Powerful testimony and dialogue emerged from Thursday’s central town hall meeting on education, as participants highlighted the urgent needs of the island’s students part of the deaf community. These included a call for change from a former George Washington High School student.

For generations, the walls of GW have cracked and crumbled — but today, with federal funds stalled and campus revitalization efforts in limbo, one Gecko alum from the island’s deaf community is shining a light on a different, deeper issue — one that starts from within the Guam Department of Education.

"I fought my way through elementary, middle, and high school without an interpreter and without hearing aids. I had to learn to read lips," he shared. “The past legislature failed me, my mom, and many other deaf students.”

The 2004 graduate, speaking out during Thursday’s central town hall — calling on senators and education leaders to take action for public school students with disabilities. “Do you know how many teachers are certified in special education that we have now? I’m asking! No–and that hurts me—that hurts so many kids with disabilities. You had more than 20 years—Gov Guam, the board of education–had more than 20 years to fix this problem–and I’m living proof," he said.

Former education oversight chair, Senator Chris Barnett even sharing his own experience — a reminder that this isn’t a new problem. “My brother was deaf, and he graduated from high school in the 70s, and he did not have the help either. So, he did the same thing you did–he learned how to read lips and we had our own way of signing with him," he said. Barnett pushed for stronger accountability within special education.

But Michelle Camacho with the Division of Special Education admitted the need for interpreters is long-standing, with the positions often hard to fill — adding that all educational interpreters are currently assisting at career tech academy charter school.

As for efforts to address the shortage of one-to-one aids, Camacho says, there are initiatives underway. “We are also working with our HR department to change the position of one-to-one aids to the developmental disability aid, which is a little different–it’s specific to working with students with disabilities, and we hope that this helps prevent the large turnover rate that we have," she said.