During high school, I had the choice to either take a foreign language or fine art courses. Take a guess which option I chose.. Well, I did take a basic French class in 7th grade and the obligatory introductory Spanish course the following year, but learning a second language just never clicked with me. Maybe it was more about being a busy kid rather than a matter of capacity. Regardless, when I met with the college counselor to discuss the courses needed to complete a Bachelor’s of Social Work, a foreign language was obviously on the list. Crap. There I was thinking I had managed to duck out of the whole learning another language thing.
So, I flipped through the course book trying to figure out what I was going to do. The counselor told me that with the field specifications I was hoping to work toward (Domestic Violence and Child Protective Services) a great option for foreign language would be American Sign Language. After that first ASL course, I was hooked. So much so that I put my BSW dreams on the back burner to pursue a degree in Sign Language Studies hoping to become an ASL Interpreter. Being involved in the Deaf community and learning the language was amazing. It also opened my eyes to what a GREAT mode of communication ASL can be for babies and young children. We signed with Lucas from the day he was born and by 5 months he was communicating with us using basic signs.
A wonderful friend of mine saw this adorable wooden teether on Etsy (Have you been to that site? Be careful, it’s entirely too easy to spend money there!) from Little Sapling Toys and bought it for the new baby. We absolutely adore it and the meaning behind it and I can’t wait to see my new little baby gnawing on this little “I love you” sign. Thank you again, Dana. ♥
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
That is perfect!
My daughter has profound hearing loss. I would have loved to have one of these when she was little.
Oh my gosh I love it! How cool.