COMMUNITY
Signing at home with family is a lot different than interpreting out in the world, she said. “I had to learn the skill.” She attended Pierce College in California to study sign language. Her first job was with a deaf program at a public school, where she worked for 17 years. “I worked with a deaf teacher who I would call my deaf mom,” Seid said. “She was awesome.” The teacher’s deaf family and deep cultural knowledge became a source of mentorship for Seid. A big part of sign language, she learned, is facial expression. While an interpreter signs, they match the speaker’s energy to carry the nonverbal cues. “It’s kind of like the intonation in your voice,” she said. “Your eyebrows go up and down if you're shocked or what have you. You just show on your face what you hear in your ears. It’s a lot of expression.” The deaf teacher Seid worked with taught classes of various ages of deaf students who also attended a traditional public school. They’d take certain classes with her, then join lunch, P.E. and other activities with hearing students. That’s how the deaf community operated in California, where there were more services and opportunities than in New York, where Seid's aunt was born. “That’s why my aunt had originally moved to California,” Seid said. Moving to Buckeye After a long career in California, things changed for Seid. The pandemic hit the deaf community hard, and California had very tight restrictions. Ultimately, Seid moved to Arizona. Friends lived in Buckeye, so she decided to give it a try. “It was a big culture shock at first,” she said, citing Buckeye’s rural nature and sparse deaf population. Eventually, she started working for the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, which offers services to schools throughout Arizona. For Seid, that means following students within traditional classrooms. “Whenever they're in session, I'm in the classroom,” she said. Right now, she interprets for a junior high student in Buckeye and assists at West-MEC as needed. “Anytime my student isn’t in session, I am free to go do other interpreting jobs,” she added. While technology has helped people in the deaf community — from light systems for
705 E. MONROE AVE.
WASH & FOLD SERVICE 24 HR TURN AROUND!
FULL WASH AND DRY IN AN HOUR.
Jelsa Seid signs for a deaf student in a Buckeye classroom Oct. 17.
I NSPIRED BY HER DEAF AUNT, JELSA SEID FOUND HER LIFE PURPOSE EARLY ON — BRIDGING THE GAP between the deaf and hearing worlds as an American Sign Language interpreter. And while it can be a challenging job, she wouldn’t change it for anything. It all started when her aunt taught her to sign at a young age. “She would get me Sesame Street Sign Language books and teach me,” Seid said. “I was raised in the household communicating with her. I love my aunt, and we had a great bond. I just really wanted to communicate with her. It came easy for me, and I loved it.” Not everyone in her family learned to sign, so Seid became her aunt’s main interpreter. “I got so frustrated growing up with my aunt always asking me, ‘What are they saying?’ So, I finally became an interpreter. Whether it was a restaurant or an event or family or whatever, I always interpreted for her.” 'MY HANDS TALK’ How a Buckeye interpreter gives deaf students a voice BY CARRIE K. SNIDER
OPEN DAILY 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last wash at 8 p.m.) Locally Owned and Operated
Buck’s Laundromat (Desert Laundry)
(623) 327-3434
InBuckeye.com | November 2025
November 2025 | InBuckeye.com
18
19
Powered by FlippingBook