VNR: Sign language students expand access at UH Mānoa games

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Link to video and sound (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/Duc

***Suggested VOSOT script below***

At University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa athletic events, a new group of volunteers is helping more fans feel part of the crowd.

American Sign Language (ASL) students, with the guidance of experts from the Deaf and Native Hawaiian communities, are partnering with UH Mānoa Athletics to sign the national anthem, cheerleader chants, and the university's fight song at games. The effort gives Deaf and hard of hearing spectators a way to experience moments many fans take for granted in a state where demand for ASL services far outpaces the number of interpreters.

ASL volunteer signer Pumehana Holmes, an English major who grew up with two Deaf parents, says the goal is simple: making sure Deaf fans feel included.

"I hope that the Deaf community is able to see themselves and see them being supported and that they're not invisible in the crowd but are wanted in the crowd," Holmes said.

Holmes has been signing since she was very young. Her mother, Christine Holmes, is an ASL instructor at Kapiʻolani Community College.

Today, she is among a group of students helping expand access at UH Mānoa games. It's the first known partnership of its kind between ASL students and the athletics department. Students volunteer their time to stand alongside cheerleaders and performers, translating the energy of sporting events into sign language.

State shortage

The effort also reflects a broader need across the state. Hawaiʻi faces a critical shortage of ASL interpreters. According to the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, there are approximately 2,800 ASL users in Hawaiʻi and an estimated 500 visitors each day who rely on interpreting services.

There are currently about 30 ASL interpreters across all the Hawaiian Islands. Only 23 are credentialed by the State of Hawaiʻi, with a handful of others holding national credentials.

To help address this gap, UH Mānoa has already expanded ASL coursework and is planning to expand interpreter training opportunities for students interested in the field.

Personal connection

For fellow student volunteer Sabrina Gill, the experience also helps build awareness among hearing fans.

"Having student interpreter volunteers and interpreters are really important for building more access into our UH community, our UH games, but it's also important for hearing people who might not know sign language just to have more visibility and awareness of sign language," Gill said.

Gill is working toward her master's degree in communication. She first took ASL as an elective but quickly developed a deep interest, continuing her studies through the advanced 302 level. She says the experience has fueled her passion for making spaces more accessible for everyone.

That work now includes interpreting one of the university's most meaningful songs. The students perform a sign language interpretation of Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī, taught to them by UH Mānoa alumna Amber Lehano and ʻĀnela Lehano. The interpretation is believed to be the first standardized signing of the mele performed at UH Mānoa games.

Expanding access

Several additional student volunteers are enrolled in ASL instructor Gisella Tomita's classes. Tomita, who is one of three Deaf instructors of ASL at UH Mānoa, says moments like this can make a big difference for spectators who rely on sign language.

"It gives me access. It's amazing," Tomita said through an ASL interpreter. "You know events, sporting events, there's a person who is speaking but where's my ability to get that information? Where's the ASL? I don't really know what's going on or being said. And these students are motivated. They wanna be up there and it just touches me."

Growing demand

Interest in ASL at UH Mānoa has surged in recent years. Enrollment has grown by 1,400% in six years, from 19 students in Spring 2019 to 265 in Fall 2025. Demand continues to exceed capacity, with long waitlists for courses.

A 2024 survey also found that 94% of ASL students are interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree in ASL-English interpreting.

Beginning in Fall 2026, UH Mānoa will launch a new path for students, a standalone Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with a Concentration in ASL.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/Duc

VIDEO BROLL: (2 minutes)

0:00-0:27 - American Sign Language student volunteer at game

0:27-2:00 - Students in ASL course at UH Mānoa

SOUNDBITES

Pumehana Holmes/Student Interpreter, UH Mānoa (12 seconds)

"I hope that the Deaf community is able to see themselves and see them being supported and that they're not invisible in the crowd but are wanted in the crowd."

Sabrina Gill/Student Interpreter, UH Mānoa (15 seconds)

"I think having student interpreter volunteers is really important for building more access into our UH community, our UH games but it's also important for hearing people who might not know sign language just to have more visibility and awareness of sign language."

Gisella Tomita/American Sign Language Instructor, UH Mānoa (16 seconds)

"It gives me access. It's amazing. You know events, sporting events, there's a person who is speaking but where's my ability to get that information? Where's the ASL? I don't really know what's going on or being said. And these students are motivated. They wanna be up there and it just touches me."

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO
A new sight at University of Hawaiʻi games is helping more fans feel part of the action.

NATS

(National anthem and ASL signing)

VO
At UH Mānoa, American Sign Language students are now part of the game day experience-signing the national anthem, cheers, and the school's fight song.

Student volunteers are translating the energy of game day to help expand access and visibility for all fans.

SOT (Pumehana Holmes/UH Mānoa student interpreter)
"I hope that the Deaf community is able to see themselves and see them being supported and that they're not invisible in the crowd but are wanted in the crowd."

VO

Interest in sign language at UH Mānoa is surging. Enrollment is up more than fourteen hundred percent in just six years. This fall, the campus will also launch a new bachelor's degree pathway.