Free sign language cooking classes launch for deaf seniors in Sudbury

Bob Rumball Centre in Sudbury is offering free monthly cooking classes for deaf seniors, addressing isolation and fostering community through ASL instruction.

A Sudbury organization has launched free cooking classes for seniors in the deaf community.

This month, in partnership with the Northern Ontario Association for the Deaf, the Bob Rumball Centre for the Deaf began offering the classes in American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ).

“What is the really important part would be the fellowship, the social part of it, the engagement of our community,” said the Bob Rumball Centre’s president Derek Rumball.

“There’s people who have traveled an hour, an hour and a half to get here and be part of this very unique opportunity for learning something, but also the fellowship part of being with their friends and what they call their family here.”

Beverly Sheppard started taking the cooking classes because she loves cooking.

“It’s great to have a new experience,” she said.

“I’m just really proud that as a group of deaf individuals, we have you know, we can show the community that we have a deaf community center here, that we are engaged and inclusive to all the deaf community.”

Shelley Lachepelle, the executive director of Sudbury Community Foundation, said the centre was chosen as a recipient for its community grant cycle, where successful applicants can receive up to $5,000.

“Last year, we were able to support 15 different, funded projects, this project being one,” Lachapelle said.

“We’re thrilled to be here to see it in action as well, to see all of the participants working together, you know, kind of, just communicating with each other.”

Natalie Lamondin, the Bob Rumball Centre’s director of community services programs, told CTV News that the grant provided the centre with much-needed equipment.

“We were able to buy all the necessities to run a kitchen, because there was no utensils, there was nothing,” she said.

“So, we started from scratch and were able to build our kitchen to where it was functioning and safe.”

Patricia Grenier, the deaf association’s president, said visibility is important.

“The island is where we were doing a lot of our cooking. Because as a deaf community, we’re very visual,” she said.

“We need to have people within our sight lines. So, we all kind of stand around this middle island so that we can see each other, right? We’re not all at our different stations and with our backs turned. So that’s how communication works in this kitchen.”

Lamondin said the classes have been successful so far, seeing between 15 to 20 participants on average.

Grenier said they have been important in addressing isolation.

“For the longest time, there wasn’t events that the deaf community could really be involved in and since we’ve had this space and have, you know, tried to host more things,” she said.

“Mental health has gotten better. People’s mood has changed. People feel less isolated because they can come here and have a space to hang out and socialize and do things.”

The classes will be offered once a month.

Lamondin said there are also plans to offer themed cooking nights in the future.