He Wrote His Name for the First Time!!

Today was an excitable day when Collins, our 14-year-old deaf student traced over the dotted lines in his beginning writing lesson. His friend, Kelvin beamed so broadly with a big grin as he watched his friend traced each letter until it formed words. Then I gave him a blank sheet to rewrite the sentences. Next, I taught him to sign what he had written. Afterwards, Collins with his deep dimpled grin sat in amazement looking at what he had done. His facial expression was saying, “I can’t believe it!” This was his first time writing something on paper and he wrote his name.
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​The two boys had returned for their fourth Sign Language class and to play another round of the game, UNO for practicing their colors and numbers. Today, I surprised them by putting pencils in their hands to play a series of the Tic Tac Toe game, making X’s and O’s. It was then that I thought to try to see if Collins could hold a pencil correctly to write. After a few practices, he seemed ready and anxious to do more. That’s when I gave it a try with him tracing letters to form words.  In between rounds of the UNO game, I would pause to have him write another sentence.  By the time class was finished, Collins had written a short paragraph of his class experience. Plus, we practiced each sentence until he understood the meaning of what he was signing.
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Because he experienced his hearing loss as an older toddler, he had acquired his mother tongue, Bemba. In a couple of lesson, he is already learning Zambian Sign Language. Today, not only did Collins learned to write, but he is also learning English, the formal language in Zambia. He will be a multi-lingual student in Zambia Deaf Vision’s program. Before class ended today, I gestured to him asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” He responded in Bemba with a big grin, “Doctor.”  Please continue to follow Collins’ story along with me on this Zambian journey of “Giving the Gift of Language,” to deaf youth without language.

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