Deaf Field Day will take place April 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Liberty University’s Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) will be hosting its second annual Deaf Field Day April 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The main events will take place on the Academic Lawn where middle and high school deaf students from across Virginia are invited to experience a fun-filled day on campus.

Liberty Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students and students in the American Sign Language (ASLI) program will join the Deaf Field Day attendees for various games including ga-ga ball and 9-square.

“It’s about connection,” Deaf and Hard of Hearing services director Bonni Brennan said. “Let’s host an event (where) Deaf and Hard of Hearing students can feel welcomed, where they belong and can make connections to each other and our student body.”

In addition to lawn activities, students will make their way to the School of Music for a presentation by Kimberly Snite, a guest speaker from northern Virginia who will speak about human value in the Deaf community. Liberty ASLI professors will also be a part of the day’s activities.

Additionally, Liberty D/HH students have put together a “Day in the Life of a Liberty Student” video to show how Liberty implements hard-of-hearing services across campus.

According to Brennan, ODAS assists in the accessibility for the D/HH community on campus. This is shown by providing closed captions on any audio-visual material, providing ASL interpreters in the classroom and campus events as well as assistive listening devices.

“We want everyone to have equal access,” Brennan said.

 After working up an appetite, students will be invited to lunch at the Reber-Thomas Dining Center to dine with students and experience college life.

“Our student volunteers are going to make this day a wonderful event for these younger visiting students who may someday be Liberty students,” Brennan said.

The day will wrap up on the Montview steps where two scholarships will be awarded to qualifying high school juniors or seniors.

“We want these kids to feel like they belong somewhere; they belong with each other, and they belong here,” Brennan said.

For more information, visit this website.

McDonald is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion