By Kaitlyn Resline
Contributing Writer

On Nov 11,  KU’s sign language club, KU ABLE, invited KU alum Luciana Spinosi to speak with the club over Zoom.

Spinosi talked about how she felt pegged into a box during her senior year of high school but KU showed her all the things she could do.

“Not perfect, but it took me where I wanted to go,” Spinosi said when describing her four years at KU.

Growing up a CODA (child of Deaf adults), Spinosi was surrounded by Deaf culture, although she was hearing herself. Her husband and two children are also Deaf, meaning that Deaf culture and ASL has always been an important part of her life. 

She learned about Gallaudet University when looking into potential schools for her children. She later applied for a job opening there, and has now worked at Gallaudet for over 16 years. 

Gallaudet is the only higher education institution where programs are designed specifically to accommodate Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. American Sign Language and English are both used for instruction and in the college community.

What she loves most about Gallaudet University is its accessibility. She said Kutztown had lots of work opportunities, and Gallaudet has the same accessibility but for Deaf children. 

Spinosi encourages everyone to learn ASL because, “…if you can sign, you can communicate.”

“If you give them [the Deaf community] a chance you can learn something beautiful, like every culture,” Spinosi said.
KU ABLE can be reached through their ENGAGE page to receive updates and reach out to members: https://engage.kutztown.edu/organization/above-and-beyond-the-language-of-the-ear-at-kutz