The Journey of an ASL Interpreter | From Beginning to End | YouTube – Learn How to Sign

In this one-hour + “video podcast”, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the interpreting profession, including real-life scenarios, ethical considerations, and personal insights from over two decades of interpreting. Darla also goes in depth on what it takes to become an interpreter, including the education and certification required. She shares her journey, experience and advice to hopefully inspire you too to become an interpreter for the Deaf. If you’re interested in ASL, and specifically are considering becoming an ASL interpreter for the Deaf, this is a must watch video!

Deaf marine biologist Barbara Spiecker discusses accessibility in STEM with UMich ASL Club

About 40 attendees gathered at the Michigan League Thursday evening to attend a lecture by Barbara Spiecker, a deaf marine biologist at the University of New Hampshire and creator of the non-profit Atomic Hands, focusing on deaf accessibility in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The event, hosted by the American Sign Language Club at the University of Michigan, highlighted both Spiecker’s personal story as a deaf scientist as well as her work on ASL inclusivity in STEM spaces.

During the event, two interpreters translated Spiecker’s remarks for the hearing audience members. Spiecker discussed her journey as a deaf individual discovering her love for biology and marine science. She said she faced many challenges as she transitioned from a deaf high school to a public college environment with less accommodations for deaf students.

“My first two years were a struggle,” Spiecker said. “I look back and I believe the reason is because I had to experience interpreters. I had hearing professors. It was a hearing world.”

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The Inclusivity Conversation Needs To Include The Deaf Community, Especially In Hollywood | Forbes

Despite recent strides toward gender parity in leading roles, where women matched men for the first time by representing 42% of protagonists in top-grossing films in 2024, significant disparities persist in the Hollywood. Representation of people of color in lead roles dropped from 37% in 2023 to 25% in 2024, falling short of reflecting the U.S. population’s diversity. Behind the scenes, women held only 15% of directorial positions in theatrical movies, highlighting the ongoing challenges in achieving true inclusivity.

But beyond gender and racial disparities, another group remains critically underrepresented: the Deaf community. Despite the talent within the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing population, opportunities in Hollywood are scarce, with Deaf actors, writers and directors frequently overlooked in favor of hearing professionals. Authentic representation and inclusive hiring practices remain major industry gaps, limiting employment opportunities and the depth of storytelling available to audiences. As calls for inclusivity grow louder, it is crucial to recognize that true diversity must extend beyond race and gender to include individuals with disabilities—especially in an industry built on the power of storytelling.

Michelle Mary Schaefer, a Deaf actor, writer and filmmaker, is working to change that. As the founder of Annabelle Louise Productions, Schaefer has dedicated her career to telling authentic stories and providing opportunities for underrepresented talent in front of and behind the camera.

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‘It feels like home’: Deaf basketball tournament brings hard of hearing students together | KSLTV

Untold by her athleticism, Isabella Aguilar has only been playing basketball for three weeks.

“I love sports of any kind,” she said.

We spoke with the 15-year-old through an interpreter. Aguilar said her passion is archery — she’s actually nationally-ranked and has a goal of making it to the Olympics — but basketball allows her to be part of a community.

“I just feel like I belong here, and I do feel like I’m part of them,” she said. “I mean, in archery, I’m with all hearing people. But basketball, I’m with deaf people and I can see those different perspectives. It’s so cool.”

Aguilar is one of the Utah deaf students participating in the Western States Basketball Classic. The Utah School for the Deaf is hosting five deaf schools from Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona this weekend.

“It feels like home because everyone is deaf or hard of hearing,” said Utah School for the Deaf Athletic Director Jonathan Helgesen.

On the court, coaches and players communicate through sign language and have visual cues, like the backboard lighting up when the refs blow their whistles.

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‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore’ Review | Variety

‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore’ Review: The Trailblazing Deaf Oscar Winner Opens Up in a Winning Documentary | Variety

In her documentary “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” the star continues to explore the at times lonesome space she has occupied since bursting on the scene in 1986: that of being a representative for deaf people, and being herself. For more than three decades, Matlin was the only deaf performer to have won an Oscar, and among the few to have what could be considered a mainstream acting career. That changed when Troy Kotsur, her co-star in the 2021 Oscar-winning drama “CODA,” took home the prize for best supporting actor.

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NTID Deaf Artists: Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq

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Note: there is voice narration and closed captions available.

These artists are busting the myth that deaf people live in a world of silence. They’re very good at listening | abc.net.au

There is a common misconception that deaf people live in a world of silence.

But many people who are deaf retain some hearing. Some, such as Australia’s former Prime Minister John Howard, make successful careers in a world full of noise.

This also includes the music industry.

Increasingly, the music world is recognising that deafness doesn’t stop people from loving music as much as the hearing community. In fact, there are many deaf musicians.

One of the highest profile artists today is Dame Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish percussionist and composer. She has collaborated with many musicians including Icelandic singer Björk and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett.

During the 2012 London Olympics, Glennie led 1,000 drummers to perform in the Opening Ceremony.

She’s performed as a soloist with the best orchestras in the world, and released more than 60 albums ranging from concertos for percussion to improvisations with folk and pop bands.

In her latest project, Glennie is exploring the sound world of people who are deaf alongside poet Raymond Antrobus.

While Antrobus, who is also deaf, read his poems aloud, Glennie improvised on pre-selected percussion instruments.

“The whole thing really was pretty much one take recorded live right in the moment,” Antrobus tells Radio National’s The Music Show.

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Meet the face behind Los Medanos Colleges ASL program | Experience

Upon entering any classroom on campus, you would expect to hear the loud chatter of a class discussion, oral lecture, or students talking among themselves. But when you walk into Jennifer Finnigan’s SIGN-051 class, you discover complete silence while Professor Finnigan demonstrates a sign for her students to mirror.

Finnigan has taught American Sign Language for 24 of her 53 years. However, she never initially set out to become a college professor. The seed was planted inside her when she was a deaf child growing up in Fresno, California where a frustrated Finnigan sought communication from her family, friends and peers.

“Growing up I loved numbers, actually,” said Finnigan through her interpreter. “I thought maybe I would do something in accounting or something related more with math, but I noticed that I always wanted to teach my hearing friends signs. I wanted that from an early age because I wanted to be able to communicate and I wanted that barrier to be gone.”

In a family of six, and as the oldest of four siblings, Finnigan grew up as the only deaf person in her family. She navigated her home life through home signs, fingerspelling and SEE signs to communicate with her parents, sister, and two brothers.

“Looking back, I’m really grateful to my parents, because they were there for me, and they really did try their best to communicate with me, in ASL, and in sign language,” said Finnigan. “We did a lot of what’s called SEE sign, it’s signing in exact English. So it’s a little bit different than the actual language of ASL. SEE sign is more word for word… And I used SEE signs a lot in my community, because a lot of my neighbors and the kids that were my age would learn SEE signs so that they could communicate with me. That’s actually what inspired me to become a teacher, but I didn’t really know it at the time.”

Her motivation to teach in the classroom came from the influence of her mother, and a friend. That led to her finding herself entering the doors of Fresno City College at 29 years old, where she fell in love with teaching.

“I was very scared as I was feeling unsure of how to teach ASL in front of 30 students for the first time,” said Finnigan. “I had been teaching friends, family, and neighbors sign language for multiple years and I was not sure how to teach ASL as a language for the college.”

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Teacher of the Week created school’s ASL program decades ago and still teaches in same classroom | WZZM13.com

A first for the 13 ON YOUR SIDE Teacher of the Week: One West Michigan educator is teaching students a valuable skill that isn’t offered in every district.

Students at Forest Hills Central High School gathered in the media center to surprise Kimberly Anderson.

“I was very touched and so surprised because I had no idea,” she said. “When you teach, there’s just a lot of love and a lot of emotion but I have never seen it all in one spot.”

Principal Jonathan Haga told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, “You know, when I saw it was Ms. Anderson’s name, I was thrilled to be able to really set up an experience for her which – she was a little blindsided – but that she’s going to remember for a long time.”

Anderson was hired in 2013 to start the American Sign Language (ASL) program at Forest Hills Central High.

“There’s no high school curriculum for ASL, really, out there. So, yes, everything you see was masterminded by me,” said Anderson.

She’s been in the same classroom ever since and explained, “We talk about how beneficial sign language is and how it can be used anytime with anybody.”

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Most hospitals don’t have interpreters for the deaf. This one does. | Mosaic

During a typical shift at Newark’s University Hospital, Diely Martinez often slips into a patient’s room upon request to translate questions or convey concerns to a doctor. Sometimes, that involves translating between English and Spanish, while other times, she interprets for deaf, hard of hearing, or blind and deaf patients in American Sign Language (ASL).

“I am a trilingual interpreter, “English, ASL, and Spanish,” said Martinez of her role for the past five years at the Level I Trauma Center, located at Bergen Street and South Orange Avenue, serving Northern New Jersey, Newark International Airport and its seaports.

Effective communication between patients and providers in health care settings is essential for accurate diagnosis, care and treatment. But not all hospitals have human interpreters to assist deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind patients.

“The inclusion of ASL interpreters as part of our team is absolutely a critical asset,” said Lois Greene, senior vice president of DEI and Wellness at University Hospital. “Not only does it ensure that we are offering equitable access to health care for those who rely on sign language for communication, but it also reinforces our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s crucial to recognize that disabilities are a significant part of the DEI conversation, and yet they are often overlooked.”

Steven McCoy, a deaf and blind journalist who lives in Newark, said human interpreters are a good idea. He said he did not have access to ASL interpreters when he was growing up, and no one recommended that he or his family learn it.

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