English was not the first language I learned. Since I was little, I have been familiar with American Sign Language because my maternal grandparents are deaf. Through spending time with them, I have learned how much deafness can impact daily life.

Instead of a loud alarm clock, the Deaf must rely on the other four senses to wake up at a certain time. Some use vibrating alarms under their pillows and some use alarms with a bright, flashing light.

When I was younger, I noticed how my grandparents' house always felt different from my house because there were so many strategically-placed lights. Each light has a sensor for different alerts, such as the smoke alarm, the phone, or the doorbell.

My grandfather never leaves the house without a pen and a pad of paper in his pocket so he can communicate with hearing people. The Deaf communicate through writing when they need to order food at a restaurant or ask someone a question at a store.

Thankfully, not all instances of communication require a pen and paper. There are strong Deaf communities all around the world that share a special bond. In my town, the Deaf community meets at the mall food court every Friday. My grandparents and my mom, who is a sign language interpreter, know most of them pretty well.

I have gotten the chance to meet some of them and to learn about the different backgrounds they come from. Even though I know a limited amount of sign language, I can feel the importance of the Deaf community in each of their lives.

Without the Deaf community, my grandparents would have never met. My great-grandmother recognizes deafness as a gift. She devoted part of her life to advocating the education of sign language in Deaf schools, because many of them only taught oral speech.

Through spending time with the Deaf, I have learned important communication skills like maintaining eye contact, being expressive, and refraining from interrupting.

Deaf parents are just as capable of raising children, if not more capable. Children learn how to use their hands before they learn to speak, so communicating with them through sign language is very helpful.

My mother is a musician, and even though she grew up with deaf parents who cannot hear her singing or playing the clarinet, they supported her at every recital. When she would practice the piano, my grandparents would place their hands on top of the piano so they could feel the music.

The sign that is most important to me is "I love you," shown in the photo above. It is a special term of endearment not only with my grandparents, but also with the rest of my family because all of us see the beauty in it.