There were few open seats in the Massapequa High School auditorium on Nov. 6 as more than 800 students from American Sign Language programs came out for a highly anticipated visit by deaf comedian Justin Loncar.
Mr. Loncar, who posts comedic videos about being deaf on his @somedeafguy Instagram account, shared his journey from becoming deaf at 2 years old from Waardenburg Syndrome to navigating life with cochlear implants and learning ASL.
Students from 21 schools in Nassau and Suffolk counties were in attendance, including ASL classes at Massapequa High School’s main and Ames campuses. The show was coordinated by ASL teacher Melanie Smith and students from the ASL club.
Mr. Loncar, who is from Michigan, has traveled around the world performing deaf comedy shows and giving presentations. His 90-minute show in Massapequa was inspirational as his stories were blended with humor to make a positive impact on students. They were able to comprehend what a deaf person experiences growing up while enjoying many jokes throughout the show. Mr. Loncar even shared some of his viral videos. An evening performance featured about 200 members from the deaf community and hearing signers, followed by a meet and greet.