The University of Arizona (UArizona) announced this week that a research assistant in the College of Education will perform a sign language interpretation of “America the Beautiful” during the Super Bowl pregame show.
According to UArizona, Colin Denny’s performance will blend signs from American Sign Language and Plains Indian Sign Language, one of the most documented regional variations of North American Indian Sign Language.
Denny hopes his performance will raise awareness of North American Indian Sign Language, which he is working to help preserve and teach through his work in the College of Education.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of the language and that it has always been here, even if we don’t see it,” he told UArizona. “That’s something that I feel needs national recognition and revitalization for the community.”
Denny wasn’t born deaf. He was able to hear when he was young, but his parents, who both teach the Navajo language in public schools, noticed his hearing loss when he was 5.
By the time he was 13, Denny and his parents knew the public schools on the reservation could not accommodate his needs, as they were unable to provide certified sign language interpreters or teachers who could teach him ASL. They began looking around Arizona for other resources.
During a tour of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind campus on Tucson’s west side, Denny was exposed to a community of deaf people signing in ASL. Seeing students, teachers, the principal, and even security guards signing was a transformational experience, he said.
“I was so isolated, I felt there was nobody like me,” Denny told UArizona. “But when I got to the campus, I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, there is a language, there is a community for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.'”
Denny attended the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind from eighth grade through high school, graduating in 2009. After a gap year at home, he studied fine art with a focus on photography at Diné College, earning his associate degree in 2016.
He then moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Gallaudet University, a bilingual institution whose mission is to ensure the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals through ASL and English.
In 2018, Denny graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art and media, but his coursework also led him to classes on ASL and deaf studies.
Currently, Denny is pursuing a master’s degree in sign language education online through Gallaudet. He expects to graduate in May. He also works remotely as an ASL mentor.
Denny’s opportunity to perform in the Super Bowl pregame show began with an email from a representative of the National Association of the Deaf, which partners with the NFL to nominate performers for the event.
“I’m still in shock about the whole thing, I’m still trying to process it,” he told UArizona. “There are many Indigenous deaf signers that they could’ve chosen.”
Denny said he sees “America the Beautiful” as a symbol for all the diverse communities in the U.S. And he hopes his performance inspires viewers to reflect on the people, plants, and animals that came long before America was founded as a country. Click here to read more.
Colin Denny, a research assistant with @UAZEducation, will take part in the Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday. He will perform "America the Beautiful" using a mix of American Sign Language and North American Indian Sign Language. https://t.co/3kayhnKdfC
— University of Arizona (@uarizona) February 6, 2023
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