Over the last few months I have slowly and painstakingly been learning sign language. I completed level 1 with 78% and had my first level 2 class last night.
I know that sign language is a little different then any other language and the learning process is different as well. I just never realized how hard it is. There is a ton of practising that has to be done in order to retain everything that you are taught. The class is an emersion class, there isn't supposed to be any talking out loud once you enter the room. This is partly to get your mind thinking in ASL and partly out of respect for the instructor, who is deaf.
Yes, the teacher is deaf! If you don't understand something or have a question, you need to find some way to communicate that to him without speaking. Now, imagine how difficult that must be. We take speaking and hearing for granted, we spend so much time using words, speaking and writing to get our feelings and points across. To suddenly be thrown into a situation where you are unable to do that is a bit of a culture shock. It also makes you learn faster though, you have to.
It makes me feel for immigrants to our country who don't speak English. I can understand how frustrating it must be for them to not be able to say what they want simply because they don't knoe the right words. They learn the words in time of course, just by being around people that are speaking English, but what a frustrating process it must be!
I think that in our daily lives we need to realize that speaking isn't a rite, it's a privelege, one that could be taken from us at any time. There are some people in my ASL class that are going deaf themselves and are now taking the time to learn sign language. They're thinking ahead. But what if you didn't have a warning? What if you lost your hearing in an accident, what if you had a child that couldn't hear? How many hearing people actually take the time to learn sign language? How many deaf people can live their lives normally without an interpreter?
We all need to start thinking outside of our comfort zone.
It's Been A Minute
1 week ago
