Watch Zach LaVine talk about his visits to a school for the deaf
Zach LaVine’s relationship with a St. Paul school for the deaf is the focus of new episode of CBS’ Game Changers, which reveals that the Timberwolves guard makes monthly visits to Metro Deaf School, where he uses his own sign language ability to communicate with the school’s young students.
“The children had seen videos of his slam dunks and things like that,” Metro Deaf School executive director Susan Lane-Outlaw tells Game Changers. “That I think was the first eye opener that, wow, number one, he wants to come to the school, and then he’s kind of set up a relationship with us where he’s come every month, but also that he can sign on top of that.”
“That I think has just changed their view of what’s possible,” Lane-Outlaw says.
LaVine’s knowledge of sign language dates from a class he took in high school. Canis Hoopis notes that LaVine has previously spoken about his signing:
“While taking sign language in high school, one of our assignments was to go out and participate in the deaf community, so I really got to know a lot of the group from that. I felt like they needed a little bit more of a voice, because people treat them different just because they’re hearing impaired.”
“I don’t want anybody to feel like they’re different,” LaVine says in the video.
