Although the American Sign Language (ASL) Club is small, it has shown to have a huge impact at Foran. The club is run by Mrs. Sarah DiGiacomo, who has been in charge of the club for the past four years. DiGiacomo has worked to create a space where students can learn not just a new language but also how communication can bring people together.
“Although the deaf community is small, ASL is a language that all people can use and understand,” states DiGiacomo.
The club, consisting of three members, all of whom are freshmen, holds a strong passion to learn sign language and host a welcoming community for anyone who may join the club.
“We talk to each other, we have fun, we laugh,” states club member Quinteira Frazier.
Each meeting commences with every member greeting the others in ASL. They then go on to review words they have learned before in previous meetings, and go on to learn how to sign new words.
Additionally, students have had the opportunity in past meetings to learn songs and how to sing while signing them; this was one of DiGiacomo’s favorite activities within the club.
Freshman Hope Shannon mentioned that her favorite memory was the club’s first meeting, where she was able to learn all of the basic sign language from scratch.
“My favorite memory has been being able to learn all of the sign language and building a community with the people in the club,” states Shannon.
The club welcomes students like Shannon, who have never learned sign language before, and other members like Savannah Vongsa, who have taken it during middle school as a language. Yet, they all come together as a group to learn sign language.
“It’s always great to communicate with others who may not be able to communicate with you in the way you’re used to,” states Vongsa.
The club members all mentioned how they see sign language in more places than expected, and it’s been beneficial for them since they’ve joined the club and are now able to understand it when they see it.
Overall, the ASL Club at Foran shows that even a small group can make a big impact. By learning ASL, students gain a new way to communicate and develop a greater appreciation for different forms of communication.
