The month of September is recognized nationally as Deaf Awareness Month, and the last week in September as International Week of Deaf People. Sherman ISD is the county home to the Sherman Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD). The program serves students across Grayson, Fannin, Cooke, and Collin counties through a shared service agreement with Sherman ISD. Students in the program attend Crutchfield Elementary School, Sherman Middle School, and Sherman High School.

Janira Benitez is a Deaf education teacher at the middle and high school level and is Deaf herself. She says RDSPD plays an important role in helping students with disabilities connect with one another. Students interact with others they relate to while learning from those who are different, since not all disabilities are the same.

“For me, going to school was difficult. I felt isolated until I was placed in the RDSPD. There, I felt like I belonged and was understood by my peers and teachers,” Benitez said. “That’s my goal now as a teacher; to provide support in ways that make them feel like they belong.”

The RDSPD offers resources and tools to meet hearing needs that traditional instruction cannot. All students have interpreters available in every classroom. Some students have hearing capacity and benefit from tools like hearing aids and Frequency Modulation (FM) systems. 

Abigail Abel, an eighth grader, says giving her teacher an FM system at the start of class makes it possible for her to hear the teacher clearly. She is active at Sherman Middle as a cheerleader and a volleyball player.

“Sometimes it’s hard to be friends with others because people forget I’m in eighth grade, not kindergarten,” she said, “but I’m just as capable!” 

Joey Barlett teaches Deaf Education at the middle school level and can empathize with his students’ struggles. He is also Deaf.

“Having Deaf teachers, not just interpreters, is special too because hearing teachers can learn how to meet their Deaf students’ needs from our perspective,” said Bartlett. “Our students also feel like they have someone to go to who understands their struggles.” 

The RDSPD, like other programs, creates a sense of community. 

“People often look at us as disabled, thinking we’re not able to function in the same way as a hearing person can,” Bartlett said. “But the fact is, we are a cultural minority. We have an identity, a language we call our own, common beliefs, a culture, and a community.”

“That’s something a lot of kids may not realize until they become adults and we want to make sure they understand they’re supported before they graduate,” Benitez said.

The culture they’ve created at Sherman Middle doesn’t end with their own students. 

“Since we’ve built up the program to be what it is today, we see more and more students wanting to learn sign language, asking interpreters how to say certain words, so they can communicate with our Deaf students. It’s really special to see,” Benitez said.

The support of the RDSPD also makes a difference in the wider Sherman community.

“Some parents grieve when they find out their child is Deaf, but they don’t have to. There are so many resources and support groups in this community, especially with the Sherman RDSPD,” Bartlett said. “We’re here to help.”