My name is Andrea and I'm hearing. I started to learn sign language in the late 1980's from Sesame Street 
. I fell in love with it and went to the school library and city library and checked out every sign language book I could get my hands on me.
I realized about 5 years later when I was in High School and we had a sign language "class" (an interpreter took interested students into the library to learn, it didn't become an actual course until after I graduated in 1993) that I was teaching myself Signed English...it took a long time to re-learn using ASL (I'm still learning...i find myself doing a mixture).
After I graduated I wanted to become an interpreter...but I'm extremely shy and I chickened out.
I've watched almost every movie and TV show that involves sign. I used to get up early on Sundays to go to the one mass that was interpreted. I sit in my car and sign to songs. I just love it.
My interest has spiked again since the show Switched at Birth started this past summer. I'm looking into taking ASL again to refresh what I know and of course expand. I can sign but have a hard time reading sign...and fingerspelling...well let's just say that needs A LOT of work. I'm also considering the interpreter course. I'm not sure how my hands will hold up though...I had carpal tunnel surgery 2 years ago...I did learn recently that when I attempt to do a W my fingers don't want to work right...that might take some practice
I've been searching the web the last few days and came across the AD forum...I hope to learn new things and meet awesome people 
. I fell in love with it and went to the school library and city library and checked out every sign language book I could get my hands on me.I realized about 5 years later when I was in High School and we had a sign language "class" (an interpreter took interested students into the library to learn, it didn't become an actual course until after I graduated in 1993) that I was teaching myself Signed English...it took a long time to re-learn using ASL (I'm still learning...i find myself doing a mixture).
After I graduated I wanted to become an interpreter...but I'm extremely shy and I chickened out.
I've watched almost every movie and TV show that involves sign. I used to get up early on Sundays to go to the one mass that was interpreted. I sit in my car and sign to songs. I just love it.
My interest has spiked again since the show Switched at Birth started this past summer. I'm looking into taking ASL again to refresh what I know and of course expand. I can sign but have a hard time reading sign...and fingerspelling...well let's just say that needs A LOT of work. I'm also considering the interpreter course. I'm not sure how my hands will hold up though...I had carpal tunnel surgery 2 years ago...I did learn recently that when I attempt to do a W my fingers don't want to work right...that might take some practice
I've been searching the web the last few days and came across the AD forum...I hope to learn new things and meet awesome people
