Boone woman hosting American sign language classes in Boone, Ames, Madrid, Ogden

Sara Jordan-Heintz
·4 min read
Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.
Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.

Autumn Nigro-Weaver is a person with restricted hearing in a world that constantly bombards us with sounds. A Boone resident, she's launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden. Her mission: help bridge the communication gap between the hearing-impaired and those who communicate only verbally.

She has traveled the globe translating for deaf people, is a former Miss Deaf USA (fifth runner up at Miss Deaf World), and performs with Boone Community Theatre.

Those successes came on the heels of a difficult childhood. Nigro-Weaver was born profoundly deaf and attended a special school until she was in second grade. She was raised by a single mom who worked three jobs to support her. At 3 years old, Nigro-Weaver started to learn to adapt to cochlear implants. She was the only deaf person in the Boone public school system at the time, and endured bullying.

It was her stepfather who first proposed the possibility that Nigro-Weaver was deaf when she was 3 months old. She recalls the first time the implants were turned on was an overwhelming experience.

Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.
Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.

“It was too much for me — all different sounds came at the same time. It was so many things to absorb. My head hurt,” she said.

Everyday life can be challenging for those with limited hearing.

“We deaf are desperate for you all to learn basic sign language to be able to communicate and patience with understanding,” she said.

Her classes will cater to people of all ages and abilities: teaching babies sign language, plus youth and adult learners. She noted that it’s not just those with limited hearing that use sign language: People on the autism spectrum and/or those who are nonverbal sometimes learn it, as well. Dogs can also benefit from learning sign language, and Nigro-Weaver has taught her own dog how to communicate with her that way.

Nigro-Weaver has launched a Facebook page called ASL with Autumn, where she hosts live classes and posts videos.

Boone classes will be held at the Boone History Museum, at 602 Story St., on the first level in the research room across from the gift shop on Thursdays and Saturdays. Madrid classes will be at a dance studio at 104 E. First St. three times a week. The locations for the Ames and Ogden classes are still being finalized. Masks will not be required, and instead, social distancing will be maintained.

Nigro-Weaver said she tried to offer classes a few years ago but wasn’t met with much interest by the public.

“They didn’t feel like they needed to learn it, but I think I’ve found people coming to my page,” she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic made communicating in a hearing world all the harder. Face coverings prevented her from being able to read lips, and oftentimes, it’s hard to hear people clearly due to the muffled sound. She said see-through masks make it easier for her to understand what people are saying.

More, from our colleagues at the Iowa City Press-Citizen: Facemasks can be a problem for students who need to read lips and facial expressions to communicate. Local educators think they've found a fix.

Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.
Born profoundly deaf, deaf rights advocate Autumn Nigro-Weaver of Boone has launched her own virtual and in-person series of American Sign Language classes to be offered in Boone, Ames, Madrid and Ogden.

She wants the public to let her know what they’re interested in learning.

“I am passionate about teaching. I don’t care about money or fame. What I care about is helping people and offering them the information they need. I want to make sure they have the opportunity to make the world a more united and beautiful place,” she said. “Who is a better teacher of sign language than deaf people?”

Nigro-Weaver participated in a deaf competition in Paris in 2017.

“It was a lot of work, but I was happy to help. I loved learning other countries’ sign language and use it to help others if they need help translating.”

She would like to see as many people as possible learn ASL — especially those who work in the health care profession.

“I’m just trying to function in the world and survive out there,” she said.

Interested in learning?

For more information about Autumn's classes, email her at autumn_weaver10@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Central Iowa woman launches 'ASL with Autumn' sign language classes