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Ke Alakai - BYU-Hawaii Student News Lab - ASL Club shows deaf culture to BYU-Hawaii
Members of the American Sign Language (ASL) Club prepared for Culture Night for weeks, attending practices, reviewing the practice video, and practicing on their own time. On the evening of Friday, March 4, members of the ASL club gathered backstage waiting for their turn to perform.
Chris Wood and Sam Fullmer were the opening act for ASL Club, treating the audience to a Deaf joke. Using sign language and interpretive movements to help the audience understand, Wood shared a joke about a lumberjack and a deaf tree, while Fullmer provided sound effects and interpreted parts of the joke.
The rest of the club then joined Wood and Fullmer on the stage and performed their ASL version of “Firework,” with big smiles and expressive movements. ASL Club’s real story, however, comes from its members.
“I got involved with the club last semester when I saw Chris Wood sitting at the ASL table during World Fair,” shared freshman Alaire Moore, an elementary education-special education double major from Texas. “I’m interested in sign language because I’m already an expressive person and use my hands when I talk, so I might as well put them to use.” Moore learned the alphabet in third grade and wanted to learn more after that.
Nelson Anievas, a freshman pre-professional biology major from Nevada said, “I believe that our culture night performance went great... We all pulled through and looked like one cohesive group.”
The president of ASL Club is ICS major Cory Park, a freshman from California. “Sign language is an expressive, visual language,” he said. “It’s important to have the right expression and emotion in order to convey the right meaning. I hope that people realized we were out there to have a good time.”
Park has a long history of experience with ASL. With a deaf father and a mother who was a professional sign language interpreter, he learned to sign when he was young and has continued ever since. “It’s what I’ve grown up with and what I’m used to,” he said.
“Deaf culture is really straightforward and to the point. We like to have fun,” said Chris Wood, a senior in ICS from California, and the only deaf member of ASL Club. “For example, if I run into a friend I haven’t seen in a long time and I say to him that he’s fat he just says ‘I know, I eat a lot,’ and it’s no problem. He’s not offended. But if I said the same thing in hearing culture, they’d be offended.”
R.J. Javier, a junior in social work from the Philippines, said, “I’m studying to be a social worker, and part of my job will involve working with people with disabilities. Learning ASL now will be useful to me because it will let me communicate with deaf people in my job in the future.”
“Deaf culture is a culture. It’s important to be open-minded and just realize that ASL Club is a culture club,” reminded Javier.
“Everyone is welcome,” Park encouraged, “You get to learn sign language. We have a lot of fun.”
Members of the American Sign Language (ASL) Club prepared for Culture Night for weeks, attending practices, reviewing the practice video, and practicing on their own time. On the evening of Friday, March 4, members of the ASL club gathered backstage waiting for their turn to perform.
Chris Wood and Sam Fullmer were the opening act for ASL Club, treating the audience to a Deaf joke. Using sign language and interpretive movements to help the audience understand, Wood shared a joke about a lumberjack and a deaf tree, while Fullmer provided sound effects and interpreted parts of the joke.
The rest of the club then joined Wood and Fullmer on the stage and performed their ASL version of “Firework,” with big smiles and expressive movements. ASL Club’s real story, however, comes from its members.
“I got involved with the club last semester when I saw Chris Wood sitting at the ASL table during World Fair,” shared freshman Alaire Moore, an elementary education-special education double major from Texas. “I’m interested in sign language because I’m already an expressive person and use my hands when I talk, so I might as well put them to use.” Moore learned the alphabet in third grade and wanted to learn more after that.
Nelson Anievas, a freshman pre-professional biology major from Nevada said, “I believe that our culture night performance went great... We all pulled through and looked like one cohesive group.”
The president of ASL Club is ICS major Cory Park, a freshman from California. “Sign language is an expressive, visual language,” he said. “It’s important to have the right expression and emotion in order to convey the right meaning. I hope that people realized we were out there to have a good time.”
Park has a long history of experience with ASL. With a deaf father and a mother who was a professional sign language interpreter, he learned to sign when he was young and has continued ever since. “It’s what I’ve grown up with and what I’m used to,” he said.
“Deaf culture is really straightforward and to the point. We like to have fun,” said Chris Wood, a senior in ICS from California, and the only deaf member of ASL Club. “For example, if I run into a friend I haven’t seen in a long time and I say to him that he’s fat he just says ‘I know, I eat a lot,’ and it’s no problem. He’s not offended. But if I said the same thing in hearing culture, they’d be offended.”
R.J. Javier, a junior in social work from the Philippines, said, “I’m studying to be a social worker, and part of my job will involve working with people with disabilities. Learning ASL now will be useful to me because it will let me communicate with deaf people in my job in the future.”
“Deaf culture is a culture. It’s important to be open-minded and just realize that ASL Club is a culture club,” reminded Javier.
“Everyone is welcome,” Park encouraged, “You get to learn sign language. We have a lot of fun.”