Entries by Katelyn Cheng

American Sign Language Increases Deaf Awareness and Touches Hearts

More and more people are learning American Sign Language to be able to communicate with their loved ones or friendly strangers to make someone’s day. There are many great stories to tell. Check out how these stories have an impact on the Deaf community and make a difference in people’s lives. Meteorologist Goes Viral After […]

How to Understand and Learn American Sign Language

Have you added learn American Sign Language to your to-do list? It can be fun, but it can also be scary to learn a new language. You may wonder how and where to get started. When you make the decision to learn ASL, your first thought is probably to jump online and find out where […]

DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas August 2022

Joel Barish hosted the 4th DeafNation World Expo & Conference at the Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 1-4, 2022. About 15,000 Deaf people from around the world, including Deaf celebrities such as Daniel Durant, Troy Kotsur, Renca Dunn, and Wawa attended the event. There were fourteen sponsors and three partners. […]

American Sign Language Name Sign for VP Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris receives an American Sign Language sign name after she got elected as president Joe Biden’s vice president. American Sign Language and Deaf Culture – The Significance of Name Sign Deaf culture consists of many valued traditional aspects that are significant to the Deaf community, and one of them is the “name sign.” A […]

Can AI learn American Sign Language? Just Ask a Student Developer in India

  Learn American Sign Language From AI How cool would it be if artificial intelligence (AI) could learn American Sign Language? Is it even possible? Well, a student in India named Priyanjali Gupta developed an AI model that turned sign language into English. Gupta was a third-year engineer from India’s Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). […]

Learn American Sign Language like Fans of Makkari (Eternals Star)?

Learn American Sign Language From Big Hit Movies More and more people are wanting to learn American sign language. Now, people can learn ASL from big hit movies such as Eternals, Quiet Place Part 1 & 2, Godzilla vs. Kong, CODA, and many more. Have you noticed that American Sign Language and Deaf roles are becoming […]

Where do you start when you want to learn American Sign Language (ASL)?

When you make the decision to learn ASL, your first though is probably to jump online and find out where you can learn. Some people use social media, and others look for a course to get them through more than just how to say hello. American Sign Language (ASL) is one of a kind. It […]

Deaf Students in Mainstream Education

D/deaf students need accommodations that will help them be successful in their education. Normal hearing students can easily listen and multitask by taking notes during lectures; however, this is not the case for D/deaf people. There are a several accommodations such as ASL interpreter, CART, notetaker, copy of video/transcript, and many more, which I will […]

Different Types of Interpreters: Education Interpreters

There are different types of interpreters. In the article, “Certified Deaf Interpreter Interprets at Coachella Festival” I talked about ASL interpreters for concerts and festivals; however, in this particular article, I emphasized on CDI. CDI stands for Certified Deaf Interpreter. You are probably wondering how can a Deaf person interpret if he or she cannot […]

Do You Speak American Sign Language?

Have you ever been fascinated when people say, “Do you speak sign language?” Sign language isn’t a spoken language, so it does not really make sense to say “speak” as oppose to “know”. American Sign Language is a developed language that is made of hand movements, body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Many foreign languages […]

April 15th is ASL Day!

There are a lot of holidays we celebrate in the United States. Some of them are national holidays while others are religious holidays. Other countries have their holidays which also are celebrated in the US if the family is from that country. There are also important dates such as awareness days, weeks, or months; for […]

More Facts about Deaf Culture

I have mentioned several key aspects of the Deaf culture in the articles, “Did You Know the Facts About American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Community?” and “Deaf Culture vs. Hearing Culture“. In the first article, “Did You Know the Facts About American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Community?“, the key points I […]

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Athletes

  Deaf people can do anything except hear. There are famous Deaf entertainment such as acting, signing music, comedians, inspirational speakers, but there are also many famous Deaf or Hard of Hearing athletes of various sports including bodybuilding, football, wrestling, motocross racing, etc. Below are a few examples of many Deaf athletes who they did […]

Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University was co-founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. How did it begin? Gallaudet was visiting his family in Connecticut where he met Alice Cogswell who became deaf from a type of meningitis known as “spotted fever”. Gallaudet saw noticed that Alice was very bright and he wanted to educate her in reading […]

Did You Know the Facts About American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Deaf Community?

American Sign Language is its own language that is used by the Deaf community. American Sign Language has its own history of where it derived from and the Deaf community has it own culture.  Here are some facts that make American Sign Language (ASL) unique as its own language: ASL is not universal as it […]

American Sign Language vs Israeli Sign Language

Did you know American Sign Language is not universal? In the article, “Is American Sign Language Universal”, it talked about whether or not American Sign Language is universal, in other words, ASL is used in all countries all over the world. The answer is no. American Sign Language is only unique to the US whereas […]

How to Become a Certified American Sign Language Interpreter

Many people are inspired by American Sign Language (ASL) from signing in movies, in public, or by a d/Deaf/Hoh friend or d/Deaf/Hoh family member. This inspiration pushes them to want to learn ASL and for some people to choose ASL interpreter as their career choice. Becoming an American Sign Language Interpreter is a popular career […]

Marvel Studios Eternals Movie

American Sign Language and Deaf roles are becoming more and more a popular in the media industry. Whether it is a major role or supporting role, Deaf actors are getting more opportunities to raise to fame and start their acting career. Other movies that have American Sign Language and Deaf actors are Quiet Place Part […]

How Do Cochlear Implant Users Deal with Noisy Environment and Keep Them On When Riding Roller Coasters

Cochlear implants are a hearing device that allows a deaf person to hear. The sound is transmitted through using a processor, an external coil (magnet), and an internal receiver (magnet) that is connected to electrods in the cochlear that sends sound signals to the brain. Although cochlear implants are “connected” through using magnets- read more […]

Top 10 & 25 American Sign Language Signs for Beginners – The Most Know Top 10 & 25 ASL Signs to Learn First

  Have you been wanting or thinking about learning a new language? You’ve come to right place! American Sign Language (ASL) is a beautiful visual language to learn and it is a form of communication that bridges the gap between the Deaf and hearing communities. There are many questions such as if ASL is hard […]

Hit of COVID – Communication Barriers For the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and How to Handle It

Ever since the pandemic hit in February 2019, people began masking up to protect themselves from catching and spreading the deadly virus. The mask and a few additional protections such as double masks, plastic face coverings, or plastic walls between the speaker and receiver have created huge communication barriers between the hearing and the Deaf […]

Deaf-Owned Businesses

  Deaf-owned businesses and American Sign Language (ASL) are spreading and becoming widely popular. There are many Deaf-owned business all over the country. Here are some Deaf business that you maybe probably heard of, but if not, you should definitely check them out! Apparel By Mara – An iconic ILU designs on soft t-shirts, magnets, […]

American Sign Language Syntax

The definition of homonyms in spoken English mean two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation meanings or origins, but they all have completely different meanings. Instead of “homonyms” in American Sign Language (ASL) there is a concept where a single sign has multiple meanings. In order to understand the actual meaning of […]

Is American Sign Language Universal?

  Many people ask, “Is American Sign Language (ASL) universal?” Well, the answer is no, it is not universal. American Sign Language is unique and is commonly used within the United States and Canada. Canada actually has two official sign languages known as American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ). However, people from outside […]

Deaf Culture vs. Hearing Culture

There are major differences between the Deaf culture and hearing culture that people may not realize and it is crucial to keep in mind when interacting with Deaf people. One of the biggest differences is Deaf people are very direct with each other and “beating around the bush” does not exist in the Deaf community. […]

Deaf Culture | Name Signs

Deaf culture consists of many valued traditional aspects that are significant to the Deaf community, and one of them is name sign. Name sign is a sign that is exclusively given to the person and it is usually created based on the person’s characteristics, personality, hobbies, etc, which uniquely and distinctively identify a person. When […]

Deaf Culture | What does “D”, “d”, and “d/Deaf” mean in the Deaf community?

One needs to understand why it is important when it comes to identification of deaf people. In Deaf culture, “D”, “d”, and “d/Deaf” are extremely significant. “Deaf” with a capital ‘D’, “deaf” with a small ‘d’, and “d/Deaf” with both capital and small ‘d’ all have their unique meanings and how they are applied to […]