ASL Interpreters in Hospitals — A Right for the Deaf Community
Pain or illness can be tough to articulate even when spoken in the same language. Describing pain to a healthcare provider in an emergency room means choosing between a series of specific, but highly subjective words — is it sharp, dull, burning or throbbing? Now, imagine how much the gap in communication multiplies for a […]
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Bachelors in ASL students draw inspiration for reducing the Deaf unemployment rate
The U.S. unemployment rate is an issue that always garners much attention from politicians, with promises of more jobs and news outlets frequently reporting national trends. There is one sub set of the unemployed population however, that does not receive as much attention, and that is the Deaf and hard of hearing community. According to […]
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Creative paths for Deaf, hard of hearing, and ASL interpreting majors: Deaf-led theatre
Paula Garfield spent 15 years as an actress, and for most of that time she was the only Deaf professional she knew working within a “mainstream” theatre company. Garfield became increasingly frustrated with the barriers that Deaf actors and directors face in the arts, and even more so, the lack of theatre created by Deaf […]
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ASL Interpreting Specializations: Combining ASL studies with other practice areas
People with an understanding of ASL and Deaf culture are needed in nearly every field to help communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing people and ensure access for everyone. Did you ever think about how you could combine ASL Studies with another area? Often, William Woods University ASL interpretation studies and ASL Studies students […]
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How Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) Help in ASL Interpretation
It is not uncommon that William Woods University students and graduates of the ASL Interpretation Studies bachelor’s degree program will work alongside Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) in their internship experiences and well into their professional career as ASL interpreters. But what exactly is a CDI, and what do they bring to the interpreting/communication experience? What […]
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2,000 ASL Gifs in the palm of your hand make it easy to learn ASL
Forget emojis, American Sign Language is now accessible from your phone’s GIF app. Giphy, a leading provider of the short, looping image files has uploaded over 2,000 American Sign Language words and phrases for anyone to use and learn from. The videos were cut from the popular ASL educational series Sign With Robert, with English text […]
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Sign language across the pond — and beyond
A recent blog post covered the UK’s first BSL poetry slam, and how sign language poetry utilizes visual elements to create beauty. But did you know that BSL and ASL are not as similar as you might think? “ASL and BSL are two separate languages which arose independently of each other. Although there are some signs […]
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Deaf poetry and visual language
In a previous post, Look into ASL mentioned poetry slams happening all over the U.S, and a recent BBC story covered the UK’s first BSL slam. The video follows one competitor, 20-year-old Honesty Willoughby from Bristol, through the process of composing a poem and performing it on the night at the BSL Slam. While ASL […]
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Be Encouraged: ASL Interpreting for Hip Hop
The Look into ASL blog has mentioned before that ASL interpreters can pursue a specialization as a performing arts interpreter, including interpreting concerts. Very often, musicians hire interpreters for their large venue concerts, and Deaf attendees can request interpreters for shows as well. Known for his powerful lyrics and heavy involvement in several philanthropic causes, […]
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American Sign Language users share personal experiences in honor of National ASL Day
In a speech last fall in Columbia, Missouri at the University of Missouri’s Celebrate Ability Week, Deaf activist, actor and model Nyle DiMarco ended with a piece of advice: Embrace yourself, he said. It’s this kind of celebration and embracing of Deaf culture for which National ASL day was created. Held on April 15 every […]
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