Deaf culture is
essentially a community that is brought together through the association of deafness and the use of
American Sign Language, otherwise abbreviated
as ASL. When I was in college, I received the opportunity to intern at an institution that embraced this culture with open arms. This place
is called Helen Keller National Center. For those of you who do not know who
Helen Keller is, she was the first blind-deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts. She was quite
brilliant especially given her limitations. The one thing I love about her
story is that she never gave up. She pushed herself to stay determined in her
studies and really tried her best to reach her full potential. Her success has been shared in schools across the world.
In effect, she proves to be a role model to many. Helen Keller National Center praises her accomplishments and declares a mission
to assist others who are apart of the culture. One of many classes held at this
center is American Sign Language. This is a language that is communicated
through the movement of one’s hands. Personally, I find this to be one of the
most beautiful languages. When communicating, it appears as though one’s hands
are performing their own dance routine, one act after the other. It is simply mesmerizing to watch. During my stay, I
had the most amazing experience. I was not only able to learn a little bit of
ASL but also to gain a different perspective
on this culture.
Vocabulary:
association (noun)
– a connection or link
abbreviated (verb)
– to shorten
intern (noun) – a student
who works to gain experience
institution (noun)
– a place with a particular purpose
Bachelor of Arts (noun)
– a college degree in liberal arts
potential (noun)
– abilities that lead to future success
mesmerizing (verb)
– to hold the attention of
perspective (noun)
– a point of view
Vocabulary Exercise:
1. association a. a
student who works to gain experience
2. abbreviate b. a
college degree in liberal arts
3. intern c.to
hold the attention of
4. institution d. to
shorten
5. Bachelor
of Arts e.
abilities that lead to future success
6. potential f.
a connection or link
7. mesmerizing g. a
point of view
8. perspective h. a
place with a particular purpose
Grammar Point: A proper noun is a name used for an
individual person, place, or organization. Proper nouns are always spelled with
initial capital letters. The passage above has a few examples such as Helen Keller, Helen Keller National Center, and American Sign Language. Please list 6 proper nouns. Use each listed
noun within a complete sentence.
What an interesting post! I never knew Hellen Keller got a Bachelor's. This is definitely an inspiration that can reach many people of all ages.
ReplyDeleteI recently completed an ASL class and I found it to be a profound experience. I realized that I have been extremely ignorant of deaf people, as well as the deaf culture. It was an eye opening experience. I would love see ASL offered to Middle and High School students in place of a language. I think the deaf community has gone unnoticed for too long. Great article Ava! I liked how you linked the grammar point to your writing passage.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting internship! Thank you for sharing your experiences. Our neighbor down the block receives services from Helen Keller. They helped her get a job and want her to get a dog because she really isn't safely crossing the street.
ReplyDelete