Student becomes first UAA deaf commencement speaker

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A student has become the first deaf commencement speaker at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Anchorage television station KTUU reports Katie Irwin addressed the UAA graduating crowd Sunday.

Irwin, who has been deaf since birth, used sign language for her speech, with a translator repeating it out loud.

Irwin says she doesn’t see her deafness as a disability. She said through a translator that she has the ability to communicate, just in a different way.

But she says she faced challenges on her way to earning a journalism degree with a minor in art.

For example, Irwin says she had to teach teachers on using captions in videos.

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Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com