They became interested in handspeak after their twin daughters, Alexandra L. and Mackenzie L., were born with Mondini syndrome, a major cause of deafness.

Mackenzie lost her auditory ability at 6, but Alexandra's more severe condition stole her hearing within the first year, their parents said.The sisters now are 10.

A malformation in the inner ear causes Mondini, a common condition often corrected by cochlear implants.

While the duo now can hear thanks to the implants -- small, complex electronic devices surgically placed under the skin behind the ear -- Alexandra, or "Ali," still has problems communicating orally because she can't pronounce words clearly.

Four months ago, the family enlisted the help of Rozelyn J. Garza, 28, to teach the family sign language. The classes snowballed into social events where friends and neighbors practice signing while hitting the buffet and chit-chatting.

The classes expose participants to another form of expression to use with the girls. Laura Greenfelder, 39, considers the gatherings as one more way to make sure the girls develop important skills -- both lingual and social.

Family friend Meredith L. Adelman began attending to give her two children another method of communicating with the girls.

"It's important because they learn (to be) more sensitive, and that there are people who are different and what we can do to accommodate them," she said, adding she was heartened by her children's enthusiasm.

Every Wednesday, Garza splits the night into sessions, beginning with conversational signing for adults.

Nearly a dozen children form a circle around the 28-year-old for the next section, which usually includes Garza reading a book while the young pupils gesture along. After a baby sitter takes over entertaining the children, Garza leads the adults in vocabulary of basic gestures.

The extracurricular course attracts up to 10 adults, Kent Greenfelder said.

The group often practices vocabulary during weekends or school events, said Adelman, 35. Adelman teaches Mackenzie's fifth-grade class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chesaning.

"When all the families are together, we sign to practice. We all want to learn, and we are sponges. It's fun," she said. "I hope my kids become fluent in it."

Pupils include the girls' aunts and uncles, cousins and classmates. The family wants to provide an atmosphere with both verbal and gestural communication for the children, said Laura Greenfelder, who owns a scrapbooking and quilting retreat facility in Chesaning.

"I'm amazed how much they are learning now, I think because they're less nervous," said Garza, who studied teaching the deaf at Michigan State University. She also teaches kindergarten at Brady Elementary School in the Chesaning Union School District.

Soon Mackenzie will share what she has learned with her fifth-grade class. She and her hearing impaired specialist will teach the class to sign a prayer for Catholic Schools Week. Her classmates show interest when Mackenzie and Adelman use gestures, said Adelman, of Chesaning.

"The more she does it, the more excited she gets about it. When we do it in the classroom or when she can teach me something, she gets excited," she said.

Kent Greenfelder's sister, Ann C. Greenfelder, often attends the lessons. She, too, suffers from gradual hearing loss.

Ann Greenfelder, 33, practices with her family members when they are together, although sometimes they make up gestures until they can consult Garza or a reference book, she admitted.

"We need to be proactive so (Alexandra) doesn't become a hermit for the rest of her life," said Laura Greenfelder.

The twins first attended a totally verbal school in Grand Rapids for three years, but that method didn't work for Ali and she fell behind, said Kent Greenfelder, 42, a lawyer.

The school Ali attends offers a program that emphasizes both sign language and oral communication.

"Now that Ali is in (Central Elementary School in) Owosso, there are only three kids in her class and the other two are boys, so she misses all of the girls she used to go to school with. That's definitely a downfall," Laura Greenfelder said.

"We want her to be around hearing peers, but that means we need to work harder to have her friends over and come to sign class."

Ali exceeds most of her family in sign language, but she needs to make progress with her pronunciation, her parents said.

Ali stumbles at making definite sounds and gets upset because people often can't understand her, Kent Greenfelder said. She has "to modify signs and use any means necessary" to convey her message, he said.

Mackenzie becomes frustrated when she has to act like Ali's older sister rather than her twin. She frequently reminds her mother: "But she's five minutes older than me."

Mackenzie, whose hearing was restored by a hearing aid in one ear and a cochlear implant in the other, often acts as a translator for her sister.

By Jessica Soule
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1135509637238840.xml&coll=9