LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Reviving the successful ASL Awareness Event created last year by former Girl Scout E. Burch, Los Alamitos High School prepares to host the informative event once more this Friday, March 12. Open to all Los Al community members, the event will be held in the Media Center from 6-8 p.m. With the purpose of increasing the awareness of the Deaf community, the event serves to build a bridge between the hearing and Deaf worlds. 

How did this event start?

Noticing a clear ignorance of Deaf culture and American Sign Language appreciation within the school community, Burch set out to make a difference by trying to teach others about the rich community Deaf people share. Using this goal as the basis of their Girl Scout Gold Award, Burch, now graduated, used their senior year to plan the event. Constantly shocked by the lack of knowledge and clear rudeness towards the marginalized language, they acknowledged the vital need for change and created this event as a response. 

“While at Los Al, my [ASL] classmates and I witnessed and were subjected to mocking from both students and staff while on and off campus,” Burch said. “ASL is a beautiful language that helps the deaf, hard of hearing, mute, and many more. The language is valuable in both culture and accessibility.”

Although the event for this year is being run by Mrs. Bennett, Los Al’s ASL teacher, Burch is still holding an active role as they work to help aid in more of the background aspects.

What activities are happening during the event?

The gathering will be fully casual with games, food, and conversation, while also providing opportunities for guests to ask questions and actively learn about the Deaf community. Utilizing a mixture of ASL and English, people of the hearing community will gain an exposure to the ASL that they may not have received in the past. As it encourages participants to be more aware of Deaf people in their everyday life, the event will offer information to those who may be clueless on Deaf-related matters. Projecting a slideshow with different pieces of information about Deafness is one of the ways Mrs. Bennett plans to spark conversation and more specific questions.

“The point of [the event] is that there are so many people on campus that don’t know what ASL actually is or that it is a real language, so it’s mostly to educate the people that are not in an ASL class to learn about the Deaf community,” Mrs. Bennett said.

Why is learning about ASL important?

Despite the fact that Deaf people are a vital part of our community, many hearing people are incredibly uneducated about Deaf affairs. In order to bridge the gap between the two separate worlds, it is important that Deaf stories are brought to light. The path to a unified society starts with the awareness of other cultures, and this event provides the opportunity for inclusivity. Deaf people are often stigmatized and misunderstood as they live in a hearing-centered environment. As hearing people become more aware of Deaf culture and see from different perspectives, they help to create a more diversified environment.

“It’s important to be aware of ASL and Deaf culture because I’ll definitely interact with Deaf people in my life, and it’s important to learn about this culture the same way we would with other ones,” said Los Al ASL student Sydney Chung. 

Although many see it as a disability, being Deaf is a normal and beautiful thing that creates dimension in our world. Every person must play their part to help our community feel unified, so make sure you stop by the ASL Awareness Event tomorrow to learn more about Deaf culture and ASL!