Personal Narrative: American Sign Language

At the beginning of the term, I felt excited yet hesitant to learn ASL. Learning a second language has always made me uneasy and unsure of myself because of the rapid pace and the vulnerability it takes to allow myself to make mistakes. As the weeks progressed, my anxiety lessoned, and I realized I had no reason to fear! American Sign Language makes so much sense to me. So far, it does not contain any of the convoluted dimensions that General American English has. I am excited to learn more about the grammatical structure of ASL, increase my signing speed, and advance my cultural competence when interacting with Deaf people. Before this term, I knew minimal amounts about the Deaf Community. I have taken two classes that spoke about,