Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, October 10,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
FROM 1A
Language
“I used to live in the
apartments right behind
Home Depot — Dawson
Forest — and sometimes
I felt isolated myself,”
Leitson said. “I didn’t
feel like there was anyone
else who knew sign lan
guage.”
Leitson has taught sign
language in Gainesville
and Cumming for the past
year, but it’s been a lan
guage he’s known since
birth having had deaf
paternal grandparents and
both parents studying and
teaching sign language.
“At first I seemed like
a normal baby but after a
while (my parents)
noticed I wouldn’t
respond at distances,”
Leitson said. “They had
my hearing checked and I
had hearing loss.”
Throughout his life,
Leitson learned sign lan
guage to communicate
with his family and over
come his hearing loss, but
in the past few years he
has become more aware
of the deaf community
and wanted to find a way
to help.
He sees ASL North
Georgia as a way to bring
two communities — the
hearing world and the
deaf world — together.
“It bridges the commu
nity. It brings out the
community...to learn
sign language, because
that way deaf people who
just happen to live here
by themselves know that
there other people trying
to learn to communicate
with them,” Leitson said.
While there are more
sign language groups
closer to Atlanta,
Holloway and Leitson
were surprised that the
closest meet ups posted
on deafcoffee.com, a
prominent website used
to post sign language
meetups, were located in
Valdosta, Oglethorpe and
Kennesaw, which still
Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Brittany Croft, a paraprofessional at Robinson Elementary, practices her sign
ing skills during the first meet up for the ASL North Georgia group Oct. 6.
weren’t close enough to
suit the needs of the north
Georgia community.
“There’s not a lot of
meet ups like this where I
live yet in the Gainesville
area,” said Gainesville
native Wendy Goldman.
“This is an opportunity
for me to do everything:
meet up, make friends,
learn, get the experience
and find a way to make a
difference in their world.”
Goldman, who has
been teaching herself sign
language for 30 years,
jumped on the opportuni
ty to join ASL North
Georgia for their first
meeting and plans to
attend each month.
“I’ve fallen in love with
the culture and want to
become a bridge from the
hearing world to the deaf
world,” said Goldman.
“With the deaf culture,
the world is closed off to
the deaf and so when
there is an opportunity to
meet new friends, people
that speak their own lan
guage, it’s a big deal.”
Goldman has been
inspired to help bridge the
deaf world to the hearing
world after reading Helen
Keller’s story in the fourth
grade. She wants to be an
interpreter and volunteers
to sign during worship at
her church.
“My heart is saying I
want to be a bridge
between hearing parents
and deaf children but
wherever God sends me
I’ll go. I feel like it’s a
spiritual calling,”
Goldman said.
For Goldman, being
part of ASL North
Georgia was everything
she thought it would be: a
place to make new friends
and continue her passion
to help others.
“Where do you find a
group of strangers from
ages nine to 80? Where
do you find a group of
strangers that can come
together and have some
thing in common,” she
said. “I didn’t even have a
chance to say my name
and I had 12 friends just
like that. It’s beautiful.”
Holloway said that the
group is even gaining
momentum and inspiring
local students at
Robinson Elementary
School as her son has
begun teaching his
friends sign language.
“During lunch when
the music comes on we
have to be quiet so I sign
to my friends so they can
understand me so we can
chat while the music’s
on,” William Holloway
said.
The fourth grader is
teaching six of his friends
that sit at his table some
of his favorite signs,
including the signs for
pineapple, popcorn,
orange and blue.
“It’s helpful if your par
ents are asleep and you
don’t want to wake
them,” he said, giggling.
Brittany Croft, a kin
dergarten paraprofession
al at RES, is in the lunch
room during William’s
lunch and practices sign
language with him every
day as well.
“It’s awesome that we
can still talk,” said Croft
as she smiled at William.
Croft is also one of
Leitson’s students who
started studying sign lan
guage at the same time as
Holloway.
“I like being able to
talk to people in a differ
ent way,” Croft said. “I
think everybody should
come out and try to learn
something.”
Anyone who is interest
ed in learning sign lan
guage, including those
who have never signed
before, are welcome and
encouraged to join the
group, Leitson said.
“We’ll be happy to
teach them,” Leitson said.
“All skill levels and all
abilities are welcome.”
ASL North Georgia
plans to meet at Panera
Bread off Ga. 400 from
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the
first Saturday of every
month, but depending on
interest might hold more
frequent meetups.
The meetups are now
listed on deafcoffee.com
and updates on meet up
times can be found on the
ASL North Georgia
Lacebook group.
“This is just hopefully
the first of many,”
Holloway said.
TT
2
Voting Schedule
For the General Election
of November 6. 2018
Voter Registration Deadline:
October 9th (new and changes)
Advance Voting:
Oct 15 - Nov 02, 2018 - Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm
** Saturday - Oct 27, 2018 - 9am to 4pm
At Board of Elections office - 96 Academy Ave
- Note: Absentee by mail ballot applications for elderly/disabled/military need to be
requested at the first of each election year, in order to receive ballots, by mail, for
the remainder of that year.
All Polls will be open Election Day from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
1. ) WEST precinct - at Fire Station #6 on Flubbard Rd
2. ) CENTRAL precinct - at Board of Elections office, 96 Academy Avenue
3. ) EAST precinct - at Fire Station #2 on Liberty Drive (next to Tractor Supply)
If in question about your voting location, and/or to view a sample ballot you may visit
“My Voter Page” @ http://www.mvp.sos.aa.gov/MVP/mvp or call the Elections &
Registration office at 706-344-3640
~ It is strongly advised to familiarize yourself with a ’sample ballot. There are several
offices for vote. All is located on our website and in the office for voter convenience.
(No voting on Monday prior to all elections).
"Saturday voting is the same day as the Mountain Moonshine Festival. Plan accordingly.
:
:
Nelson
TRACTOR COMPANY, INC.
EXPERIENCE THE
292 Interstate South Dr.,
Jasper, GA.
678-454-2900
www.nelsontractorco.com
See your tax advisor for details. Learn more at KubotaUSA.com.
’Limitations under Section 179 may apply. See a qualified tax professional for advice on your specific situation. AB1005-04-141071-3
RIDE IT OFF THE LOT.
•WRITE IT OFF YOURTAXES
, —
j
i
Kubota
RIDE IT OFF
Kubota
Construction
Equipment
• Compact excavators with conventional tail swing for heavy lifting stability or minimum
tail swing for tight spaces
• Wheel loaders with up to full-yard bucket capacity and over 10,000 lbs. loader
breakout force
• Skid steer loaders with best-in-class bucket breakout force and lifting capacity
• Compact track loaders designed for easy maneuvering in tighter areas
Kubota
Lower your taxes when you buy new Kubota construction equipment by Dec. 31
with the Section 179 tax deduction.*