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[music]
>> I know that working in West Hartford

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public schools has made a strong
inclusive community. I know the school

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system works hard to make sure that
people feel connected, they feel safe,

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and particularly in my team, the deaf
services team, we really [music]

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advocate for our students, make sure
that they have the accessibility,

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whether it's an interpreter, a language
facilitator, whatever audiological

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technology they might need to help them
hear better or understand cuz everyone

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has [music] a right to their education.
>> I feel like I get supported here because

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there are interpreters grade K through
four that are always there to help me.

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» My teacher of [music] the deaf provides
a lot of support and also my interpreter

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always supports me all day long and I
have the best interpreters. They've

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helped me to grow with my own sign
language

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and I've grown with them and they know
how to work with people like me with

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deaf people or people with hearing aids
and having those interpreters and me

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being from a family with
>> [music]

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» with deaf parents and with deaf family
members is really important to have that

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access and it's important for that
support for everyone.

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» I think more people should understand
about being deaf is more of the

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emotional and social impact it has
[music] on us just not physically. It's

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really important that we be seen as not
like a problem to fix, but more of

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[music]
something that we can all come together

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and help and support by using
communication [music] skills, devices,

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everything like that. I just think it's
really really important for us to be

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[music]
seen.

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» [music]

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[music]
>> The main goal of this project was to you

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know, was to show access for
communication and to highlight that and

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that's something that um within the
deaf, deaf-blind, [music] and hard of

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hearing community here in in West
Hartford in particular, um I know

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they're very proud [music] of is that
they're that that that it's that they

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provide access to that communication.
Just learning and getting an

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understanding and an appreciation for um
>> [music]

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» some of the challenges and adversity
that that, you know, watching these kids

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what they have to overcome um and and
how they

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» [music]
>> kind of navigate the world. It's been

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incredibly inspiring.
>> And having this mural that has

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so many different facets of deafness,
deaf-blind, and hard of hearing

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individuals that truly promotes
self-awareness, self-identity, and

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self-concept. And so when we have that
being promoted out in the world in

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media, [music] the children then can
translate it into our classrooms and

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then feel truly empowered to just
[music] be themselves.

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» [music]

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[music]

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» When people see the mural, I hope that
everyone, not just the deaf community,

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feels empowered and seen by um a really
huge piece of artwork. I think it's

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important we all put our input into it,
so it'll be nice to see all of our how

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our words turned into designs. And I
think it's really really cool, and I

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think it's going to be very exciting.
>> I hope the message that [music] people

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take away from this mural is that when
they look up, they realize that there is

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a group of people represented here.
>> I hope people will feel like they will

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understand [music] like what hard being
hard of hearing and deaf means.

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Um and for the people who are hard of
hearing and deaf, they will like I hope

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they feel like happy.
>> So, I hope that if people are walking by

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and they see the mural, [music] that
they feel inspired. And

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I hope that they feel like
we live [music] in a great place and

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that being deaf is important and that
it's an important piece.

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» [music]