I have always wanted to learn American Sign Language (ASL). But, I never thought that I would ever actually get a chance let alone the motivation to learn it. Little did I know that during my first semester at college I would join sign language club with a couple of my friends.
I have been going to this club every Monday for the past two semesters, and I have learned so much. And no, I don’t just mean the basic signs of how to spell my name and say my favorite color. While I have learned that this club has taught me so much more.
This club has taught me not only about the language itself but about the entire community surrounding it. For example, did you know that Christine Sun Kim, a deaf woman, signed alongside Demi Lovato in the super bowl during the National Anthem? Sadly I’m guessing you didn’t. This is because she wasn’t shown on camera. They showed Demi Lovato and the fans, rather than the sign language to go along with the United States National Anthem. So the deaf community never got to see the song translated live for them like it was supposed to be.
In addition, another thing that I learned from this club is that being deaf doesn’t inhibit people’s lives in any way. Whether your deaf or hearing you can teach, drive, and even, yes you guessed it, speak. Deaf or hearing we are all the same.