students are motivated to learn.

“There are a lot of fun signs [to learn]. My favorite part is the reaction you get when they learn a sign that they thought looked weird. The looks on their faces makes it all worth it,” Blunk said.

Just like any other language, members sometimes struggle with remembering new signs. Senior April Xu said that her biggest challenge with signing is becoming confused when signs look similar.

“In my opinion, learning sign language is not that different from learning any other language. It’s about the same difficulty level as learning Spanish, French, German, English, Latin, etc.,” Xu said.  “It can be challenging, but with practice and experience, anyone can learn sign language.”

The club meets every Tuesday in room 928. Muren encourages all students to try to take part in this club because it gives a chance for students to combine cultures.

“Don’t let your fears prevent you from learning something new,” Muren said.

If everything goes according to her plan, Blunk hopes that her students will be able to have members be fluent enough in sign language to have a full conversation with someone who is deaf.

“Knowing sign language is like riding a bike. You never know when you’ll use it,” Blunk said. “Once you learn it, you’ll never forget it.”