Deaf Awareness Week 1992 will begin Monday at NIU to help promote awareness of individuals with hearing impairments.

Shari Admonis, a counselor in the program for the hearing impaired, said the emphasis of the week is to bring out issues related to the everyday lives of individuals with hearing impairments.

“I think that it’s important for all of us, including professionals and hearing impaired individuals themselves, to promote deaf awareness on an everyday basis not just one week out of the year,” Admonis said.

Tiffany King, a hearing impaired student, said she believes Deaf Awareness Week is an “excellent idea” for people to understand deafness at NIU. “I think that they should know about deaf people and understand about deaf culture,” she said.

However, King said one week is not enough, and the general public should be exposed to more advertising concerning individuals who are hearing impaired.

A “Sign for Supper” held on Monday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Grant Towers South will kick off the week. During the event students will be asked to fingerspell their names in sign language before they enter the cafeteria.

Hearing and hearing impaired students will be on hand to help out students in line. Also, letters will be sent out to residents containing the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet.

A program entitled American Sign Language will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Holmes Student Center Skyroom. Nancy Kelly Jones, a teacher from the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville, will discuss the sign language continuum, ASL grammar rules, conversations in ASL and some helpful hints about sign language.

“Love Is Never Silent,” a movie starring Phyllis Frelich, will be shown on Monday at 9 p.m in the GTS Formal Lounge.

Tuesday begins with the program entitled “Deaf Town” in which a make-believe town will be inhabited by deaf persons who communicate via sign language. The program will be held at 8 p.m. in the GTS Formal Lounge.

Advocacy-Legislation, a program by Tim Rarus from the Gallaudet Regional Center at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, will be featured on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the GTS Formal Lounge.

Rarus graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Gallaudet University, Washington D.C. Rarus is working toward a master’s degree in political science and public administration at the University of Kansas.

In the program “Signs for Understanding,” Phyllis Frelich, a

Hearing impaired actress, will give a night of “insight and performance.” The event will be held on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center.

Finally, a “Sign Sync” will be held on Friday at 9 p.m. in the GTS Formal Lounge.

NIU’s Institute on Deafness, Campus Activities Board, Program for Hearing Impaired, Services for Hearing Impaired and the department of communicative disorders are sponsoring the week.