When I enrolled at UNH as a freshman, I held my class schedule eagerly in my hands in the passenger seat of my mother’s car on the way home from orientation. Most of the courses were discovery courses, but one was different. I had a language I’d never had the opportunity to learn before printed on my schedule: American Sign Language. Over the past two years, ASL has opened my eyes, ears, and heart to a new perspective and a new passion. I’ve learned so much and it has influenced my life in a way where I believe everyone should learn some ASL. There are several reasons why I believe this, but I’ll share six with you all:
1. It opens up a whole new culture that otherwise might’ve stayed unknown.
When I began my undergrad career, I thought it might be both beneficial and interesting to learn American Sign Language. I never knew the journey I’d embark on, the incredible friends I’d be introduced to, or predicted I could be blessed with one of the kindest, most influential professors I’d have the pleasure of learning from in my undergrad career. I walked in to my first ASL class hoping to have an advantage when I entered the job market, but I sit here at my laptop truly influenced by all that ASL has given me. It influenced me so much I took up the minor of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Studies, which granted most people in my major complete, but it genuinely intrigued me. I learned ASL is more than just a cool language, it belongs to the souls of some of the most passionate, intriguing people amongst a hidden culture.
2. It changes the way you perceive deafness and the deaf culture.
For the majority of my nineteen years, I saw deafness as a disability and something people suffered from. I never looked down on those who were deaf, but I often felt sympathy for them as I was under the impression they were lacking a part of the world that “normal” people had access to. I saw it as something medical, not cultural. I didn’t even know Deaf culture existed. I didn’t know there was a difference between deaf and Deaf. After taking ASL and a course in Deaf Studies, I can confidently say I believe the Deaf culture is rich and something worth learning about. Deaf culture is as important as any other “minority culture.” Deaf culture is beautiful, enriching, and eye-opening.
3. It bridges gaps between the deaf and hearing.
A few weeks ago I was on the phone with my father and he was talking about an encounter he had with a man who was deaf while he was at Talladega in Alabama earlier this month. The man was selling tickets, but was using hand and facial gestures to communicate with the people surrounding him. My father didn’t realize it until after the fact, but I told him I wished I was there so I could converse with him. I could only imagine how differently my father’s perception of the man would be if he knew even just some basic ASL. ASL isn’t only meant for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It’s for everyone so we can close communication barriers. It’s for infants who develop the ability to sign faster than they learn to speak. It’s for us to communicate with our grandparents as they age and lose their hearing. ASL is for everybody.
4. It gives you an advantage for future job opportunities.
As I complete my ASL III course after taking two consecutive semesters of American Sign Language, I can definitely see the future possibilities with acquiring this skill. As a Communication Sciences and Disorders major, I hope to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and learning ASL can certainly open up doors to a whole new population that otherwise might be closed off from me. I also learned SLP-related majors aren’t the only ones can benefit from learning this beautiful language. There were education majors, English majors, psychology, OT and PT majors all within my small classes of ASL. ASL is a valuable skill – it opens doors that were once locked with a key we didn’t have access to.
5. It opens up a whole new pool of possible friendships.
I’ve met several different people through taking ASL, and like any other class with a small classroom setting, it’s nice to see a familiar face around campus. However, ASL is different. The classes are often under thirty people, usually twenty, there’s a level of intimacy and friendship that develops within the heart of the classroom. I’ve made considerably close friends through ASL – people I wouldn’t have been introduced to normally since none of our other classes intermingle or they live in different parts of campus. The only way to learn ASL is by practicing it, so when you’re in a class where your ability to speak isn’t useful to the learning environment, you become closer than you normally would with your classmates because you’re all working to improve your fluency and accuracy in a foreign language.
6. It gives you a new appreciation for your ability to hear.
Often times, we take our senses for granted. When situated in a room where your voice is essentially muted and your ability to speak will inhibit the growth of your ability to sign, you become very aware of how we completely ignore how incredible hearing can be. We forget about the sound of rain pitter-pattering against our glass windowpanes, of the birds singing to each other as the sun breaks dawn, the sound of your best friend giggling from a good ole belly laugh. We forget about the sounds of the world. Immersing yourself in a culture who has that part of the removed, you appreciate your own ability to hear.
