Alecia Bergeron is a grandmother who loves children, especially babies. She loves them so much that, while enjoying well-deserved retirement after 25 years working for the State of Louisiana, she made the decision to go back to work teaching American Sign Language (ASL) to children and families.

Alecia is a member of the Deaf Community and grew up in a time when deaf or hard-of-hearing children had few options when thrust into daycares and classrooms designed for hearing children. As a child, she experienced a sense of isolation in environments where very few people were taught or even exposed to ASL.

When a family friend founded the Blue Bridge ASL Academy in Baton Rouge — a daycare and school that is fully integrated for deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing kids — Alecia jumped at the chance to be a part of it. Now, motivated to see a change in how the broader world interacts with deaf people, she works with very young children, newborns to 5-year-olds, in a program that is the first of its kind in Louisiana.

As an advocate, teacher and volunteer, Alecia pours herself into the children she works with, and helps bridge communication with parents and caregivers. The families of her students think of her as a beloved family member. She builds up confidence in children by creating an early foundation of love from which they might choose to build any kind of life they desire.

Someday soon, there will be a generation of deaf and hard-of-hearing adults who can trace the roots of their success back to Alecia.