The feeling of being on a never-ending rollercoaster, going up and down and twisting and turning in every direction you never wanted to endure, has been circulating throughout my mind forever. Trying to find myself and my true friendships while adjusting to my parent’s remarriages has been a constant challenge. Sometimes I am a fish out of water inside my own head. Discovering a passion that keeps my head from falling off has been a recent accomplishment of mine.
As I pressed down the loose button on the faded black keyboard, scrolling through the pages on Netflix, I decided to watch a new show called "Switched at Birth." It’s about how two girls were mistakenly sent home with the wrong family when they were only five hours old and raised by their un-biological parents. The two people on that show who had a major impact on my life are Katie Leclerc and Sean Berdy.
Katie grew up in Colorado, the youngest in a close-knit family. When she was seventeen, she was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, a disorder in her inner ear. This disease causes a problem with fluid retention, leading to vertigo and slight hearing loss, along with other minor side effects. Sean is deaf, but he never let that get in the way of his love for acting. He has starred in many films, his latest show being "Switched at Birth." Both of them are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), a beautiful language, in my opinion.
The pair of them play deaf characters Daphne and Emmett on the show, who have to deal with the fact that they can’t hear and people will always stare at them and treat them differently no matter what they try to do. They face exhausting troubles, not only while playing a character on the show but also out in the real world and in their own lives.
My purple bedspread was neatly laid out as I closed the door and darkened my room. I hopped up on my bed, computer in hand, and began watching my show. It was late at night, and I was trying to stay awake. My eyelids kept drooping shut, but I used as much energy as I could to make sure I was wide awake. As I was watching the show one night, one line really inspired me to take on a new challenge in my life:
As Regina, Daphne’s mom, picked up Daphne’s biological mom Kathryn’s hands, she said, “Use these. The sooner you learn her language, the sooner you will get to know the incredible person you gave birth to.”
My pale green walls began to cave in on me as I got more and more into this exhilarating show. My heart started to beat as fast as cheetahs sprinting through the savannah. That’s when I knew that learning ASL would be the next rollercoaster I got on, and I was excited to take on the twists and turns it would bring. As soon as the enchanting episode ended, I spent lots of time reading about different places that offered sign language classes. The reviews, locations, prices, and instructors all played a key role in deciding where I took lessons.
I have been taking lessons for eight weeks now and am already awestruck by how breathtaking this language is. Every night before I plant my head down on my comfortable, blue-striped pillow, I study ASL, learn new words and phrases, and review what I already know I can do. Taking these classes really occupies my time, enhances my learning skills, and keeps me focused and serene. The few people in my class with me seem to enjoy it as well. My teacher is always so proud of the improvements we make each and every week and has impacted me so much already. We all try to help each other succeed when we are struggling and congratulate each other when we finally achieve the correct gestures needed to communicate the words intended. I plan on continuing to take these classes as long as I need to in order to fulfill my goal of becoming fluent in ASL.
Like a ghost, ASL touches me in a way different from how the rest of the hearing world would interpret it. Seeing how different the language is from all others and how diverse of a life deaf people have moves me in ways I can’t explain. They use their eyes and hands like we use our ears and mouths. Imagine a world where you have to depend on other people to help you know what is going on because you don’t have the full ability to interpret the world around you.
Katie Leclerc and Sean Berdy motivated me to alter the way I look at the world and not take things for granted. I know that some people have a lot less in their lives than I do and I am fortunate to be blessed with working ears and eyes. Deaf people don’t feel that not being able to hear is a handicap or disability; they see it as their way of life, and ASL is their way of getting through to the world and people around them.
The moment when Regina said that line was truly a moment I could never forget. I have seen that episode more than once, but I will never have the same reaction to that line again. Whether I know it or not, her words and ASL both changed me in a way nothing else has before. It will and does continue to impact my teenage years and possibly my career choice. Whether or not I use this language in my everyday life, or even at all, that moment will have truly changed my perspective about everything everywhere. I will remember that magical moment where my heart stopped; it will be fresh in my mind until the day I die.
