The new American Sign Language club is providing new skills for Thomas Jefferson students. photo by Kenna Mackey
A new club at TJ aims to educate students about American Sign Language.
There are a lot of misconceptions about American Sign Language (ASL). Many people believe that ASL is a direct translation of English, or that it is only used by individuals with hearing loss. However, neither of these things are actually true. Kenna Mackey, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School, created an ASL club to combat these misconceptions in the school community. The club welcomes everyone no matter their understanding of ASL and hopes to create a better understanding of the language. They meet every Thursday during 5th period lunch in room 215, which is club sponsor Joseph Smorol’s room, for any students hoping to participate.
Mackey shared that she first started the club due to the lack of ASL representation she saw around TJ. At her middle school, she ran a similar club, and was disappointed there weren’t ASL classes or clubs here at TJ. She said, “I wanted to create a space where people had the incentive to learn ASL. Many people have goals, but having a specific place for people to reach those goals provides people with some level of accountability and support.” By creating this structure, the hope is that students will be more engaged with sign language, and grow their skills beyond a basic understanding of sign.
Mackey herself began learning American Sign Language in the sixth grade, and is most interested in how sign language can be so versatile. Most people consider sign language a way to communicate exclusively with deaf or hard of hearing individuals, however it is so much more than that. Sign language can be a way to communicate with non-verbal communication, sharing information with someone in a crowded room, and can even improve cognitive skills.
The club teaches ASL, but there are many different sign languages that have developed across cultures. In fact, there are over 300 different sign languages, and there is no universal sign language. Though spoken English is the current lingua franca, the common language spoken between people who do not speak the same native language, it is not the universal sign language. For example, American English sign language and British English sign language are completely different.
Mackey hopes the club will help educate students that ASL is not simply a signed version of English. It has a completely different sentence structure and grammar than spoken English does. She believes that this fact is one of the greatest challenges and something that deters many from learning the language. She said, “The majority of the people I talk to who don’t have experience in ASL believe the hand motions are difficult, constant jumbled hand movements. Once broken down, each sign becomes immensely easier to do and understand.” Mackey also finds it helpful that some signs, called Iconic Signs, are direct visual representations of the word they represent, which can make some words intuitive to sign and understand.
Club meetings are informative to people of all different levels of sign, and help many tackle the perplexing grammar of American Sign Language. Every week, club members review basic signs to help grow their ASL communication skills. More than anything, Mackey believes there is a great benefit to learning basic sign language, and, in her words, “ASL is a beautiful and incredible language that should be more popularly taught.”
The club is a wonderful opportunity for Thomas Jefferson students to learn more about American Sign Language, and educate students about ASL. It is full of very welcoming community members, and the ASL club is prepared to make Thomas Jefferson a more inclusive environment for all, one sign at a time.
