This Is Not The End

Well, everyone, this is my last blog post for 20-Time... It's been an interesting journey and I've learned a lot! I'm thankful for this opportunity with 20-Time that has exposed me to a different way of learning.

Now a little more about my project. We recently had to fill out a reflection in class that had a series of questions on it so I'm going to share three questions with my responses with you now:

What did you intend to accomplish with your 20-Time project? What did you actually accomplish with your 20-Time project? 

I intended to learn enough sign language to be able to have a conversation with someone else in ASL and then revised my goal to learning common words and phrases in sign language, while also learning about deaf culture. I accomplished my second goal of learning words and phrases, but not my first one of having a conversation with someone in ASL.

Describe the impact of your project on yourself and others. How could you use what you learned to create a positive change in someone else or the community?

I learned a lot about the deaf community and how deaf people are portrayed in the hearing society. Most deaf people get frustrated with the hearing community because most people think that deaf people are impaired in some way, when in fact, they aren't. The only difference between hearing and deaf people, is that deaf people can’t hear, but they can function like any other person in society. I could use my new knowledge about ASL and the deaf community by creating awareness of the deaf and the issues they have in society.

What roadblocks did you run into? What were the areas of the project that were more difficult than you expected them to be?

I was phased with a serious lack of motivation. I’m a really busy person, and 20-Time added more stress into my already chaotic life, so I ended up not working on it as much as I probably should have. I completed all assignments, but did only the bare-minimum, nothing above and beyond, which is what I normally do for projects. My topic was way harder than I initially expected. Learning sign language is learning a new language, and takes a lot of time to master, and it’s time that I didn't really have time to dedicate during this busy time in my life. I love ASL and learning about deaf culture, and want to continue my journey with ASL when I have a little more time to dedicate to it.

Though my journey with 20-Time is coming to an end, my journey with ASL is not. I am going to continue pursuing knowledge about the deaf community and deaf culture. Also, I'm very interested in minoring in ASL when I go off to college (I'm almost officially a senior in high school! Where did all the time go?!?!). I really feel like having a background in sign language would set me apart from the average applicant when I go to apply for an actual job, too, especially because I am thinking about majoring in education or social work.

I am so very thankful for all that I have learned about sign language and the deaf community. I have a new found love and respect for deaf people and their culture and can't wait to go out into the deaf community!

So, for now, but hopefully not forever...