who are we? who are we? who are we? who are we?
started with personal experience, navigating being HoH with hearing family
I took my first sign language class my freshman year of college, after 18 years of ENT and audiology appointments with surgery in the midst of that. Not one doctor ever told my parents about sign language or the Deaf community. While I understand the desire to preserve hearing and am grateful for modern medicine, I was always left feeling so alone not realizing there were tons of people who were going through the same struggles in life. My college senior thesis gave me the opportunity to start reflecting on my identity and experiences as a hard of hearing person, exploring why people like me who could benefit from using sign language, don't. Research quickly showed the complexity of my question, forcing me to narrow it down to one aspect: what are the systemic issues keeping people from sign language.
the deaf and hard of hearing aren't a monolith with everyone coming from different backgrounds, making it impossible to propose a single solution to improve language access.
from that realization, Gesture was born
Gesture as a concept can be ever evolving. The current project design focuses on creating community, providing scholarships, and acting as a resource hub through a very approachable, welcoming non-profit. Each aspect focuses on different areas that are systemically blocking people from embracing sign language. First, addressing the financial hardship of trying to afford language classes. While often state sponsored if you are deaf as a young child, language classes often have to come out of pocket if you're past a certain age or if you have family and friends who want to learn ASL alongside you. Specific scholarships would be established to target different communities such as a need-based for those who are low-income, an LGBTQ+ scholarship to support students finding teachers who embrace their identity, a BASL for black students interested in learning more about the Black American Sign Language dialect, a BIPOC scholarship, and more. The resource page would be an information hub, especially for those with a hearing background to help find local events, teachers, research on both ASL and hearing-assistive devices to start. Hearing loss can be an overwhelming diagnosis to some, especially hearing parents, and having all the important info in one place can be a lifesaver. Additionally, pushing community through organization sponsored events, acting as an ad board for local gatherings, and the creation of a mentor program that extends beyond grade school to all foster connection.
what does the future hold for Gesture?
As I put more time into it, I'm tempted to actually launch some form of Gesture one day. As a hard of hearing person, I have the privilege of being able to hear but also the privilege of getting access to a whole new community through my hearing loss. I am very aware of the struggles and challenges of being in a world not designed for hearing loss in mind, and I feel it is my responsibility to advocate for accessibility whenever possible. Hopefully in a few years, with many more ASL classes under my belt, I could better advocate for those like me.