Deaf Boy Asked To Change The Way He Signs His Name

Christi • August 29, 2012 • 0 Comments

A 3-year-old boy who is deaf is asked to change the way he signs his name by a school district in Nebraska.

Hunter Spanjer uses the Signing Exact English (S.E.E.) sign language. The gesture he uses to specify his name involves crossing his index and middle fingers while waving them back and forth.

According to the Grand Island Public Schools’ policy any ‘instrument’ that ‘looks like a weapon’ is forbidden at school. They are asking the boy’s family to change the gesture.

Hunter’s family is outraged by the district’s request.

Janet Logue, Hunter’s grandmother told CNN that she and anybody else she talked to believes it is ridiculous. She says the gestures are not threatening in any way.

Hunter’s dad, Brian Spanjer feels that the district is overreacting.

“I expected a lot better from the local school district,” he said.

He even posted a letter on Facebook that was sent to the district. In the letter, he politely asked the district to reconsider their policy.

The CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, Howard Reosenblum, told HuffPost that his organization will assist the Spanjers if legal action is necessary.

“A name sign is the equivalent of a person’s name, and to prohibit a name sign is to prohibit a person’s name,” he wrote in an email.

According to a Nebraska station, the school is working with the family to come up with the best solution for Hunter.

At this time, the Spanjers have gathered supporters on Facebook to protest the school’s action.