Puppets teach sign language

Click to Enlarge Paul Spears with his sign-language puppet, Granny Snowflake, at Western Nevada College on Tuesday. Shannon Litz/The R-C Browse and Buy Record Courier Photos

by Sharlene Irete, sirete@recordcourier.com
May 2, 2008

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Puppeteer Paul Spears brings Granny Snowflake, Honey Bear and Clown to help introduce American Sign Language during Student-Senior Day at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center on Saturday.

"I use the puppets to show the 41 basic hand shapes and the alphabet while having conversations with the audience," said Spears. "Puppets take on the persona of the person and the puppeteer takes on the persona of the puppets. It comes to life."

Spears is legally blind as a result of diabetic retinopathy, a disease he contracted after lifelong blood sugar problems. He works in the Western Nevada College computer lab helping students with disabilities.

"I can see motion and that's how I can still work with puppets," he said. "I finished college with an associate degree of arts from WNC after I became legally blind. I'm working on deaf studies and maybe on elementary special education.

"My goal with deaf studies is to introduce American Sign Language to people who still hear and want to communicate with those who don't."

Spears said American Sign Language is the third most studied language in the world behind English and Spanish.

"A lot of people know someone who is hard of hearing or deaf and are beginning to realize the value of finding a way to communicate with them," he said.

Spears wants to get an American Sign Language club started in Carson Valley. Interested parties may call him at 783-9142.