BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For the first time, recruits at the Indiana University Police Academy have received formal training in Deaf culture awareness and American Sign Language (ASL), a move aimed at improving communication and service to Indiana’s Deaf and hard of hearing communities, the university announced.
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The training, developed through a collaboration between the IU Police Department and the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, included nearly three hours of instruction. Deaf IU faculty members, assisted by interpreters, led the session, sharing personal experiences and demonstrating basic ASL signs such as “police,” “emergency,” and “are you OK?”
Faculty emphasized that not all deaf individuals use sign language or read lips, so officers may need to use written communication or digital devices. The training focused on de-escalation and patience, particularly in emergency situations.
The initiative was started by Brennan Cox, a part-time IU police officer and student at the IU Maurer School of Law. After taking an ASL class, Cox began researching law enforcement training gaps and found little to no formal instruction on how to interact with the Deaf community.
“I wanted to make sure we’re able to serve all the communities that we’ve sworn an oath to protect,” Cox said.
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