DEAF SCHOOL GATEWAY

Sharing Deaf Culture and ASL with the Wider Community

Location: 1200 East 42nd St., Indiana School for the Deaf

Project Description: Keep Indianapolis worked with the Deaf School and VSA Arts of Indiana to create a landscape that includes trees, flowers and shrubs along the Monon Trail on the grounds of the Deaf School. At the center of this landscape a sculpture stands that represents deaf culture, ASL and nature. The sculpture consists and hundreds of hand-made tiles that were designed glazed and fired by Deaf School students. The students choose four themes that strongly represented the campus and the trail: nature, abstract, hands, and animals. These themes are displayed in American Sign Language forms allowing people to learn ASL signs as they interact with the tiles.

KIB was just one of many partners including The Deaf School, VSA Arts of Indiana, CSO Architects, Shiel Sexton and Maxim Services LLC. In addition, the project would not have been possible without the support of the City of Indianapolis, and Greenways.

Impact: The ISD plaza provides pedestrians and bikers a place to rest and refresh. They are able to enjoy the shade of maple and oak trees as well as quench their thirst at a drinking fountain that accommodates both humans and dogs. Just as important, the plaza helps the ISD share deaf culture and ASL with the community and provides a place for dialog and learning to take place between the hearing and deaf communities.