Learn sign language to communicate with new family

Glenda and Raphael Savitz married in 2013 and moved to Auburndale, Newton three years later. The Savitzs found themselves welcomed into the neighborhood with truly open arms.

Glenda was pregnant before the move and within three months, she gave birth to Samantha. Unfortunately, something was wrong. A week or so of tests found that little Samantha had been born completely deaf. The Savitzs were completely shocked and they knew that raising Samantha was going to take some serious work.

Neighbors wanted to do something to make things easier for the family. What they decided was that they were going to learn sign language as a group in order to help Samantha learn to communicate as she grew.The group of 18 residents hired a sign language instructor at the start of winter, meaning they had plenty of time to learn while Samantha grew. And the entire neighborhood,with the exception of Glenda and Raphael Savitz, gathered in Lucia Marshall's living room. Lucia Marshall is a former Memphis native who has lived in the Newton neighborhood for over two decades.

Glenda recalled it as one of the most emotional experiences she'd ever felt. A present for Samantha would have made her grateful, and this was so much more.“People are putting in so much time and energy to learn a foreign language because they're dying to talk to my little girl.I don't have words for that,”Glenda explained.Raphael Savitz feels much the same way.He is grateful for what their neighbors have done but understands that it goes much deeper than that.

Reading Check

Why did neighbors of Glenda spend much time learning sign language?

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