Many people are shocked to learn that American Sign Language is my first language. I am a hearing individual, and when I explain to them that my mother taught it to me as a baby, they follow up by expressing they want to learn sign language too. 

Sign language has been a big part of my life. My siblings and mother all knew it to varying degrees, and it was a way to secretly communicate in silent settings. My sister and I found it particularly useful during my father’s sermons where we could freely make comments to one another.

Communication in silent settings is a huge advantage, but it is also important for communicating with people whose primary language is ASL. In the encounters I have had with people who use ASL, there is always a rush of relief and excitement in the other person.

I once went to an event and noticed someone with beautiful hair signing back and forth with an interpreter. When I approached them and signed to them that I liked their hair, the person was so grateful to be able to communicate with someone themself instead of through an interpreter.

Being able to learn something well and put it into practice makes you feel good about yourself. When I have properly put ASL to use and held a conversation, I have felt very proud of myself. I was able to put time and effort into maintaining a skill and see that I was successful. 

There are a lot of resources available to assist people learning ASL. Teaching tools like flashcards and videos online can help build a vocabulary. There are also ASL communities that gather in person or via Zoom and only use ASL in those settings. Many are normal Facebook groups, such as Deaf Chat Coffee.

When I attended ASL community events online and specified I was a student learning the language, the other attendees were thrilled. People enjoy it when you make an effort to communicate with them and are very open to helping people learn.

Every time I would ask them to sign something slower or tell me what a certain sign meant, I felt awful for not being perfect. But every time I did ask for help, people were willing to help me because I was trying my best.

Investing in something new is time-consuming, and one of the biggest barriers for students trying to take on a new activity is a lack of time. Things like extracurriculars or school often prevent them from having the time to commit to investing in language learning.

But there’s always the promise of summer. As the semester comes to a close, a significant amount of time opens up for three months before classes begin again. With all the free time, it is the optimal time to begin learning a language. 

Still, learning a new language can be overwhelming. The urge is to try to learn everything about ASL in one day and be fluent the next. Realistically, it will take time. Sign language is my first language, but I still spend a lot of time learning it. Summer gives people enough time to build the foundations of language learning that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.