Thomas said since the beginning of the year, she and her ASL3 class discussed how they could reach out to the deaf community and bring more awareness to their lack of accessibility and inclusive needs. That is when they came up with the plan to perform the National Anthem, Thomas explained.

“My students had an assignment to sign the National Anthem earlier this year,” Thomas said. “From these videos, we created our own interpretation of the National Anthem. They have asked me many times about the follow up of these plans. My students are thrilled to showcase their skills and their love of this language.”

Thomas said that her students will also be performing at each home football game. She said they will get to showcase their hard work as well as practice their signing skills in public.

“With this being the first time they will be publicly signing with non-signers, they are excited and nervous,” Thomas said. “This, however, is a great opportunity to have them learn how to sign in front of others, especially for those who will become certified interpreters.”

Thomas said that all of her ASL students have worked on inclusivity this year, despite the ongoing pandemic. She said they demonstrate the SERVE model every single day.

“They are volunteering their time to encourage others to be respectful and become more engaged with the deaf community,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that many of her students have expressed that they want to become certified interpreters. She said she is amazed by each of her students, describing them as talented and hard-working.

“I couldn't be more proud of this group of students,” Thomas said. “They work diligently every day to learn as much ASL as possible. They want to be a part of the deaf community as much as possible. With deaf events canceled due to COVID-19, they have only been signing in class or with one another on their own. These kids give up so much of their time willingly to do as much as they can to sign with others and create new friendships with deaf community members.”