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The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) Student Government Association disability inclusion subcommittee, in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Club for American Sign Language, held an online training session on basic American Sign Language (ASL) to augment their healthcare skills. Over 30 CCOM students participated in the training session.

The students learned the history and background of ASL and other lesser-known facts, such as the difference of sign language in other countries. They also learned how to sign the alphabet and count to 20. Punctuation and enunciation were also discussed, such as ways to sign questions of why and how. The students also learned some general words and phrases, such as asking for a name or to repeat, as well as saying please and thank you. 

“We thought to branch out and look at American sign language for patients who are deaf. We also wanted to help other students learn more and practice,” said Jill Patel (CCOM ’27), who along with Sanjana Tamane (CCOM ’27) and Millie Sun (CCOM ’27) coordinated the event and serve as the disability inclusion subcommittee co-directors. Millie added, “As physicians we have to interact with all different types of populations. This is one of the ways to communicate with different types of communities and make them more comfortable. It can be difficult to communicate with people in a healthcare setting with stressful situations. Any way to improve our communication is better for us as healthcare professionals.” Sanjana also said, “This provides an inclusive environment and prevents a communication barrier to communication. We want to take care of our future patients as best we can. This is one way to help.” Jill added, “Patients can be overwhelmed in a healthcare situation. This helps them be more comfortable with their environment and helps us see where they’re coming from. We’re building out our toolkit of skills. It’s important that we implement it.”

The session was open to all programs at �°������ϲʿ�����, and the attending CCOM students were from different levels of their academic journeys. Sanjana said, “We got our peers together to come and work on these skills. It was nice to see everyone on their screen practicing ASL together. That space for all of us to learn this was impactful.”

The students expressed their appreciation of the opportunity to learn this new skill. “These types of events change the mindset and help people become more aware. I really liked when the guest speaker mentioned community culture, rather than viewing hearing impairment as a disability,” Jill said. Millie added, “Our curriculum only covers so much. The three of us started this group because we had an interest in the community and learning ASL. We went over a lot of signs in the session.” The subcommittee plans to continue the ASL training sessions and add themes and focused topics. 

The disability inclusion subcommittee of the CCOM Student Government Association is one of many student clubs and organizations in Downers Grove and Glendale. �°������ϲʿ����� offers Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees in Downers Grove and Glendale.