GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Signs of Spring event celebrating National American Sign Language Day will be back for the second year in Cades Cove on Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
NPS staff sign ‘A Peek Behind the Scenes’. (NPS photo)
This year’s theme will be “A Peek Behind the Scenes.” Stations throughout Cades Cove will feature presenters from both the park and the deaf community discussing the work that goes into protecting our shared heritage. Stations will include demonstrations and activities by the park’s historic preservation crew, Preventative Search and Rescue team, curator, educators, and by park partner Discover Life in America. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the park’s accessibility initiatives, including adaptive bicycles and wheelchairs that are now available in the park. Maryville High School students will host a cultural connections table featuring the work of regional deaf artists, and deaf community members will share information about deaf culture and history.
Certified ASL interpreters and students from the University of Tennessee, Maryville College, Knoxville Center of the Deaf, and Partnership for Families, Children and Adults will be on hand at all stations to help with the activities. Visitors can stop by the stations anytime between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Resource education ranger Jeanine Ferrence, Cades Cove volunteer Judy Matuszewski, Maryville High School ASL teacher Michelle Norman, UT Educational Interpreting Program Coordinator Megan Potts, Director of the Knoxville Center of the Deaf Chrissy Davis, and Kris Davis, Director of Deaf Services at the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults planned the event.
For more information about National American Sign Language Day events at Cades Cove, please contact Jeanine Ferrence (jeanine_ferrence@nps.gov).
- National Park Service release
