Stephanie Richey and Jadyn Adams prepare for the 2016 Illinois Fingerspelling Bee on April 21.
Stephanie Richey and Jadyn Adams prepare for the 2016 Illinois Fingerspelling Bee on April 21.
Stephanie Richey and Jadyn Adams, two students in the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education (EIASE) Deaf and Hard of Hearing program, will compete in the 2016 Illinois Finger Spelling Bee on April 21.
The event -- which is hosted by the Illinois Teachers of Hard of Hearing/Deaf Individuals -- will take place at Illinois State University at Bloomington.
Though neither of them have ever competed in a finger spelling bee, Adams, who attends Williams Elementary School, and Richey, who attends Mattoon Middle School, recently trained with members of the Mattoon Middle School Sign Language Club. Additionally, they trained with Kim Janssen, a sponsor of the Sign Language Club and teacher in the EIASE’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing program.