Test

Mourn

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

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Mourn or heartbreak in American Sign Language. Hands in C hand shape mirror each other with one hand palm up and the other palm down on either side of the heart. Then they twist as they close into S handshape. Movement is illustrated with arms that are translucent white. There is also a silhouette of a head and shoulders. The arms and silhouette are divided by lines radiating from the heart. Background is black.

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Transgender

Sources: Lifeprint, ASLDeafined, them

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The sign for Transgender in American Sign Language. Hand in 5 handshape with thumb against the chest twist and closes in O handshape. Motion is similar to the sign for Beautiful. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent blue and pink in different stages of the sign.

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"Hellen Keller is not real" is a right wing propaganda. It's literally something that was pushed by eugenistic tiktokers two years ago at least because they don't believe disabled people like Hellen Keller can do anything for themselves.

Imani(Faith)

Faith

Sources: National Black Deaf Advocates, SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

[Image ID

The sign for Faith in American Sign Language. F handshape taps forehead then taps base hand in F handshape. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent red, green, and black in different stages of the sign. Eyes are black. Background is white.

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When I’m out with Deaf friends, I put my hearing aid in my purse. It removes any ability to hear, but far more importantly, it removes the ambiguity that often haunts me.

In a restaurant, we point to the menu and gesture with the wait staff. The servers taking the order respond with gestures too. They pantomime “drinks?” and tell us they learned a bit of signs in kindergarten. Looking a little embarrassed, they sign “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day” in the middle of asking our salad dressing choice. We smile and gently redirect them to the menu. My friends are pros at this routine and ordering is easy ― delightful even. The contrast with how it feels to be out with my hearing husband is stunning.

Once my friends and I have ordered, we sign up a storm, talking about everything and shy about nothing. What would be the point? People are staring anyway. Our language is lavish, our faces alive. My friends discuss the food, but for me, the food is unimportant. I’m feasting on the smorgasbord of communication ― the luxury of chatting in a language that I not only understand 100% but that is a pleasure in and of itself. Taking nothing for granted, I bask in it all, and everything goes swimmingly.

Until I accidentally say the word “soup” out loud.

Pointing at the menu, I let the word slip out to the server. And our delightful meal goes straight downhill. Suddenly, the wait staff’s mouths start flapping; the beautiful, reaching, visual parts of their brains go dead, as if switched off.

“Whadda payu dictorom danu?” the server’s mouth seems to say. “Buddica taluca mariney?”

“No, I’m Deaf,” I say. A friend taps the server and, pointing to her coffee, pantomimes milking a cow. But the damage is done. The server has moved to stand next to me and, with laser-focus, looks only at me. Her pen at the ready, her mouth moves like a fish. With stunning speed, the beauty of the previous interactions ― the pantomiming, the pointing, the cooperative taking of our order ― has disappeared. “Duwanaa disser wida coffee anmik? Or widabeeaw fayuh-mow?”

Austin “Awti” Andrews (who’s a child of Deaf adults, often written as CODA) describes a similar situation.

“Everything was going so well,” he says. “The waiter was gesturing, it was terrific. And then I just said one word, and pow!! It’s like a bullet of stupidity shot straight into the waiter’s head,” he explains by signing a bullet in slow motion, zipping through the air and hitting the waiter’s forehead. Powwwww.

Hearing people might be shocked by this, but Deaf people laugh uproariously, cathartically.

“Damn! All I did was say one word!” I say to my friends. “But why do you do that?” they ask, looking at me with consternation and pity. “Why don’t you just turn your voice off, for once and for all?” they say.

Hearing people would probably think I’m the lucky one ― the success story ― because I can talk. But I agree with my friends.

  —  I’m Deaf And I Have ‘Perfect’ Speech. Here’s Why It’s Actually A Nightmare.

Lesbian

Sources: Lifeprint, ASLDeafined, them

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The sign for Lesbian in American Sign Language. Index finger of L handshape taps chin. Face outline, lips, and hand have the colors of the lesbian flag (three shades of orange, one of white, and two shades of pink) as a gradient.

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Not an app but the Knoxville Center of the Deaf will have free classes starting in January. If you can't wait, Bill Vicars has lessons for free on YouTube. I don't know of any free apps, but ASLDeafined is the one I recommend. Its $36/year. Here's a longer, more detailed list of resources if you're interested

Does anyone know any apps for learning asl that don’t require u to pay for lessons after the first few

Human

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

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Human in American Sign Language. H handshape taps at the shoulder then the waist. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green and blue in different stages of the sign. Background is transparent.

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Better

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

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Better in American Sign Language. Hand in open B swipes across chin and ends at the side of the face in A handshape. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green and blue in different stages of the sign. Face outline and lips are blue.

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Ace

Sources: Rogan Shannon

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Ace in American Sign Language. The hands are translucent, overlapping, and the colors of the asexual flag.

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