CLAY COUNTY - They say that using your voice is powerful. But for some, using their hands is just as strong.

Sign language involves facial expressions, body movements and hand gestures. It is a way of life. A visual language, it remains the predominant form of communication within the deaf community.

And it’s crucial.

“Without language… a group would falter and fail,” said Tina Clary, CEO of Clary and Associates.

For 42 years, Clary has been involved in the total deaf community. As a former interpreter within the Duval County School District, she said she’s seen the beauty and importance of deaf individuals utilizing their unique language.

“I cannot think of another language that is as important as sign language,” Clary said. “Since there is no hearing involved there.”

For Vanessa Waldhof, living in a silent world is something she has always known. But it's never been something she wasn’t okay with. Waldhof, a Clay County resident and senior at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind was born deaf and uses sign language to communicate every day.

“It’s so much of my identity,” she said. “I use it to communicate, and it’s, again, what developed who I am today. I can communicate with anyone, including hearing people. I can gesture to them. It just makes [me] who I am.” 

Her mother, Beverly Orellana, said that she and her other two daughters are also deaf and hard of hearing. So, sign language is the only way for them to speak with one another.

For some, sign language is not just a way to have a conversation. Every Sunday, around 30 members of the Deaf Church at Argyle use their hands as a symbol of worship.

Deaf Church Pastor Rev. Andrew Lower said that roughly 98% of deaf individuals don’t successfully access the gospel. He said he began the church almost nine years ago to foster this calling.

“God is using the deaf community to be missionaries and reach out and get people this information in their own way,” Lower said. “[So] they can understand.” 

Lower said that he hopes more churches also recognize this need.

A popular belief about ASL is that it’s the same as the English language. Deaf Leader and Administrator Christine Stevens said this is not true.

“ASL’s its own language,” Stevens said.

Although the language has elements such as grammar and syntax, it is not structured like the English language.

“I had a student years ago that when she moved away, she would send me letters,” Clary said. “I would read the letter, but reading it did not make sense. But, if I signed it to myself, it made complete sense to me.”

Deaf Leader Joe Stevens said that’s why trying to communicate by lip reading, pen and paper, or even an interpreter is often uncomfortable for deaf individuals. He said because of this, it’s important to recognize it as a way of self-expression.

“It is the only language we feel really confident in,” Joe said.”Versus trying to communicate [in] different ways with a hearing person.” 

Joe added that people hesitate to recognize ASL as an official language because it’s nonverbal.

“That’s where the issue comes with a hearing individual that uses other languages like Spanish or French,” he said. “They don’t hear it. And so, [it’s] often the barrier that prevents them from considering [it] a full language.” 

But Waldhof said it’s never too late to break down those barriers and learn. Locally, Fleming Island High School is taking the leap in making that known. The school’s ASL classes, along with its renowned ASL club, aim to give students the opportunity to try the language.

For 16 years, Jennifer Diaz has taught American Sign Language to her students at Fleming. She says that by becoming more familiar with the language, it can be recognized and preserved.

“Respecting it and cherishing it,” she said. “And, really teaching these kids about it. And, not just to stay and start here, but to go past us. To go out into the deaf community and sign with deaf people.”

With the ASL club, the Hands program, trips to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and basic curriculum learning, Diaz said she hopes to allow them to use it in the real world.

ASL Club Vice President Caitlin Crawford, Secretary Jasmine Wilkey and Treasurer Riley Rendelman said they appreciate the skills they have learned. The club has become a passion for each of them and their families.

ASL is the heart of deaf culture, and many deaf individuals say it allows them to be confident in who they are and who they choose to be.