Hello, your Fairy God-Librarian here, and I’m going to start today’s journey with what seems like a detour but really explains how I recently got sponsored by my employer to learn a third language, American Sign Language (ASL).
When I was younger, I admired my older brothers. Even though my memories of living with them are vague, I do distinctly remember wanting to learn Spanish because I often listened to my older brother practice it for his high school class.
I tried to teach myself and filled up notebooks and a million notecards with basic vocabulary words I pulled from the internet. Then, in high school and college, I enrolled in classes and eventually progressed to the advanced-intermediate level that I consider myself now. Being fluent in Spanish has always been a dream of mine, but there was another language I also considered vital to American society and therefore would be extremely useful for me if I ever learned it: American Sign Language.
For years, I longed to take classes but didn’t see that many available nearby. Fast forward to a few months ago, and I briefly mentioned in a performance review with my employer how even more useful and interesting it would be if I could also learn ASL on top of my Spanish skills to help the Deaf patrons who recently signed up for cards at our library. She agreed. Fortune prevailed, and my boss received an email from the American Library Association offering a comprehensive, self-paced ASL for Librarians course. She immediately thought of me, and I jumped on the chance.
It’s been fantastic! I’ve learned so much in my Beginner 1 class and hope that I can keep getting permission to advance in levels. Because of this course, I recently was able to assist one Deaf woman who also taught me the sign for “happy Thanksgiving”. How amazing! It felt so fulfilling being able to sign the few words I had learned to her, even though the words I actually needed to help her with her problem turned out to be the next week’s lesson. Go figure. And she looked pleased! Here was a beginning ASL learner, a hearing person, speaking to her in her native language! Imagine how validated she felt knowing that I reached out to her on her terms instead of expecting her to come to mine.
And why shouldn’t I? Why can’t hearing people even make an attempt at learning the basics of sign language so that the barrier between the hearing and the Deaf could be breached? Just like we should all learn at least one other language, if not more, to be able to communicate with foreigners who visit our country or when we visit theirs. Imagine the intellectual benefits of not being entirely burdened by language barriers. With or without the benefits of technology, the possibilities of communication would be limitless.
I have also learned so much about Deaf culture that I hadn’t known previously. I’m enthralled and wish to learn more. I would love to be able to interview a Deaf person about their experiences interacting in a majority-hearing world, in their native language, while I fluently understand and sign along with them. I feel the same about native Spanish speakers who immigrate to the United States. This vast resource of human experience is yet one of many jewels in the crown of global fellowship and connectivity.
Every week, I get an hour to step away and rush to a computer to work through my course. The courses consist mostly of videos and accompanying notes and quizzes. I have until the end of January 2023 to pass all of my work. Yikes! As I progress on this journey to master ASL (as well as Spanish), I hope that I learn more about myself along the way. Wish me luck!
Love,
Lacie 🙂