Illinois hosts finger-spelling bee for deaf students

From The AP:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Deaf students will have their own spelling bee in Springfield next week.

The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission is hosting its annual Statewide Deaf Finger-Spelling Bee Dec. 11.

It will be at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

The bee is in its 13th year. It's an effort by the commission to allow deaf students to have similar educational activities to their peers who hear.

It's patterned after the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee but is modified. Sign language is the method of communication.

The participants are Illinois students who placed in first, second, or third place or as an alternate finalist in school competitions.

The students are in two groups -- 5th and 6th graders in one, 7th and 8th graders in the other.