As some of my readers know, I was born deaf due to a rare condition called auditory neuropathy - essentially, my auditory nerve was underdeveloped at birth, so for the first couple of years of my life, I was severely Deaf. I could hear some things, and a handful of family friends essentially crowdfunded me a hearing aid, but on my own, I couldn't hear a whole lot. As a result, my first language was American Sign Language (ASL), followed quickly by English and Hebrew once I had a hearing aid. (There are a number of fun multilingual stories from these years, including my first Hebrew word being mistaken for an English word.) When I was a toddler, my hearing abruptly began to improve, and today, I am approximately a functionally hearing person; I struggle immensely with background noise and auditory processing, but no longer need to utilize assistive listening devices in most settings.
As a formerly Deaf and currently Hard-of-Hearing (HoH) person*, I certainly benefitted from knowing ASL. It's come in handy in any number of loud and busy situations. But it's much more widely applicable than you might think.
There are a few things people don't realize about sign language: it's pretty intuitive, there are a lot of resources for learning it, and it's useful in an almost limitless range of situations. Some examples:
My mom and I went to a bat mitzvah and ended up sitting behind someone she knew, and she spent a significant part of the service spilling the tea about that person in ASL. (Sorry, but it was way more fun than the Amidah.)
One of my partners and I went out to a bar, and I started to get overwhelmed and had a panic attack. I was able to ask them for water and tell them I was going outside without having to yell or even speak.
I once had an entire conversation with another person, fifty feet apart, about our plans for the afternoon so that they didn't have to come to me and then turn around and go back to get things I knew they'd probably forgotten. (They had.)
So what's so great about sign language?
For one thing, sign language is great for nonverbal, semi-verbal, and selectively mute people. It doesn't require any vocalization (obviously), but it's an entire expressive language. I've talked to more than a few nonverbal autistic people who use ASL or another sign language as a primary method of communication.
For another thing, it's awesome for panic attacks, especially those caused by an overwhelming environment. Rather than worsening a panic attack by having to yell and be yelled at, I've used ASL to communicate that I need to exit the space, get water or a snack, or find a quiet place and someone to sit with until it passes. Problem solved.
It's also great for communication from a distance or in an intentionally quiet space. I once used it while belaying to ask a climber if he was okay and if he wanted to come down - a bit of a challenge with one hand, but pretty manageable, and it made things easier on both of us! At other times, I've asked questions or communicated needs in a quiet or silent space without disturbing anyone.
Even if you aren't fluent, knowing a handful of signs can be hugely helpful. I taught one of my partners the signs for water, food, sleep, and basic questions and answers like "yes", "no", and "you okay?"
Sign language is great across the board, and it's a tool everyone should have in their arsenal. So the next time you're looking to pick up a new skill, maybe you should try it!
* After initial publication of this article, a family member tried to tell me that I'm not "really" HoH and was never "really" Deaf because I don't exclusively sign. So hey, here I am reiterating that I was Deaf and am HoH and no amount of ableism from family members who don't respect me will change that.
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