An Iowa School for the Deaf (ISD) student modified a local logo to be more relatable to audiences who are deaf- which just might increase safety, too.

Amiya Wood, an ISD sophomore from Kearney, Neb. was asked to modify the Pottawattamie County Threat Assessment Team’s new logo, “Speak Up,” which features a speech bubble. Speak Up provides an anonymous and confidential approach for individuals to report suspicious activity or potential threats that could impact safety of students or those in the community.  The program and logo were launched in October.

Wood’s version of the logo preserves the speech bubble, while using hands to represent the “k” in “speak” with arrows pointing to the speech bubble. Wood’s photography teacher Beth Chadwick then scanned the artwork, loaded it into a graphic design software and completed the digital design. 

Wood said she wanted the logo to be more visual and abstractly connected to American Sign Language, noting that communication isn’t just spoken, it can be seen. She wants the public to know Hands are a symbol in the Deaf community’s language.

It is planned for members of the community threat assessment team to visit campus in January and explain the reporting system to ISD students.