‘One Lahui’: How Olelo Hawaii Kuhi Lima connects Deaf and hearing keiki

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A local project is creating Hawaiian language hand signs to help Deaf and hearing keiki connect through ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Co-founders Kekai Kaaumoana-Cummings and Keane Waian Nakapueo-Garcia, alongside parent advocate Nikki Kepoo and interpreter Hercules Goss-Kuehn, joined Hawaii News Now Sunrise Weekends to share the mission behind ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Kuhi Lima (OHKL). Created in 2024, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Kuhi Lima focuses on developing access to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through sign language for Deaf and hearing communities. Kaaumoana-Cummings, whose family is from Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, is a full-time student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the first deaf student to attend Kawaihuelani Ka Hālau ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi — the Center for Hawaiian Language. “The reason why I believe that ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is essential is because it helps children, our keiki and parents who don’t know the Hawaiian language have access to that,” Kaaumoana-Cummings said. “Keiki have access to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi through Kuhi Lima, and it helps them build the foundations.” For Nakapueo-Garcia, who is pursuing his doctorate at UH Hilo and teaches Hawaiian immersion at Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau, the project addresses a critical gap in education. “This is important to create access because currently we don’t have accessibility for Deaf keiki,” Nakapueo-Garcia said. “That’s what we’re trying to create, because we have many ʻohana like this ʻohana and others on different islands who want access for their deaf or their nonverbal keiki.” Kepoo, Kaaumoana-Cummings’ hānai mother, said her journey began when she discovered her son was Deaf while raising an older daughter already enrolled in Hawaiian immersion education. She immersed herself in Deaf culture to ensure both of her children could share the same cultural foundation. “Language is really the only difference between the two children,” Kepoo said. “That’s when I got involved to see how we could build a bridge between the two communities, culturally, linguistically, all of it.” Organizers are calling on Hawaiian immersion schools and educators across the state to partner with the project. Kaaumoana-Cummings also shares sign language tutorials and educational content on social media, including TikTok and Instagram, to raise broader awareness for the Deaf community within the lāhui. To hear more about the initiative, stay tuned for an extended conversation with the team on an upcoming Billy V live episode. Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.