Of all the ways to make the world a better place, communication is among the most important. The deaf and hard of hearing live in a world where it can be difficult to communicate with many people.

Keystone Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (KDHHS) of Lancaster teaches sign language, an important tool in bridging that communication gap. Although learning sign language can be involved and complex, it seems even the least amount of knowledge can be beneficial to the deaf and hard of hearing.

"It would be great if everyone knew sign language," said Kandy Reyes, who's been KDHHS' executive director for 24 years. "That way the deaf and hard of hearing would have the same opportunities as everyone else. It would be a great world. Deaf people can't walk into a bank without a sign language interpreter."

Located at 2270 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, KDHHS of Lancaster offers two sign language classes in the spring and one in the fall. The sign language classes are taught once a week for eight weeks, they are designed for entry-level learners and beginners and the class size is limited to 15 participants.

"Sign language is the way deaf individuals communicate," said Reyes. "It's the way they hear. It's their language. If you're a visual learner, you may be able to pick up sign language easier. American Sign Language is just like any other language."

"Our classes are designed for fun," Reyes continued. "They aren't designed for people who want to be fluent in sign language. If you want to become a certified sign language interpreter, you could start with our program, but you would have to go into more intense programs like the ones taught in college."

Shown to be more accurate than lip reading, sign language is based on certain hand gestures or motions. Each sign corresponds to a number, letter or word, and when those signs are put together, sentences and communication are formed.

"The first thing you're going to do in that course is learn about deaf culture," said Reyes. "The instructor is going to go into words, numbers and teaching you the alphabet. In Level One, you're going to learn words, but it's not going to qualify you to speak a whole sentence to a deaf person. So, when they're signing back to you, are you going to understand them? Probably not."

"Signing could be done on one hand or two," continued Reyes. "The alphabet you can do all on one hand, and numbers you can do all on one hand. With American Sign Language, you don't use all the words. ... You're getting to the point. In English, you'd say, 'The tree is over there.' In sign language, you'd say, 'Tree there.'"

According to numbers from a recent census, nearly 80,000 Lancaster County residents have some sort of hearing loss.

"Sign language is the key to access," said Reyes. "But you have to know what you know. If you don't, you're creating even bigger barriers. That's the problem. We support anyone and encourage everyone who wants to learn sign language. A little bit is better than nothing in certain situations."

"Deaf and hard-of-hearing people have a language," added Reyes. "People shouldn't minimize that, and they should respect the deaf and hard-of-hearing people and ask them how they want to communicate. The majority are going to say, 'I need an American Sign Language interpreter.'"

For additional information about Keystone Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Lancaster and its sign language classes, go to https://kdhhs.net.