Even before fully brainstorming for my inquiry, learning ASL came into the forefront of my mind. It was only after I chose my idea that I saw it also happened to be the first on the list of open topics/suggestions for our class. I have met a few people who learned a little bit of sign language growing up. I never had this experience. I have always been fascinated by sign language and found it to be such an important learning opportunity for communicating with anyone who is deaf or who uses sign to communicate.
Last semester, a couple classmates introduced a few sign symbols to our class and had a brief discussion on some of the differences between ASL and American or Canadian English. I remember being surprised to learn that ASL has grammar, syntax, and different ways to convey meaning. There is so much I do not know! As much as I feel ignorant and privileged to have not assumed ASL to have all of these complex aspects, it also made me feel more motivated to begin learning! According to the Canadian Association of the Deaf, “ASL is the third most widely-used language after English and Spanish [in the USA]” and “a number of Canadian provinces have formally recognized Sign as the language of Deaf people and/or as a language of instruction in the Deaf schools” (CAD, 2015).
Finally, as I enter this teaching career, how wonderful would it be if I could use sign language to communicate with my students when needed? If I learn enough to become proficient, perhaps I could even teach a few phrases to students in an effort to spread some knowledge about this amazing language? I have wanted to learn it for so long, I am so happy that I will be able to follow through!
Finally, I want to share a video that went viral of an ASL interpreter at a rap concert. It is inspiring to see more inclusivity and learn more about how concerts are enjoyed by the Deaf community through other senses. I am super excited to learn more!
Thank you for stopping by! Please feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Ms. J
JAMIE! No lie, before I scrolled to the bottom of this post, I thought “I wonder what an ASL interpreter would look like trying to sign for Twista”!!! The only thing more amazing than the odds that it turned out to be Twista was her performance. What a great video to supplement your initial free inquiry post!
Your topic also resonates with me from the inclusion aspect. Thinking about Deaf/hard-of-hearing and/or non-verbal students, I imagine the ability to communicate with them will not only makes them feel included, but also SEEN. On a semi-related tangent, the reactions elicited from folks when they unexpectedly share a common language with someone are so wholesome; the effort to connect with someone in their native, or most familiar tongue, makes them feel so at ease (@laoshu505000 on Youtube might lead you down a wormhole of linguistic amazement).
I mentioned it to you today, but your blog is laid out really nicely, and I can tell that the creation of this website is something that has really engaged you. I’m excited to see your progress, and how you’ll go about collecting information from a variety of sources. Do you know any ASL experts? Are there any cool podcasts out there that speak on the experiences of the Deaf community? Looking forward to the next step in your journey!
LOVE. I think your journey in this inquiry will be so enjoyable and useful for you and your peers! Did you know there are also different types of sign language, such as Israely sign language? I remember learning the alphabet with a friend in order to talk amongst ourselves in class so no one else could understand us… haha! I can still remember how to recite the entire alphabet in sign language and it is stuck with me for life… hehe. I know that it is also really helpful to use face expressions while using sign language as it is helpful for the deaf to understand what it is we are trying to communicate. It must be so difficult during these covid times to do so. I am excited to read your upcoming posts as it will be useful for me during my teaching career as well. I know that there are schools specifically for the deaf, but if someone who is deaf wants to go to a public school, they totally can! Good on you for taking up this endeavour and I am looking forward to learning more with you.