成人直播 dental students provide educational outreach at Maine Deaf Culture Festival

Deaf Culture Festival

In support and celebration of Maine鈥檚 deaf community, members of 成人直播鈥檚 College of Dental Medicine took part in the 25th annual Maine Deaf Culture Festival. Held September 24 on Mackworth Island, the event brought together organizations from across the state, including Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Disability Rights Maine, as well as local artisans from the deaf community.

成人直播 dental students in attendance included Brittney Bell (鈥19), Aparna Bhat (鈥19), Lauren Donnelly (鈥19), Krishna Kulkarni (鈥18), Tarin Nassaney (鈥20), Jonathan Nutt (鈥18) and Anh Tran (鈥17).

With the help of Tarin Nassaney and linguistics students from the University of Maine, the dental students learned a few American Sign Language words and phrases, such as 鈥淐ollege of Dental Medicine,鈥 鈥渄entist鈥 and 鈥渂rush two times every day,鈥 to better communicate with attendees. Handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste while reminding visitors to see their dentist regularly, the dental students also spoke with participants about the College of Dental Medicine and its ability to serve the deaf community.

鈥淭hrough this event, our school was successful in reaching one of Maine鈥檚 many underserved communities,鈥 said Jonathan Nutt. 鈥淭he College of Dental Medicine鈥檚 participation is yet another testament to our unwavering commitment to improving the oral health of northern New England.鈥

He continued, 鈥淲e experienced directly what it is like to feel like an 鈥渙utsider鈥 due to a lack of understanding of another language. This experience helps us to be more empathetic toward our patients who speak languages other than our own.鈥

成人直播 dental students educate attendees at the Deaf Culture Festival
成人直播 dental students educate attendees at the Deaf Culture Festival