ASL 102 Final Project

Good Night Gorilla

By: Peggy Rathmann

Final Project

By: Blair Forsberg

Blair's Final

Click on name above to video video.

Blair's ASL-101-02 Midterm (click on link)

Blair Forsberg

October 21, 2013

Professor Debbie Pietsch

ASL 101-02

Diving into Deaf Culture

            When I arrived at the Portland Deaf Expo I was struck by the silence of the event.  I was greeted, in sign language, by some nice people asking me if I had registered.   Although I was not familiar with that sign, I understood what was being asked.  I felt very welcomed, but at the same time, it was made clear that this was their event to celebrate their community.  I was welcome to participate and attend, but my hearing comfort was not the focus or the goal of the event.    

My first impression was that the Expo was much small than I had anticipated. I was expecting it to be much bigger with many booths celebrating the deaf community and to introduce new technologies and products. However, most of the booths were sponsored by churches with a few telecommunication companies and a very small group of other services.  There was one company called Purple. I reflected that as a hearing person, branding is an auditory experience with little thought given to the deaf community.  “Purple” was such a quick and easy word to sign.  I watched the presenter’s hands as he talked with people and saw him constantly signing the name of the company.  I thought this was very clever of the company.  Very common brands to the hearing community would be difficult to sign for the deaf community such as Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Canon, Reebok, Google, etc.  It made me realize the little thought is given to the deaf community as manufacturers name their companies and their products. 

I was pleasantly surprised by my grasp of signing.  When I was in a group of people I felt comfortable because I could pick up a word or two here and there.  I felt that I had a pretty good idea of what was being taught.  However, when a question was specifically directed at me, I had no idea what was being asked or how to answer.  I don’t know if this is because I am a very early learner, or because I froze up when others had expectations for me to communicate.  I think this is fairly typical when learning a new language.  You feel successful “hearing/seeing” the language before you feel comfortable “speaking/signing” the language.

            At the back of the Expo there was a stage for the big presenters, even with no sound they were able to get the crowd excited and pumped up. It was fun to watch them express their excitement and enthusiasm with sign.  I kept thinking they were “loud” even though they didn’t make any noise.  At the opposite end of the spectrum were some of the presenters that didn’t sign at all.  I thought this was a little weird considering the purpose and focus of the event.

The final thing that hit me as I walked around the Expo was how many times I saw the sign for “I love you”. I am the kind of person who likes to buy a souvenir.   I went to the 3 souvenir stands and was almost overwhelmed by the sign.  It was on 85% of the items. To me, with this much use, it was no longer a sign, but a symbol—much like the Christian Cross or the Jewish Star of David. This sign had become the perfect symbol for the signing community.  It defines them as a loving, supportive, and kind community that supports and cares for each other.  I certainly saw people embracing this symbol in the way in which they interacted with each other and with me.  This was such a wonderful feeling that I left looking forward to attending the Expo again next year.