Teal background with white heart split into 4 sections. Sections have images for dance, ASL, music, and theatre. Teal heart in center with initials

Sign to Shine

Discovering the Power of ASL

What is ASL?

American Sign Language (ASL) is a well-known language used among the Deaf community.

It vastly differs from many other languages due to it being a visual/kinesthetic language.

Unlike English, which is an auditory/verbal language, ASL combines the use of the hands, body angles, and facial expressions.

ASL allows communication amongst deaf individuals and can be highly beneficial for hearing Individuals to learn.

You can learn ASL to:

- Communicate and engage with the deaf community, including coworkers, customers, and clients

- Create new connections and bonds with deaf individuals

- Expand career opportunities (especially within the fields of education, healthcare, social work, and even the performing arts)

- Gain an understanding of the deaf community and culture and contribute to a more inclusive society

- Develop an alternate communication form that can be used in different settings such as loud environments or across a room where loud voices would be discouraged

- Enjoy the benefits of young children learning ASL before they are old enough to verbally communicate their needs (i.e. decreased tantrums)

Hi! I'm Aerowyn.

I’m a high school and college student majoring in ASL and musical theatre. This page is being created as a project for my ASL 4 course. Even though I'm hearing born to hearing parents, I started signing when I was a baby and I could sign before I could talk. My mom grew up learning SEE and studied ASL in college. She used basic signs in her autism work and was one of the first certified Signing Time instructors.

I grew up watching Baby Signing Time and Signing Time with her and started signing when I was a baby.

At 2 years old, I met my (then) hero: Rachel Colmeman.

I even got to meet her a few times.

I hope to combine my love of ASL with my love of musical theatre.

In 2023, the Universe decided to put that to the test.

I lost my voice the night before my vocal solo competition. I couldn’t even squeak out a couple of words.

I had an early morning choice: I could scratch my solo… OR… I could sign.

I had a recording of me singing the week before. With less than 30 minutes until my adjudication time, I ran through my song, pausing to look up the words I didn’t know, then ran downstairs and walked into my competition room.

Here’s what happened:

Top 10 Reasons to Learn ASL if You're a...

(Click the headings to see more)

PERFORMER

1. Enhance your expressiveness on stage.

2. Improve your non-verbal communication skills.

3. Stand out in auditions.

4. Connect with Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.

5. Add a unique skill to your resume.

6. Improve your memorization skills.

7. Expand your emotional range.

8. Collaborate with more diverse casts and crews.

9. Gain a deeper understanding of body language.

10. Enrich your storytelling abilities.

CHILD (SCHOOL AGE)

1. Improve early communication skills.

2. Boost cognitive development.

3. Enhance memory and retention.

4. Foster empathy and understanding.

5. Encourage fine motor skills development.

6. Promote inclusivity and diversity awareness.

7. Provide a fun and engaging learning activity.

8. Improve attention and focus.

9. Support bilingual language development.

10. Build confidence in communication.

COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

1. Improve your cognitive abilities.

2. Boost your resume with a unique language skill.

3. Enhance your communication skills.

4. Join a supportive and inclusive community.

5. Increase your cultural awareness.

6. Make new friends in ASL clubs.

7. Open up career opportunities in interpreting and more.

8. Gain volunteer experience with the Deaf community.

9. Improve your multitasking abilities.

10. Stand out in group projects and presentations.

BABY / TODDLER

1. Reduce frustration by enabling early communication.

2. Accelerate speech development.

3. Enhance parent-child bonding.

4. Improve cognitive and emotional development.

5 Foster an early love for learning languages.

6. Boost fine motor skills.

7. Increase self-esteem and confidence.

8. Strengthen memory retention.

9. Promote early literacy skills.

10. Provide a fun and engaging way to learn.

MY TOP PICKS FOR LEARNING ASL

BUT FIRST... THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING FROM DEAF INSTRUCTORS

Many people ask if it's "better" to learn from a hearing instructor or a deaf instructor. Some will argue that you should "only" learn from deaf instructors. Other will say it's up to the student.

I believe it is important to learn from deaf instructors because they usually have a deeper understanding of the language of ASL. They can teach beyond the mechanics of the language. They can teach you what it's like to be deaf, to be a part of deaf culture. It's also important to drive recognition and traffic towards their work. They will often have a higher fluency and can provide a more accurate teaching of the different forms of the language because it is usually their first language.

Learning from a hearing instructor can also have its benefits. They have studied the language in a formal setting and can also teach the mechanics and nuances of the language. They also understand what it's like as a hearing person to learn ASL, so may be able teach in different ways.

Both have their different benefits when it comes to learning the language and it is entirely up to you on who you want to work with. I have worked with both hearing and deaf instructors and have learned from each of them in different ways.