ELYRIA, Ohio — There's a place in Elyria that makes you feel at home. It doesn't matter what you look like, or even if you can hear the music. The doors at Sharon's Signers are open to everyone.
“We have one person who is completely deaf, and another individual who is hard of hearing, and one who is non-verbal. And what we do with that kind of music, even for people who can’t hear at all, music tends to bring out a color for them. Or a shape. And for a lot of those individuals it’s so meaningful, they get to actually sign to a story and they become a part of that story," Director Cory Svette told us.
The stories being told are deep rooted in Svette's family. His mother, Sharon, was a special education teacher for years. She learned sign language to connect with one of her students, who was deaf. Soon, others in the class wanted "in" on the new, inclusive world. Thus, becoming "Sharon's Signers."
“Sharon Signers is a community-based group. It’s a sign-language group for all types of individuals, whether you are on the spectrum, whether you can’t move your arms or legs, or even for individuals that are neuro-typical. It’s a group for everyone to learn how to do sign language through music and theatricality," Svette said.
Then in 2016, Svette's world came to a halt with his mother's passing. Rather than stop the music, he chose to carry on.
“A lot of the parents, as well as the students, came up to me and said, ‘We don’t want this choir to go away, we don’t want it to just drop off the face of the world. We want to move it forward, and we want to move it forward with you,'" Svette recalled.
That's because Svette knows more than anyone what it's like to face challenges. He's on the autism spectrum, but his mom always knew he was a leader.
“(The parents) reminded me in that moment that this is something that my mother would have wanted," Svette said.
What Sharon wanted, was a safe space for her signers: Free to be themselves, to feel loved.
“A lot of our signers would be socially isolated outside of this group. They don’t have friends, a lot of them don’t have employment,” said Executive Director Rebecca Miltenberger.
Or, in the case of 20-year-old twins Matt and Andrew Nord, who lost both their parents, the group lifts them in ways the outside world just couldn't.
“I don’t think words can describe it. It’s just one of those beautiful experiences," Matt Nord said,
“We can be ourselves, be free … and just have fun," Matt said.
And while they learn about sign language and expressing themselves, they're also teaching each other along the way.
"For a lot of them, they are learning something from each other. And that’s something that we tend to focus on, which is inclusion. Inclusion, not just of their personalities, and their abilities – but of their different talents," Svette said.
When they perform, they're reaching for joy -- and spreading it.
“If you come to one of our shows, and you see kids with amazing challenges, performing and shining, it will inspire you to be your best," Miltenberger said.
For the signers, they'll always have a place to call home.
“To remember that you are not alone … in this world. And that you always have a place in it," Svette said.
For more information on Sharon's Signers, click HERE.