As you work through American Sign Language lessons and read up on Deaf Culture, it is important to remember that deaf people have a sense of humor, too! Whatever aspect of deaf life you may be exploring, you should never forget to treat deaf individuals the same way you would your own friends and family. Although deaf humor and hearing humor does not always translate between cultures (for example, “It’s raining cats and dogs”), that doesn’t mean you should resist sharing a laugh like you would with anyone else.
Hearing people are often afraid to offend a deaf person by signing the wrong thing, but just as with any other language, deaf people appreciate it when others try to communicate with them. Just think how much easier it would be to learn a new sign than make sense of some of those French pronunciations! Everyone has the tools to be an ASL learner… just (literally) dust off your hands and get to work. The more you explore American Sign Language, the more we at ASLdeafined believe you will come to understand the unique beauty of this special means of communication.
Please join us in our goal to share this important language with others. Summer is a great time to catch up on that TO DO list of life and tackle some of the tasks you put off during the rest of the year. Why not make it fun by picking a favorite joke and learning how to sign it? What a great way to start a conversation with the next deaf person you meet.