The Oregon School for the Deaf's BEAT (Bold Expressive Arts Theater) program will present a series of songs, stories and poems – entirely in American Sign Language (ASL) – in the UO's Jacqua Center theater on Thursday, April 11.

The event, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the ASL/Communication Disorders and Sciences (CDS) programs at the UO, with assistance from members of the UO ASL Club.

Voice interpreters will be on hand so non-signers can comprehend the event.

The event serves two purposes for Salem's Oregon School for the Deaf, a K-12 school: It introduces OSD students to the opportunities available at the UO; and it introduces the talents of OSD students and the beauty of ASL to the Eugene community.

The BEAT performance is an annual event typically held in Salem. This is the first time it has been held in Eugene.

Members of O Heroes will be on hand prior to the event to mingle with — and maybe learn a phrase or two from — deaf students from both OSD and local school districts. Some O Heroes are ASL students, so the event will be an opportunity for them to practice their skills.

Jo Larson, an ASL instructor in the UO College of Education's CDS program, says the collaboration is a great fit for the UO and the Eugene community.

"A diverse student population is as essential to the UO's mission as art and expression are to the Eugene community," she says. "Everyone involved with this event will get something significant out of it — especially the audience for this performance. It's going to be a very memorable night."

-by Cody Pinkston, UO College of Education