Hamline’s American Sign Language (ASL) Club, an organization focusing on recognizing deaf individuals and the importance of ASL, has been a new but consistent voice on campus. Despite only putting their roots down on campus less than a year ago, they have been paving the way for providing an educational platform to teach other students about ASL and how to use it, as well as providing context for its importance when it comes to accessibility for deaf individuals.
Through this mission, they have been pushing out multiple events in their run on campus, with fun activities that are also educational in terms of raising awareness and hands-on ASL practice.
“We hosted 'A Quiet Place' trilogy with prizes and snacks for everyone to enjoy. Currently, I have been in contact with [the Hamline University Programming Board], and we are doing a collaborative event called Signing Safari. Signing Safari is where we, the ASL Club, and HUPB are taking Hamline University students off campus for a day at the Como Zoo. There, we will use different animal signs we learn throughout the next couple of weeks at our meetings,” ASL Club event coordinator and sophomore Felicity Ellsworth said via email.
These events, combined with the passion of ASL Club members for advocacy and inclusion, have made for a sizable impact on campus. Students have been privy to the ASL Club’s efforts and have expressed interest in wanting to be a part of their action.
“Around campus, I have seen more people come up to me asking about the ASL Club. For a club that is still fairly new, this is a massive win. Just getting people excited and interested in ASL is the goal. I have also seen our own club members using the signs and sentences we learn in the club around campus,” ASL Club vice president and sophomore Finnley Abbott said via email. “My team and I work hard to try to make sure that the videos and topics we choose are interesting and helpful for the people who attend our meetings, so seeing people actually use them in real-life scenarios warms my heart.”
“Abbott says that they were able to see the need for advocacy on campus due to their role as Advocacy Representative for Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress (HUSC), a position they were able to run for and carry out due to their work with the ASL club.
ASL Club has proven time and time again to be a valued and recognized part of the Hamline community as more students become involved and faculty begin to see their impact. They even received a shoutout from Interim President Kathleen Murray at the Campus Changemakers event, which discusses impactful leadership within the clubs on Hamline’s campus.
“This year, I have heard from various leaders on campus, such as the interim president, speak nothing but praise about the ASL Club. I was shocked seeing this happen live at a massive celebration on campus,” Ellsworth said.
The members were extremely excited about this shoutout as it gave a tangible demonstration of their leadership at Hamline being noticed and has led to them garnering more members.
“Recently, the interim president made recognition of the ASL Club during an important event, which made us feel seen. We have seen a large number of new members joining the club, and it makes all of us in the ASL Club feel amazing,” ASL Club President and sophomore Faith Kearns said via email.
As the club grows in membership and capacity for more events and activities on campus, the members of the club are hoping to see the club blossom into something bigger.
“We want to work on spreading the importance and the awareness of ASL and deaf individuals, not only on campus but everywhere in the world,” Kearns said via email.
The members of the club are extremely proud of the impact they have made on campus, and there are no plans of slowing down. Members are hoping to contribute to what the ASL Club has been able to accomplish thus far, and have plans in the near future for how to do so.
“Though it may be small, we feel like we have achieved a lot by being a club for less than a year. I am hoping to promote more students on and off campus about the importance of ASL in the real world. Going into my junior year, I want to deep dive into hosting events for the ASL Club and spread awareness of deaf and hard-of-hearing students,” Ellsworth said.
Those who have greatly contributed to the club and have seen its impact firsthand are planning to set the club up for success in the future and are excited to see what the future holds for the ASL Club.
“As this is my last semester at Hamline, my main goal is just that the ASL Club continues to grow. I think it would be great to see some of our members step up to board positions, and even see some of our board [members] continue to work with other orgs on campus to keep ASL spreading,” Abbott said.