Patterson speaks out for deaf community with new ASL club
Sophomore Samara Patterson, ASL club president and founder, signs “thank you” in American Sign Language.
December 7, 2015
Sophomore Samara Patterson founded the American Sign Language club this year to raise awareness about deaf culture and help others communicate with the deaf community.
Patterson, a child of deaf parents, started the club, which meets Wednesdays in B104, after realizing that the deaf community is often overlooked.
“Once people find out that I have deaf parents, they ask me ‘Can you teach me some?’ Instead of just teaching them a few words, I can teach them the basics,” Patterson said.
So far, Patterson has been teaching fundamental signs.
“We are starting really basic, with colors and food,” Patterson said.
According to club members, though the language can be challenging, most signs make sense.
“Some of the signs are a little bit harder than others, but every sign has a reason for being what it is,” sophomore Margaret Shoemaker said.
Club members feel the club offers a relaxed and fun atmosphere to learn the language.
“There’s definitely a lot to learn, but you just have to learn new vocab; there’s not a lot of complicated grammar like a lot of spoken languages and it’s a really fun language to learn,” junior Tess Herdman said. “It’s a really low pressure way to learn a new language, and it’s just a fun after school club as opposed to a graded class, which is great.”
Sophomore Samara Patterson demonstrates the sequence of movements to say “thank you” in American Sign Language.
According to Patterson, the general student response has been positive and supportive.
“The people who can make it every week are great and they want to be there,” Patterson said. “There’s no one that puts it down.”
The club has received positive feedback from community members.
“I’ve had a lot of parents that were just so thrilled [about the club] and the APTO is really happy and excited about it too,” club adviser and health teacher Kristen Morcone said.
Club members believe that the club has expanded their knowledge about deaf culture and society.
“I knew nothing about deaf culture before this, and now, as well as learning how to communicate with deaf people, we also learn about deaf culture and how deaf people learn sign language and the differences between deaf people’s lives and hearing people’s lives,” junior Tess Herdman said. “Even just minor differences, like how they answer the phone and how they hear the doorbell is interesting.”
Patterson hopes that she can make opportunities available for members to interact with deaf people with their newly acquired skills.
“My mom works at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham,” Patterson said. “This wouldn’t happen during school, but maybe we can fundraise and take a small bus there and interact with the children. I can’t really give the members a sense of deaf culture, because I’m not deaf. I see the deaf culture, but I’m not a real part of it. So, it could be a great learning experience.”
Patterson hopes the club builds in numbers in the future.
“Hopefully we can expand so people understand it’s not just another club,” Patterson said.
“It’s something that’s so important to our culture,” Morcone said,“[in order] to build awareness.”
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