It would be remiss if an organization founded on the idea of building
connections between communities did not acknowledge that the United
States finds itself in a reportedly divided time, as is often the case
during Presidential Election years. Yet, it would be equally
irresponsible to chime in with opinions. That is not what we are here
for. ASLdeafined is here to to do as we have always said, bring
“Education … One Sign At A Time.”
We think “education” not only means spreading American Sign Language,
expanding cultural understanding, and supporting the Deaf. That phrase
also includes doing our part to make the world a more inclusive place.
What better way to start understanding differences and learning
similarities with others than learning their language? Although most
speak of that as “putting yourself in another’s shoes” for a while, we
look at it as putting yourself in our hands – literally!
ASLdeafined.com was founded by Paul Fugate, a caring sign language
educator with decades of experience working as a professional
interpreter, actively engaging with members of the Deaf Community. Yet,
even with his extensive experience, Paul knew that for ASLdeafined to be
authentic, it was important that Deaf individuals play a vital role in
the business. Subsequently, you will find that our content is not
delivered by hearing individuals, but Deaf Experts. We hope you will get
to know them as you navigate through the videos during your learning. It
is decisions like this that we hope demonstrate one way that humans can
make the world a warmer, more welcoming place… one act at a time.
We hope you take a step toward the same by the meaningful act of
learning a new way to communicate, because, as Howard Zinn once said,
“The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we
think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around
us, is itself a marvelous victory.” (full quote included below).
“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based
on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but
also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to
emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see
only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember
those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved
magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the
possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different
direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to
wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession
of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in
defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
― Howard Zinn (historian, playwright, activist)