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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 […]
Read More...May 24th, 2017
Posted in ASL Books & Resources, Deaf Culture
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Stretching Boundaries: ASL Literature Course Spotlight
At William Woods University, bachelors in American Sign Language Interpretation and ASL Studies students take various courses that build breadth and depth of knowledge about Deaf culture and the various artistic expressions that have come out of the Deaf Community. William Woods University ASL Instructor Becky Davis developed the course ASL430: ASL Literature and has […]
Read More...May 25th, 2016
Posted in ASL At Work, Deaf Culture
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Sign language around the world
Bachelors in American Sign Language interpretation students at William Woods University have so many opportunities to explore the global implications of sign languages around the world — from ASL 120 Deaf Culture, where students compare and contrast Deaf culture in America with other perspectives, to Interpretation courses. In the above Attitude Live video, New Zealand Sign […]
Read More...January 20th, 2016
Posted in ASL Books & Resources, Linguistics
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The beautiful symphony of music and sign language
More than simply an interactive relationship, American Sign Language and music are in fact one and the same, with more similarities than some may have ever come to fathom. Deaf sound artist and composer, Christine Sun Kim, explains this concept through her TED Talk entitled “The enchanting music of sign language”. “For example, a musical […]
Read More...December 10th, 2015
Posted in Deaf Culture
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Book Spotlight: Reading Between the Signs by Anna Mindess
“The real job is not to understand foreign culture but to understand our own… all one ever gets from studying foreign culture is a token understanding. The ultimate reason for such study is to learn more about how one’s own system works.” —Edward T. Hall, The Silent Language If you have studied American Sign Language […]
Read More...June 12th, 2015
Posted in ASL Books & Resources
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‘The Preservation of Sign Language’ film holds new meaning 100 years later
Around 1912-1913, George W. Veditz, one time president of the National Association of the Deaf of the United States, gave his famous ‘Preservation’ speech about the importance of preserving the language on film. According to Arika Okrent for Mental Floss, Veditz gave this speech at a time when deaf schools were switching to the oral […]
Read More...May 20th, 2015
Posted in Living Language
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Linguistics in American Sign Language
Just as quickly as the rhythms and movement of American Sign Language captivate, it also confounds — a grammatically complex language with no structural relation to English. Linguistics — the study of language and its structure — includes the study of American Sign Language. Linguists mine the complexity of the syntax of the language, its […]
Read More...April 2nd, 2015
Posted in Linguistics
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William Woods sets up Deaf City LEAD event, a town that uses only sign language
Earlier this month, William Woods students participated in a LEAD event in an imaginary town called Deaf City where American Sign Language was the only form of communication. Deaf people from the community volunteered to own and run a model bank, post office, grocery store and more. They greeted and spoke with their “customers” in […]
Read More...October 27th, 2014
Posted in Deaf Culture
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Deaf Awareness Week celebrated all over the world
The last full week of September is the International Week of the Deaf; its purpose is to bring awareness to deaf issues, people and culture. The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) first celebrated International Day of the Deaf in 1958, and it was later extended to an entire week. The September date is to […]
Read More...September 22nd, 2014
Posted in ASL At Work, Deaf Culture
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American Sign Language mission of new trailblazing restaurant
A new Toronto restaurant reminds us that disability really is a matter of perspective. In the mostly hearing world of dining, Signs stands out as the only known restaurant that employs deaf waiters and encourages customers to order in American Sign Language. Signs is the brainchild of Anjan Manikumar, who began to learn ASL while […]
Read More...August 28th, 2014
Posted in ASL At Work, Deaf Culture
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