ASL Interpreters in Hospitals — A Right for the Deaf Community
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
Pain or illness can be tough to articulate even when spoken in the same language. Describing pain to a healthcare provider in an emergency room means choosing between a series of specific, but highly subjective words — is it sharp, dull, burning or throbbing? Now, imagine how much the gap in communication multiplies for a hard-of-hearing patient who hasn’t been provided with an ASL interpreter. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hospitals must provide effective means of communication for patients, family members, and hospital visitors who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. However, ho ..read more
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Bachelors in ASL students draw inspiration for reducing the Deaf unemployment rate
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
The U.S. unemployment rate is an issue that always garners much attention from politicians, with promises of more jobs and news outlets frequently reporting national trends. There is one sub set of the unemployed population however, that does not receive as much attention, and that is the Deaf and hard of hearing community. According to Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), 70 percent of Deaf people are unemployed or underemployed, meaning they are involuntarily working part-time or are overqualified for their current position. Furthermore, of the Deaf and hard of hearing individuals that ..read more
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Creative paths for Deaf, hard of hearing, and ASL interpreting majors: Deaf-led theatre
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
Paula Garfield spent 15 years as an actress, and for most of that time she was the only Deaf professional she knew working within a “mainstream” theatre company. Garfield became increasingly frustrated with the barriers that Deaf actors and directors face in the arts, and even more so, the lack of theatre created by Deaf artists or with Deaf audiences in mind. “Despite having a Deaf actor using sign language, the shows weren’t made accessible to Deaf audiences — Deaf friends who came to see me perform would always say how lovely it was to see me on stage but, not able to understand the hearin ..read more
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ASL Interpreting Specializations: Combining ASL studies with other practice areas
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
People with an understanding of ASL and Deaf culture are needed in nearly every field to help communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing people and ensure access for everyone. Did you ever think about how you could combine ASL Studies with another area? Often, William Woods University ASL interpretation studies and ASL Studies students take on a second major in another field to pursue specializations, such as education, theatre or psychology. These are just a few examples of areas with documented shortages in recent years, and even more specifically, fields with fewer professionals who possess ..read more
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How Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) Help in ASL Interpretation
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
It is not uncommon that William Woods University students and graduates of the ASL Interpretation Studies bachelor’s degree program will work alongside Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) in their internship experiences and well into their professional career as ASL interpreters. But what exactly is a CDI, and what do they bring to the interpreting/communication experience? What is a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI)?The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), explains that there are several circumstances and a broad range of assignments for ASL interpreters where someone who has native or ..read more
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2,000 ASL Gifs in the palm of your hand make it easy to learn ASL
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
Forget emojis, American Sign Language is now accessible from your phone’s GIF app. Giphy, a leading provider of the short, looping image files has uploaded over 2,000 American Sign Language words and phrases for anyone to use and learn from. The videos were cut from the popular ASL educational series Sign With Robert, with English text translations underneath. According to a recent Mashable article, Wallis Millar-Blanchaer, a video artist at Giphy, and Stephanie Weber, a Giphy studios coordinator, first thought of the series while they were brainstorming how GIFs could be used to help fa ..read more
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Sign language across the pond — and beyond
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
A recent blog post covered the UK’s first BSL poetry slam, and how sign language poetry utilizes visual elements to create beauty. But did you know that BSL and ASL are not as similar as you might think? “ASL and BSL are two separate languages which arose independently of each other. Although there are some signs which appear similar to the other’s, the lexicon is largely quite different in each language, and under ordinary circumstances, these two languages are mutually incomprehensible to the other,” writes Don Grushkin, a Professor of Deaf Studies. “Perhaps the most obvious difference ..read more
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Deaf poetry and visual language
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
In a previous post, Look into ASL mentioned poetry slams happening all over the U.S, and a recent BBC story covered the UK’s first BSL slam. The video follows one competitor, 20-year-old Honesty Willoughby from Bristol, through the process of composing a poem and performing it on the night at the BSL Slam. While ASL and BSL are not actually as similar as you might guess, Honesty explains poetry in a way that is relevant across all sign languages: In the video Honesty explains how poetry can become visual in a number of ways, including using handshapes to portray different effects. Or, you can ..read more
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Be Encouraged: ASL Interpreting for Hip Hop
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
The Look into ASL blog has mentioned before that ASL interpreters can pursue a specialization as a performing arts interpreter, including interpreting concerts. Very often, musicians hire interpreters for their large venue concerts, and Deaf attendees can request interpreters for shows as well. Known for his powerful lyrics and heavy involvement in several philanthropic causes, Chance the Rapper recently became one hip hop artist to bring interpreters to his stage. In a video with interpreter DEAFinitely Dope by his side, Chance announced last month he will be bringing interpreters on stage f ..read more
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American Sign Language users share personal experiences in honor of National ASL Day
William Woods University - Look Into ASL
by William Woods ASL
3y ago
In a speech last fall in Columbia, Missouri at the University of Missouri’s Celebrate Ability Week, Deaf activist, actor and model Nyle DiMarco ended with a piece of advice: Embrace yourself, he said. It’s this kind of celebration and embracing of Deaf culture for which National ASL day was created. Held on April 15 every year in honor of the date in 1817 that the first school for the Deaf in the United States opened, National ASL day celebrates this unique heritage, and raises awareness for advocacy and opportunity for Deaf people and ASL users. Last month, for National ASL Day, NPR intervi ..read more
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