June Anne LeFors
June 27, 2025
AM Session
"Visual-Gestural Communication: Expanding Access and Equity Through Non-Linguistic Expression"
When? June 27, 2025
9a-12p
Where? In-Person
Crowne Plaza Hotel
4728 Constitution Ave,
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
**On-site of the 53rd Biennial Conference of the LA Association of the Deaf
Cost:
Free to LA Residents
$25 PER WORKSHOP for Out-of-State Residents
YOU MUST REGISTER FOR EACH DAY SEPARATELY
Registration will be closed 6/26/25 at 12pm
RID CEUs have been applied for
Presenter Bio:
June Ann LeFors is an instructor and the American Sign Language Studies Director at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida. She is a freelance certified deaf interpreter and ASL translator in the central and northeast Florida areas. She is an appointed member of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee for the Florida Department of Health and serves on the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Board of Trustees. A state-certified K12 teacher, LeFors previously worked at FSDB for 10 years in several roles, including as an ASL specialist and evaluator, preschool teacher in the Early Learning Center, and as a parent advisor in the Parent Infant Program. She earned her master's degree in deaf education/ deaf studies from Lamar University and a bachelor's in elementary education from Gallaudet University. She and her husband, Eric, a physical education teacher at FSDB, have six daughters, three of whom are deaf or hard of hearing.
Workshop Description for AM Session:
PPS-PPO: This workshop examines how traditional language systems can create barriers for some individuals, including Deaf people with limited language exposure, DeafBlind individuals, and those from under-resourced communities. By exploring visual-gestural communication (VGC), participants will critically examine the power of non-verbal expression to bridge cultural, linguistic, and educational gaps. This session encourages interpreters and Deaf participants to reflect on their own assumptions about communication and explore how non-linguistic tools can serve as equitable strategies in diverse, real-world contexts.
This interactive workshop explores the core principles of Visual-Gestural Communication (VGC)—a mode of expression that relies entirely on body language, facial expressions, gestures, and spatial use, without the use of formal sign languages or spoken language. Designed for Deaf participants, interpreters, and students of sign language, the session fosters creativity, non-verbal expressiveness, and visual acuity in communication.
Through guided exercises in mime, gesture improvisation, and receptive communication drills, participants will develop skills essential for both theatrical and real-life applications of visual-gestural language. Activities will challenge participants to break free from linguistic habits and rely solely on visual channels to convey meaning. The workshop emphasizes inclusivity, cross-cultural accessibility, and a deeper understanding of how meaning is constructed visually.
This experience is particularly beneficial for sign language interpreters seeking to enhance their visual expressiveness and for Deaf individuals interested in improving their gestural communication toolkit.
Workshop Objectives:
Upon successful completion of the workshop, the participant will:
1. Demonstrate at least 3 non-verbal strategies for expressing complex ideas.
2. Interpret and respond to gestural communication without reliance on signed or spoken language.
3. Identify how visual-spatial referencing enhances clarity in communication.
4. Apply VGC techniques to interpreting scenarios or communication with non-signers.
5. Identify how language privilege and linguistic bias can marginalize individuals within the Deaf community.
6. Describe ways in which VGC strategies can provide equitable access to communication.
7. Reflect on one's own use of power and cultural assumptions when interpreting for Deaf individuals with diverse language backgrounds
LRID is an RID-approved CMP Sponsor for continuing education activities. This program is offered for 0.3 PPO at the some content knowledge level.
Target audience: ASL/English
interpreters; both Deaf and
non-Deaf
This training will be presented in ASL
only.
Interpreters will not be provided.