The ASL Specialist provides formal receptive and expressive language evaluations for AASD students annually. IEP language goals are developed for individual students and their progress is monitored on a quarterly basis.  Language/communication evaluations are also administered to children with hearing loss referred by their county and/or parents as a part of the diagnostic and evaluation team.   

The ASL Specialist also teaches ASL classes to enrich AASD students’ knowledge about their language and culture. Students learn to separate language rules in ASL and English as bilingual users and utilize a specific language appropriately in a variety of social and academic interactions.  

The ASL Specialist collaborates with other ASL support staff and SLPs to ensure that we foster AASD students’ language skills in ASL when appropriate. ASL therapy is provided to these students who benefit from direct instruction to strengthen their language foundation in ASL.

My name is Wende Grass. I am the ASL Specialist at AASD. I received my B.S. in elementary education from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. I obtained my M.Ed. in Deaf Education from Western Maryland College in Westminster, Maryland. I have been in the Deaf Education field for over 30 years and have held various positions as an educator, supervisor, and administrator at three different schools for the Deaf. I have also taught ASL as a second language at the college level for over 20 years. I have worked at AASD since 2011 and enjoy working with staff/teachers and students. As a Deaf person, I strive to be a positive model to encourage students to aim for the stars in achieving their dreams once graduating from AASD. 

Email:
wgrass@doe.k12.ga.us