Starting this fall, the DDRC will have a drop-in American Sign Language (ASL) Club for both clients and employees.
The ASL Club will be run by Crysta Trask, the DDRC’s Creative Coordinator, and Samantha Archibald, a Community Resource Worker.
According to Trask, the goal of the club will be to help improve the communication opportunities for individuals who have a hearing impairment, are deaf, or have a communication disability.
“My main goal for this club is to increase quality of life for all clients, as well as developing a stronger, closer DDRC community where everyone can be heard, acknowledged, and appreciated,” Trask said.
Archibald explained how isolating not being able to have a conversation with someone can be, which is an issue she hopes to overcome with this club.
“Some of our clients communicate with ASL or writing only, and that can be lonely,” Archibald said. “This can open communication for current and future DDRC clients.”
The club’s first meeting will be on September 9; the club will run biweekly.
Did you know that there are at least 137 distinct sign languages in existence? Although Quebec uses its own system (Quebec Sign Language), most of Canada uses American Sign Language. Much like differences in spoken English, there are different dialects across the country. For example, there are three different ways to sign the word “about” – a variation in the Atlantic provinces, one in Ontario, and a third used in the west and north of the country.