By: Gabrielle McLaren, Features Editor
I don’t think a lot of clubs on campus can credit Switched at Birth for their genesis, but SFU ASL can.
That’s how club founder Bianca Verjee got interested in the world, culture, and language of American Sign Language (ASL), as she told The Peak. Switched at Birth features a Deaf protagonist and a cast of Deaf actors, all of whom sign on screen. Afte she got into the show, Verjee was inspired to start taking ASL classes through UBC’ Extended Learning program, and has since moved on to more advanced classes with Vancouver Community College’s ASL and Deaf Studies.
ASL was first adapted from Old French Sign Language by American educators to better serve the needs of local Deaf communities. Over time, ASL speakers from those communities have further adapted the language to make it more natural, resulting in the ASL of today.
There are five parameters for a sign in ASL: handshape, orientation, location, movement and non-manual expression (for example, the shape of your eyebrow changes to indicate that you are asking a question). It’s as different from English as French or Japanese, and comes with its own unique cultural context, etiquette, and history. Verjee had brought a few books on ASL with her to the club meeting that I could flip through before we began.
“The SFU ASL Club started because I wanted people to practice ASL with, but it has become so much more than that,” Werjee writes. “In addition to being a place for those interested, learning, or fluent in ASL to practice and socialize, the club has become a vessel for fostering a love of American Sign Language, and educating our community about Deaf culture, the Deaf community, and Deaf issues,”
This is the club’s sixth term since Verjee founded it in 2016, and the club currently boasts a whopping 200 members on their mailing list. She thinks that students are drawn to ASL because it is so unlike any other language, or because they recognize the importance of communicating with Deaf acquaintances, community members, customers at work.
As for Verjee herself? “I like how it makes me see things differently, how it provides an instant connection with other signers, and most of all, the intrinsic enjoyment of it— signing is really fun!”
The latest SFU ASL meeting that I attended centred around a unique theme: “See the Music.”
Students filtered into our room in West Mall Center as their classes ended, and the meeting kicked off with a series of videos on how ASL interpreters go about interpreting music for the Deaf community. As it turns out: really well. Interpreter Amber Galloway Gallego, whose work you can sample on her YouTube channel, uses height and elements of her facial expression like the shape of her mouth to evoke the pitch and speed of music. Interpreting music in ASL even applies to beatboxing (definitely worth a watch).
Following the videos, we went through a round of introductions to break the ice. Then we learned how to say our majors in ASL, thanks to Verjee’s previous knowledge, some crowdsourcing in the class, and an online sign dictionary.
Every SFU ASL meeting I’ve been to has featured some thematic vocabulary lesson, and today we focused on activities — swimming, biking, knitting, listening to music . . . After our lesson, we had a quick recap, and then out came the bingo sheets! Verjee would sign words in front of the class, and if the written form was on your sheet, you checked away until you had an X.
On the line was the winner’s choice between a Starbucks gift card, an SFU Bookstore gift card, and an adorable pocket-sized ASL dictionary. I’m not going to lie; I was a bit salty to find myself two squares short of victory — although watching the two runner-ups, who yelled “bingo!” simultaneously, duel for the win was entertaining too.
Next, there was a classic SFU ASL game: everybody stands in a circle, and a pack of index cards with four-letter words circulates around. You don’t see the word that you’re holding up, and club members have to make you guess it through gestures and related signs, without giving away the word itself. When you’ve guessed it right, you pass the pack along after fingerspelling the word. Fingerspelling, in ASL, is essentially spelling out a word by using the signs for the letters of the alphabet.
While gesturing and inventing actions is inherently different from ASL, the game trains your brain to think of handshapes, movements, and facial expressions as words and concepts. Occasionally, once we guess a word, we learn the sign for it. And rest assured: during the game, a few handouts picturing the alphabet are circulating to make sure everybody’s on the same page.
This has always been my takeaway from SFU ASL: some club members like Verjee have been learning ASL for years, some are taking night classes concurrently, and others joined the club without any prior experience or knowledge about ASL. And that’s okay. It’s actually one of the things that Verjee likes about ASL: “It’s a great way to make friends because of that instant connection when you both sign.”
If you’re interested in signing up, the club’s next event will be on October 25, when they will screen A Quiet Place for their Halloween event.
“The date will be posted in the FB group, but the specific time and location will be emailed to members. Anyone can become a member by signing up on the SFSS’ website,” Verjee said.
While SFU ASL is wonderful, it’s important to keep in mind that formal training with a certified ASL instructor has no match — just like how wouldn’t learn Dutch from Google Translate or your friend Dave. Even so, I would still recommend joining the club. It’s fun and relaxed, and you walk away every week with a better perspective on the Deaf community, and with practical language skills.
Additionally: the club is always evolving and growing under Verjee’s leadership.
“I have yet to meet any Deaf students at SFU,” Verjee said. “I would love to chat with them, get their input, and, if they’re interested, I’d love for them to participate in the club as an executive, or even just as a member.”
