Finally! At last! Eureka! These words and phrases might seem random, but each has a similar meaning. In American Sign Language (ASL), these are celebratory words translated to the phrase “PAH.”
Post graduation there are not many education opportunities for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students after graduation and beyond. However, this year there is a fundraising function working to revise this.
Northview PAH is a college and career fair with a goal of providing the deaf, hard of hearing and ASL community with more guidance and opportunities for future school plans whether it’s college or work. They have been hosting fundraisers at The Score, Bud & Stanleys and Freddys, but they are anticipating their main event on May 19.
The PAH will be a lively afternoon at the high school full of different activities like face painting, games, crafts and photos. These will be enjoyable for any age group, and there will even be a live performance from Sean Forbes, a deaf rapper from Detroit. There will be more than 20 colleges that offer ASL programs from around the nation lined up to give students more insight and options for their future.
The previous PAH fundraisers at restaurants have been helping to raise money, where other students, families, and other Northview community members are donating.
Marie Deregnaucourt has been the head coordinator for PAH and an ASL teacher at the high school. She is looking forward to being able to provide more awareness to the DHH community by guiding them into a direction of what they want to do after they graduate.
“We noticed that after high school, many kids were wondering how they can use their ASL skills and where to even start looking,” Deregnaucourt said. “I was doing projects where students would look up different opportunities for learning ASL but they were still having a hard time finding resources, so that is what initially inspired [PAH].”
Deregnaucourt hopes for a large following on PAH because it will lead to more inclusivity and ways for students to plan ahead.
“We are trying to build [PAH] into a big event where people from all over the state of Michigan can come to our exposition for resources or anything that they need, want, or have curiosity about,” Deregnaucourt said.
PAH has been in the making for over a year now and has required a lot of planning, with numerous people, colleges and businesses involved. Several ASL and deaf students have contributed as well.
Senior Evan Arnold has been involved in ASL since about fifth grade and is looking forward to not only spreading awareness to the community but also bridging any gaps between hearing and deaf students.
“I think it’s really important because it’s necessary for the deaf and ASL community to interact and work together,” Arnold said. “This event will do a great job bringing those communities together. Grand Rapids is really good with interpreters and stuff but [PAH] will hopefully make people more interested in ASL and wanna use it more because there is a huge deaf and hard of hearing population in Grand Rapids.”
PAH having a successful turnout will be greatly beneficial towards students who are seeking a future in ASL or any occupation involving the language because . Arnold was inspired to participate in PAH due to a lack of inclusivity in college choices last year.
“Last year I went to a college fair and there were only two schools that offered ASL programs,” Arnold said. “We have been planning this event so students don’t have to do as much of the work on their own and they can see how many schools offer programs, even if they don’t wanna go to college [they can learn] how they could get into the workplace and use those skills that they got in high school.”
Senior ASL student McKenna Thompson has also helped to put PAH together. Despite having not been involved in the process for a long time, she is glad to provide more students with convenience to their future.
“[The main goal is] making sure that [the deaf community] knows that they have a place to go to and they know that they can work anywhere, even if they are deaf,” Thompson said.
Deregnacaurt and everyone involved in PAH hopes that it has an influence on the level of inclusivity for the deaf and ASL student population. The event will benefit deaf students, people immersed in ASL, and overall any students that have an interest in the ASL field.
“I am excited to see people from all walks of life and all hearing statuses coming together to celebrate one day of making new friendships, making resources and building connections,” Deregnaucourt said.
