Sign language night broadens horizons
Walt Porter
Every Monday and every other Wednesday, The Xtreme Bean on Southern and McClintock plays host to members of the Deaf community for an American Sign Language (ASL) chat night. Not every attendee is deaf however. One group was from Mesquite High School, where the students were studying ASL.
One of the student’s mothers said that it was interesting. She was curious how Deaf people learned how to read. It was something she never knew until her daughter became involved with ASL.
Al Leader, who was born deaf, explained to her that most Deaf and hard of hearing individuals have a special teacher who teaches them how to read.
Leader tends to invite all people he meets to go, because it’s a good place to learn and he also tells them that he’s very patient with first-time learners.
Freelance sign language interpreter Lisa Hunter said that she feels it’s both a good and a bad place for first time learners.
“It’s good in the sense that (the) students can learn, but if they don’t know what they are getting into it can be difficult,” Hunter said.
Interpretation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing student Tiffany Howe described the program at Phoenix College as intense.
“There are other classes that go more in-depth for sign language… finger spelling, ethics, Deaf culture…” Howe said.
Howe said that there were many things she learned being in the program and becoming involved with the Deaf culture.
“Recently, I went to a GLBT workshop for the Deaf. I found it interesting that Deaf Gays didn’t think it was wrong for straight people to sign gay instead of finger spelling it,” Howe said.
Paula Pollard attended the coffee nights as well. She said that through all of the involvement with coffee nights hanging out with the Deaf community, she was able to go to a summer camp in complete silence. .
“The entire time, we were to be quiet and only communicate through sign, and if we voiced, we were warned. A second time, we had to wear clown attire and third a toilet seat around our neck,” Pollard said.
Pollard stated she was able to learn a lot through the camp.
