More than A Language

In the food court at the Milo Bail Student Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), among the hustle and bustle of students eating lunch, one table is packed with people remaining silent.

It’s a gripping thing watching this lunch unfold across the food court, as the quiet but expressive group communicates through American Sign Language (ASL). Every month, Allies for Sign, UNO’s student organization dedicated to Mavericks learning ASL, meets for a meal done entirely in ASL. Much like any meal, they shared stories and discussed their day, with more students joining the group and, periodically, requiring the need to rearrange tables and chairs.

It’s easily the largest gathering of friends and peers in the food court, as even non-ASL students are interested in taking part. And Allies for Sign is a welcoming community, more than eager to let students join in.

As members insist, the best way to learn a new language is to force yourself to communicate entirely in it. Newer ASL interpreting students practice communicating with other members, as well as instructors who stop by. And those learning for the first time study worksheets and learn a handful of words and phrases.

The lunch is a valuable experience for those students, as Allies for Sign hopes that they leave with a new connection to the Deaf community in Omaha.

“We want students to be more aware of not just ASL as a language, but Deaf people as a community and a culture,” said Jordan To’oto’o, an ASL interpreting student and one of the club’s officers.

Club members take their role seriously. ASL interpretation through the College of Education, Health, and Human Services is the sole program in Nebraska that offers it. With that, it’s a critical degree for a state and a region in dire need of more ASL interpreters.

In fact for Ale Chavez, one of the club officers and an ASL student, to become an interpreter was the primary reason she came to UNO.

“When I saw that UNO is one of the only programs here in Nebraska to have anything like this, I knew this was perfect,’” Chavez said.

Like learning any other language, picking up the intricacies can be challenging. But what makes ASL different is how everything is communicated visually in a society largely built on verbal communication. Allies for Sign provides additional support for students studying it by giving them social situations they can’t always get in a classroom.

Chavez said learning ASL and interpreting can be challenging, and the organization reminds students that they are not going through the process alone. It offers a place to meet other learners who may be facing the same challenges, to practice and socialize.

“There’s so much nuance in this language because it’s based visually,” she said. “There are regional signs that vary depending on where you are in the United States. Learning about the origin of that sort of specificity is something that you can only get from someone in the Deaf community.”

Along with learning from Deaf instructors, Allies for Sign members work with Deaf organizations in Nebraska and Iowa and take part in events like monthly game nights hosted by the Omaha Association of the Deaf.

For beginning signers, To’oto’o said those events can initially be intimidating. But activities like playing a card game create a low-stakes environment where students discover they can communicate in ways beyond spoken language.

“You'd be surprised at how students perform in those situations where it's just like, ‘Oh my gosh, a room full of Deaf people. What do I do?’” To’oto’o said. “It's just like, well, just try to communicate.”

Senior Angela Larsen has been struck by the support the organization has received from UNO faculty and the broader Deaf community. Larsen, who began learning ASL through dual-enrollment courses at Metropolitan Community College, said that encouragement motivates the student leaders to continue building the organization.

“I think it's nice to see the reach that we can have and the support that we can have even just in small ways,” Larsen said.

Students interested in learning ASL do not need to arrive with years of experience. To’oto’o recommends starting with something as simple as the alphabet, while Chavez encourages students to take UNO's ASL courses, which are currently taught by three Deaf instructors.

For Larsen, learning from Deaf instructors gives students an understanding of the language that extends beyond vocabulary.

“They have an awareness of the complexities and the nuance of the language, and also cultural use,” Larsen said.

Ultimately, that willingness to learn is what Allies for Sign Language hopes to encourage — whether students are pursuing interpreting careers, learning their first signs or simply becoming more aware of a community they may not have encountered before.

“If they're just a little bit curious,” To’oto’o said, “Just a little bit of curiosity can go a long way.”