ASL Students: Be honest, your reason???

Reason for wanting to learn ASL

  • My friends are doing it, I want to do it too!

    Votes: 1 1.6%

  • Watching others sign is so cool!

    Votes: 10 15.6%

  • Sounds more fun than learning Spanish or French

    Votes: 8 12.5%

  • To be able to communicate with a deaf person

    Votes: 32 50.0%

  • Other - will explain below

    Votes: 47 73.4%
  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
Reasons

i wanted to learn ASL because my aunt was an interpreter for a police department. she passed away 2yrs ago april and i thought that learning asl (along with getting a tattoo) would be a neat way to remember her.

plus i really got into the show switched at birth and i wanted to know what the signs were w/o reading the subtitles.
 
I have loved American Sign Language since I was first introduced years ago and I flat out refuse to learn Spanish!!!
 
My Reason..

Because I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. I want to be able to experience a new culture, meet new people, unlock previously closed doors. At first I took ASL class because I am a visual learner and I thought it would be cool to learn a visual language. Little did I know there was a whole world and community hidden right in front of my vary eyes! There was so much more to learn about the Deaf and their culture than i ever could have imagined! Sadly though, I live in a small town where the deaf community is almost non-existent. So I found this site in hopes of meeting deaf/HOH or other people like me and get some form of experience from it. I know it's not the same, but it's the best I've got for now. I hope, when I go to college, to get to experience, and if I'm really lucky, become a part of the Deaf community there. That is my reason. :fruit: :D
 
Whenever I took ASL (classes for 6 years until I got into high school and decided to go against my parents and be a teenager and quit), it was because my parents weren't sure how quickly my hearing would deteriorate and I would need it. Of course, they didn't take classes, so I wouldn't have been able to talk with them.. -_-
 
Well, in Canada, we are taught ASL and it kind of stuck to me. Later on, I realized I had hearing problems and so I took hearing test over and over again and found out that I was HOH and it was just going to get worse. That means, I needed to learn ASL. :)

This is why I learned ASL. Not because of a trend!
 
MY first reason was because I need to take a language credit in college and my sister told me the ASL classes she took were so much fun and that she loved it. Now that I passed the required amount (2 classes) I am still taking ASL course because of my teacher and the people I have met. Taking these courses opened my eyes up to a new world with an amazing culture. I even have gone from a biology major to an Interpreter's major so I can become more involved with the Deaf community and learn more about the people. I also look at some of my more ignorant friends and try to explain the beauty and emotion that must go into this language.
 
I am learning asl because my mother has Menieres disease and I don't like talking, let alone repeating myself. I started heavily learning because of switched at birth, it was my first experience to asl and my only glimmer of the Deaf community.
 
When I was in 5th grade, I saw a group of people signing to each other at a local airport. Back then, I didn't understand why they were not speaking. After learning about Deaf people, I wanted to learn to be able to communicate with them.
 
i want to learn asl to help people. my goal is to become a counsler and fluent in asl so i can help people who are hard of hearing or deaf without them having to go through the hassel of getting an interpreter.
 
I don't really know why I started, but I just remember practicing ASL. I loved the language and worked on it. Even if I only met 1 person I could eliminate the communication boundary I did it. I fought my high school district to get Asl offered. It took them a few years but it happened. Since I worked at the mall, I was able to communicate with a few deaf through the years. I loved the looks on their faces when they are shocked they don't have to write anything to order.
 
I took my first ASL class last semester, at first it was to fulfill an elective requirement for a foreign language, and since I am a shy person, I thought it would be a better choice than a spoken language. Not long after, I thought I had made a big mistake, like the rest of the "others," I was and am still very ignorant of how complex, and challenging ASL really is. Although I struggle at times, I can honestly say I have developed a love for ASL, and the Deaf community. Currently, I'm finishing up 102, and looking to progress further.
 
My Reason

I work with a deaf gentleman and it was necessary for me to learn sign in order to communicate successfully. However after a few weeks we had become very good friends and I wanted to learn more than what was needed. I have found that ASL is a beautifully streamlined language that makes so much more sense than English when trying to convey thoughts. I agree with with many deaf people that do not like that many people try to learn ASL simply because they think it looks cool, but if the motive of learning ASL is genuine then I think it is a great thing. Those of us that are hearing will never fully understand deaf culture, but I think its important that we try, keeping in mind that we are outsiders.
 
I am 19 years old and I have wanted to learn since the first time i saw it (about 5 years old). i think it is a beautiful and complex language and i one day hope to be able to know it fluently and interpret it. I just barely started learning on my own, but if there is anyone who would be able to teach me, i would love to learn!

ps i dont think its considered a fad... at least not here in utah.
 
I'm learning ASL because I love languages. I can get by in Spanish, I can buy things & get directions in German, and I've taken a quarter of Japanese and Russian. I minored in linguistics in college. One of my hobbies is to create languages (just for fun).

When they offered free ASL classes twice a week at my work, it was a no-brainer to sign up. :)
 
I chose Other, also. I am HOH, wearing 2 hearing aids, and as I have lost hearing gradually over the last 20 years, having to replace hearing aids as I "out grew" them, that I can't just depend on the aids to do it all for me. I am left out of so much and have become more of a hermit because I can no longer jump through all the hoops to communicate in the hearing world, and I don't know the language, so I don't fit in, in the Deaf community, either. So I decided it's never too late, right? :D
 
I'm learning ASL because I'm deaf. I wasn't able to learn ASL as a child - and I regret that VERY much. I wish that I had the opportunity to learn ASL as a child. But oh well. It's in the past now. What matters is that I have the opportunity to learn NOW (as a teenager). I'm trying to learn as much as I can!

There really should be a "I'm learning ASL because I'm deaf/hoh" option on this poll...
 
Because...

I was introduced to ASL as a 5th grader in school. I really enjoyed learning a different language. Later in life, when I was supposed to learn a language in middle school and high school, ASL was not offered. So I tried to learn Spanish. Now that I am at an University that offers an Interpreters Certificate Program, I have the opportunity to learn ASL. So that is what I am doing, learning ASL and about the Deaf Culture just to know. Knowledge is the closest you can get to understanding and stepping out of your shoes gives you better perspective. Plus Exposure = Awareness and the more people that use ASL, regardless of the reason, is just one more reason ASL will survive the ages.
 
I suppose I do sound like I want to learn ASL because its a fad. I read my introduction post and it probably sounds ridiculous for a person who hasn't even taken one ASL class to know she wants to be an interpreter.

But there are a lot of reasons why I want to learn how to sign. When I was little I read a book about a deaf-blind girl and got intriged by fingerspelling. So my mom took me to the library and I found a couple of books on Braille and the manual alphabet. Language is just interesting to me. I didn't know anyone Deaf or blind; I just bought a bunch of books and taught myself and all my friends some signs. I didn't know I was doing Signed English. Later, when the 1990 ADA law came out I worked for one of the first Relay Centers in Baltimore, MD. I couldn't type fast enough so I had to quit, though, then life got in the way of further pursuit of Deaf culture.

What all this boils down to is that I've been fascinated by ASL and Linguistics for years. Now I'm at a place in my life where I can pursue my interest, finally, without any discouragement from my family.
 
I am a student of language and sign language I believe is one of the most beautiful ways of expression. It is also a great feeling to be able to communicate with someone of a different language. It shows respect and is a great way to communicate.
 
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