UNE dental students provide educational outreach at Maine Deaf Culture Festival

In support and celebration of Maine’s deaf community, members of UNE’s College of Dental Medicine took part in the 25th annual Maine Deaf Culture Festival. Held September 24 on Mackworth Island, the event brought together organizations from across the state, including Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Disability Rights Maine, as well as local artisans from the deaf community.

UNE dental students in attendance included Brittney Bell (’19), Aparna Bhat (’19), Lauren Donnelly (’19), Krishna Kulkarni (’18), Tarin Nassaney (’20), Jonathan Nutt (’18) and Anh Tran (’17).

With the help of Tarin Nassaney and linguistics students from the University of Maine, the dental students learned a few American Sign Language words and phrases, such as “College of Dental Medicine,” “dentist” and “brush two times every day,” to better communicate with attendees. Handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste while reminding visitors to see their dentist regularly, the dental students also spoke with participants about the College of Dental Medicine and its ability to serve the deaf community.

“Through this event, our school was successful in reaching one of Maine’s many underserved communities,” said Jonathan Nutt. “The College of Dental Medicine’s participation is yet another testament to our unwavering commitment to improving the oral health of northern New England.”

He continued, “We experienced directly what it is like to feel like an “outsider” due to a lack of understanding of another language. This experience helps us to be more empathetic toward our patients who speak languages other than our own.”