Sign Language in the Workplace

Sign language in the workplace is becoming more prevalent as the number of people increases who are hearing impaired, or are completely deaf. Being able to use sign language to communicate and to interact with a deaf co-worker is essential for establishing a positive working climate, and for building a strong rapport. It is equally vital for people to learn sign language who work in environments such as restaurants, hospitals, and retail businesses. In fact, it is not unusual, nor is it strange, to encounter people who cannot hear in every social setting imaginable.

Visualize the reaction a deaf person would have if he/she walked into your establishing to make a purchase, or to request help. You, or one of your employees, greet this customer in sign language by saying, “Hello. How are you?” Or, “Hello, can I help you?” How do you think this deaf customer will react? How good does it feel to this employee that he or she can sign enough to help this customer by communicating in their language? You do not need to be proficient at sign language to help a customer who is deaf. You can simply learn some basic signs and sentences in order to help out this person, especially if the signs are related to your area of employment/interest.

If you wanted to become an interpreter for the deaf, you would need to enroll in an interpreting program at a local college, or university. However, in today’s world, you have the opportunity to learn some basic phrases and words in sign language online, that would allow you to complete a sale, or to assist a deaf person. The World Wide Web has a vast amount of knowledge for people to learn American Sign Language. Some of the websites have themed lessons for people like you to learn what is needed. Some websites have a large video dictionary to customize to your liking. You now have the ability to select certain words that pertain to your workplace and to the deaf people you help/encounter on a daily basis.

The Deaf community is relatively small and cohesive. The moment you sign with your deaf patrons, the word of your interaction with them will spread like wildfire among the community. Deaf people seek out businesses and retailers that attempt to make a concerted effort to interact with them. Again, you don’t have to be proficient at sign language to ask a deaf person if he or she needs assistance. Having a basic understanding of sign language and deaf culture will go a long way. And if they ask, “Oh, do you know sign language,” you can simply reply, “A little bit.”

When looking online for a good sign language website, the following things should be considered:

Are the lessons themed, instead of a list of words?

1. Does the site offer ASL grammar and practice?

2. Are there retention exercises to help with memorization?

3. Can you review lessons if needed?

4. Is the site available 24/7?

5. Are the videos clear and large enough to see?

These are important criteria to have for your sign language learning. You want to seek out websites that has all of the above features. If it doesn’t, you may want to check out additional websites that will.

Regardless of your job status, the learning of sign language will be beneficial, rewarding, and worthwhile. After all, you may not even have a job, but you have a friend (or friends) who are deaf. Now you can communicate with them better and more effectively. How powerful is that? Have fun with signing and meet people from a diverse cultural background, especially the Deaf community. There, you will meet some tremendous people just waiting to communicate with you.

The Benefits of Learning American Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL) is the 3rd most used language throughout the United States. Learning sign language can provide numerous benefits. Some of these benefits include being able to converse with a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. Have you ever meet a deaf person before? If not, the first time you do meet one, just imagine the expression on his or her face when you sign, “Hello”. Sign language can be learned for people who scuba dive. Having the ability to communicate underwater is priceless. Imagine you and your friend adventuring into a underwater cave. You spot something really cool. You get your friend’s attention, then with the use of sign language, you are able to covey this “important” message. I am not sure if you have ever tried writing a note underwater, but I can only imagine what the paper would do.

Not only is it cool to be able to converse underwater and converse with deaf people, but you can also make interpreting into a career. Being able to sign gives you an advantage that most people do not have. How many people really know how to sign? My guess is less than 1% of all people know sign language fluently. If you decide to make sign language interpreting a career for you, you would have to enroll in an Interpreter Training Program to help you achieve your goal. While you are deciding to make interpreting a career choice, you can begin learning sign language fluently online, or at a local college. There are several online programs that will give you an upper-hand while learning sign language. You want a program that will provide all of the essential ingredients of ASL. Some of these components include ASL grammar, facial expressions, fingerspelling, numbers, sentence structure, synonyms and linguistics.

Another benefit of learning American Sign Language is the ability to learn about another culture. In the United States alone, there are a plethora of cultures. Deaf culture is one which very few people are familiar with. Have you ever wondered how a deaf person answers the phone? How do deaf individuals know when there is a knock at the door? How do they wake up in the morning for work? Has it ever occurred to you how a deaf person communicates with those who are hearing? For the most part, learning another language also requires you to learn about the culture as well. Deaf culture has a rich heritage, and it reflects tremendous pride. Deaf people function the same way a hearing person would, except with some accommodations made for their inability to hear. Some of these accommodations might include a specialized door knocker, which triggers a flashing light that alerts the deaf person. The same concept might be used to warn of an incoming telephone call. How does a deaf individual “talk” on the phone if they can’t hear? Well, technology has provided some much needed accommodations that make the lives of deaf citizens much easier compared to what was available in years past. Before the advent of the TTY, deaf people had to drive to the pizzeria to place the food order, then return to the vehicle and wait until the pizza is ready, and then drive home. Thankfully, those inconveniences are a thing of the past.

Now, the newest technical device is a videophone, so even the TTY/TDD is being used less every day. With the use of a videophone, deaf individuals can place telephone calls to anyone by using this new technology. A deaf person merely has to call the relay center where a hearing person is visible to both parties via a television screen. Instead of typing like the TTY/TDD technology requires, the two will communicate only in sign language. The deaf person will provide the interpreter with a telephone number to call. The interpreter places the call to the hearing party. The conversation is then signed to the deaf individual. The interpreter simply signs over the TV screen to the deaf person, and speaks to the hearing person through a headset. Conversations between deaf and hearing are now being done this way all around the world.

Here, I have only listed a few reasons why learning sign language is important. In life, there are so many more reasons why learning this skill is so important; perhaps you have a deaf parent, child, or sibling. Maybe your co-worker is deaf, or perhaps you work at a job where you encounter many deaf customers. Regardless of why you are interested in sign language, there remains no doubt that you can benefit tremendously from knowing this rich and vast language.



Written by: Paul Fugate / ASLdeafined, LLC