I figured that if I'm going to be deaf, I need to broaden my communication options, so toward that end, I'm working on picking up ASL. Back in another life, I earned a degree in deaf education, and with that came several sign language classes. I was once level 1 interpreter certified (which meant I knew enough to get by, but I wasn't very good). My friend, Jeff, is taking a signing class at UGA and offered to practice with me. We had his family over last night, and he shared what he'd learned in class. Fortunately, it was pretty basic stuff that I already knew. I'm going to join the class for ASL II this summer. I was glad to realize I don't need to go back to square one.
In the meantime, another facebook deaf friend shared an online sign language class she'd discovered: ASL University. Ironically, I think the UGA professor gets her course outline from here, as the information was exactly the same. =)
I'm looking into a summer immersion sign language class at Gallaudet, which would beyond amazing. Unfortunately...it's $$$ and then there's the housing issue. Where there's a will there's a way. My other summer opportunities haven't panned out, so there's plenty of free time!
Deafness, if it's all you've lived, is one thing...being deafened later in life requires a regrouping--a "figure it out" mentality. I'm not sure what's next for me...I know there are some great people and great resources to make the journey easier. I'm excited about figuring out what is ahead for me in my deaf life.
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