The Birth of Signing Is Art

Signing Is Art was founded with one goal in mind: to eliminate communication barriers. Signing Is Art is located in Buffalo, New York and reflects the vibrant energy of the area. Founder/CEO, Kamil Gerald, MSW is hard of hearing who is fluent in sign language. Kamil refused to let her hearing loss get in the way of reaching her goals. She is known as an overachiever who is ambitious. Having went through the NYS foster care system for 14 years before emancipation at 21 yrs old, Kamil saw first hand the lack of accommodations in place for her to be able to communicate effectively with her service providers. None of them knew sign language including her long term former foster family. She had to learn how to advocate for herself. Kamil relied on lip reading which she had mastered since third grade when she was mainstreamed into a regular general education classroom setting from a special education classroom setting. This shift was traumatizing for Kamil. No one in her classroom knew sign language, she spent her hours in school processing what was being taught, and forced herself the skill of lip reading.

In winter 2021, Kamil experienced inflammation in her ear which affected her hearing. Instead of being stressed about the current state of her hearing, she decided to teach sign language to the community. From there, Signing As Art was born in June 2022. However, In January 2023, it went through a name change, Signing Is Art which was more benefitting. "I love what I do. I'm in my element when I'm teaching. It's therapeutic for me", said Kamil. Kamil stressed the importance of learning sign language. It is not just another language, it is art! As always sign language is art through the beautiful movements of our hands. Our passionate and skilled team members are here to help bridge the gap between the hearing and hearing loss worlds. Are you ready to learn and create ART with the community? Join us today!