This is only about the 3rd4th10thwhoknows time I am trying this. Thank goodness for accountability structures, this kid needs ’em. I have known for a good few years now that I want ASL to be a meaningful pursuit of mine. Influenced largely by my background working with children living with various neurodiversities or disabilities, I can see how ASL can give many folks the tools to communicate with their peers when sound and speech elude  them, temporarily or otherwise. I have personal reasons for it too. It’s a mix of things-  sometimes I find oral conversations overwhelming, a feeling that has often caused me anxiety and clouded my brain. A general fogginess, I usually call it when asked, fogginess fueled by noise, even lovely noises like the amazing thoughts of my peers and loved ones in active conversation.

A smaller consideration, but still one that I think of sometimes, is that I have felt my hearing decrease steadily over the last few years, doctors suggesting that my frequent ear infections are diminishing my capacity to hear clearly. A part of me wants this skill so I can communicate quietly while maintaining the intensity of my thoughts and unique expressions. The stress of sound can sometimes hinder my ability to ask for what I need, and I have had similar conversations with others who feel the same sensory stressors of auditory stimulation. I am keen to integrate ASL into my arsenal of communication, and hope I can find a sense of clarity in learning a new language and help to better connect to communities that use non-verbal forms of communication.

Here is my commitment to learning ASL:

  1. 30 minutes a day for 30 days of ASL practice, starting today…urrr tomorrow (sept 20) If you want, feel free to bug me about this, I probably need it.
  2. Find ASL communicators and hearing impaired advocates that provide insights into ASL as a language, and celebrate their cool contributions
  3. Learn the “isms”, the slang, the customs and share some of what I find! For example, this extremely dope study on how deaf people use sarcasm when using ASL (one guy does phrases in reverse order to show he’s being facetious!) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/university-of-manitoba-researchers-study-how-people-who-are-deaf-understand-sarcasm-1.3382283