What's your sign?

Ok, now that I have gotten your attention, you should know that there is no way I would ever be fiddling with astrology and the crock that comes with it.  What I am talking about here is the beautiful language of ASL.  Growing up in a large church meant having an interpreter for the deaf in the main service.  I remember always watching and studying him or her.  It was beautiful.  They way they moved with fluidity and the expressions on their faces or those moments when the pastor would say something slang that was hard to interpret and the look of frustration on their faces.  It was great.  There was a guy a few years older than me, I was never close to him, but I would watch from across the room when he and his sister would converse.  Watching someone use American Sign Language is captivating.

I always wanted to learn ASL, but never had the chance.  Sure, we learned the abc's in kindergarten and the signs to the song "Jesus Loves Me".  That doesn't cut it.  It wasn't until it was time to sign up for my classes for my sophomore year, that I realized the opportunity was right there.  At Florida State, as I am sure it is with many other universities, you are required to take two semesters of a foreign language in order to earn your degree.  I had taken Spanish in high school and wasn't all that thrilled about doing it again.  French was just too sloppy for me.  Then my academic adviser suggested American Sign Language.  I thought, "It's English.  There is no way it counts as a foreign language."  Oh how wrong I was.  I signed up for the class excited that I was finally going to get to learn sign and get an easy "A".

Fall term came and I walked into my most anticipated class.  The teacher was up at the front messing with the computer and prompter to show our syllabus and there was a lady standing next to him.  She looked too old to be taking a bachelor's level college course.  I sat down with a friend of mine and class began.  The teacher, Alex, started signing at a normal speed (which is pretty fast).  We all had a look of confusion on our faces.  What was going on?  Then he pointed to the lady, she walked over and began to interpret what he was saying.  We were informed that our teacher for ASL 1 was, in fact, deaf himself and that she would only be there for this class period only.  After that first day, we were going to be on our own.  Talk about being thrown to the wolves.  Your teacher is deaf and you know nothing about sign language or the deaf community.

The semester went on and after a few weeks I was completely comfortable with Alex as a teacher.  He was great!  We would play different games in order to see how hard it was for a deaf person to communicate in a  hearing world.  In one class he was teaching us about how phone calls are made and even made a call in the middle of class for us.  I learned a good deal of sign language in that class and was excited to keep going.  At the end of the semester, he gave each of us a sign name and invited us to a "deaf dinner."  Apparently, this deaf dinner thing happens every month in the local mall food court.  Much of the deaf community gathers and eats from what ever place they want while conversing with each other.  They were informed that ASL students would be there and allowed us to watch and even taught us a few things while there too.  It was one of the most amazing experiences in college.

The next semester I signed up for ASL 2 and found a class on the deaf community.  During my Deaf Culture class I was amazed at the capability of the deaf community.  Best part of the semester was that both my DC and my ASL 2 classes were taught by two different deaf people.  Now I really had to know my signs.  Try asking a professor a question with signs.  It gets pretty hysterical at times.  My eyes were opened almost every day.  From the deaf schools and communities to the deaf comedy clubs, it was wonderful.  I continued on to ASL 3 and became somewhat friends with my teacher (she taught me ASL 2 the previous semester).  It was nice to be able to converse with her about her family and I remember that one day I had gotten my hair cut.  This was something that most of my close friends had not noticed.  I walked into class and quietly sat down.  Class began and she saw me and did a double take.  She ordered me to stand up (the deaf don't comprehend the word embarrassment) in the middle of the class just so she could see me better.  Then she began applauding.  I had no idea what she was doing.  Then she started motioning like she was cutting her hair and pointed at me and told me it was beautiful and she loved it.  I thanked her and sat down completely embarrassed and laughing to myself.

It is amazing how many things we miss as the hearing.  The senses of the deaf are amazing.  If you would like to see more of how the deaf interact with the hearing, I have recently found a new show that I have fallen in love with.  "Switched at Birth"  You can find it on ABC Family and play catch up on their website.  Right now that have all 11 episodes that have aired so far.  http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/switched-at-birth/videos You will learn a lot about ASL, the deaf, and even some signs yourself.

I am still somewhat obsessed with the deaf.  Recently I have thought about going back from some ASL refresher courses and getting my certification or even getting a second degree in Communication Disorders.  Who knows what crazy journey I will embark on next.  In the mean time, next time you come in contact with a deaf person, smile and wave.  Maybe even engage them in a conversation.  They aren't mutants and you can't catch being deaf.  This group of people are just like you and me with the only exception of a different form of communication.

Remember, you could be treated and shunned just like they are daily.  Next time you think you have it bad because everyone laughs at the two different shoes you put on for work that morning, look on the bright side, you're not deaf and made fun of for it.  Embrace the deaf and you may even make a life time friend.

Oh, and my sign is a "B" while doing the sign/motion for a happy face or smile.  :) Catch ya later!