Live with Meredith – 2025 – 4/15

Live with Meredith – National ASL Day Celebration

Announcements:

• Silent Chat scheduled for this Thursday.

Historical Events, Dates, and Numbers in ASL:

1. April 15, 1817 – Founding of the American School for the Deaf
   • First permanent Deaf school in Hartford, Connecticut, starting formal Deaf education in America.
2. 1960 – ASL Recognized as a Language
   • Linguist William Stokoe proved ASL’s complexity and independence from English.
3. 1965 – Stokoe’s Dictionary of ASL
   • First dictionary treating ASL signs as linguistic units.
4. 1988 – Deaf President Now Movement
   • Gallaudet University protest led to the first Deaf president, I. King Jordan.
5. 1990 – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
   • Required interpreter services and accessibility provisions in public spaces.
6. 2006 – ASL Added to State High School Curricula
   • Recognition of ASL as a valid foreign language credit.
7. 2016 – ASL Becomes the 3rd Most Studied Language in College
   • Popularity behind Spanish and French in U.S. colleges.
8. Estimated 500,000+ ASL Users in the U.S.
   • Growing interest and use beyond Deaf community.
9. 51 States & Territories Have Deaf Schools or Programs
   • Over 100 Deaf educational facilities across the U.S.
10. Over 200 Years of ASL History
    • Influenced by French Sign Language, Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, and regional dialects including Black ASL.

Q&A Highlights:

• Email address sign: Use the “A” handshape making an “@” motion. Indicate numbers clearly with context. Example: Claire967@gmail.com – fingerspell clearly, use sign for numbers.
• CARPOOL sign: ND hand “C,” dominant hand claw-shaped moving forward.
• TOLERATE sign: Similar to “patience,” but moves downward twice.
• MOOD sign: Fingerspell “MOOD” or use “FEEL” with facial expressions. Regional variant sign tapping flat hand on chest for “bad mood.”
• Speakerphone: No standard sign, typically use “SOUND” plus classifier indicating phone/speaker.
• Inside out: Sign “INSIDE” and then flip outward motion.
• Award/Oscar: “Y” handshape tapping twice for noun (award), presenting outward motion for verb (to award).
• Teaching ASL (hearing vs. Deaf teachers): Discussion of backlash against hearing students teaching online without qualifications or disclaimers. Importance of clarity in experience and intention noted.
• ABOUT sign: Either “flat O” or index finger dominant hand circles around non-dominant hand.
• “That makes sense”: Signed as “UNDERSTAND,” with facial expressions and placement indicating formality and nuance.

Closing Remarks:

• Next week’s session: Darla Lane teaching about idioms and interpreting, encouraging questions in Discord.