Top Three Things You Should Know about ASL
Did you know that approximately 15% of American adults (aged 18 and over) suffer from some form of hearing loss? How about the fact that there are over 11 million deaf people in the U.S. alone? ( National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders ) My name is Shane Powers, and I am not deaf. My hearing is perfectly fine (knock on wood) and as of writing this post, I am currently completing my last semester at Bowling Green State University. Despite this being my last semester here, I am only taking ASL 1 now, and I am shocked that most Americans go their whole lives without knowing even the basics of ASL. The point of this article isn't to convince you to learn ASL (though it would be great if you did). I just want you to take away a few important lessons about the language and the culture so that you will at least be somewhat prepared for the moment when you interact with a deaf individual. 1. Conjunctions aren't really a thing with ASL This is so