You are having dinner with a new group of friends, all of whom know each other. As you sit in your chair staring at your plate of food, you try and think of ways to join the conversation. Laughter flows from the mouths of the others, and their whispered words and pointed glances suggest an inside joke that you are painfully outside of. 

“What’s so funny?” you have the courage to ask.  

“Oh, nothing,” someone responds. “Just a funny memory we all have–you’d have to be there to understand. Don’t worry about it!”  

You shrink into your chair as the sting of these words reverberates.  

The isolation and confusion of this situation is often how Deaf people feel in a hearing world. Conversations and communication are unfolding around you without you being able to understand them. When you try to ask, people often leave out details or tell you that whatever you missed wasn’t important.  

As a university that embraces Great Hospitality, we must do all we can to ensure that people are welcome and feel they belong. There is no better way to do so for the Deaf community than to learn their native language.  

As a freshman, I was thrilled to learn that Anderson University had their own American Sign Language (ASL) club. My mother had been a sign language interpreter for several years before I was born, so she always shared her experiences and knowledge with me. I had never really learned any ASL, however, so I thought the club would be a perfect opportunity to do so.  

My first time going to a Silent Dinner was nerve wracking. I realized I had never really met any Deaf people before, and I only barely knew the alphabet and a few signs. I was terrified of making a fool of myself. As I introduced myself to others in sign language, my heart raced and my hands shook and I was painfully aware of how silent it was, despite there being several people around. 

But the Deaf and hard of hearing community welcomed me with open arms and kind understanding. Even the initial step of being interested in and attending an event for ASL elicited gratefulness. And I was not the only one who did not know much ASL by any means. The members took me under their wings, showed me patience, and taught me.  

I was fascinated by the strictly visual characteristics of sign language. There were many signs that seemed intuitive, because they drew on common knowledge and experience. For example, the sign for ‘drink’ is expressed by cupping your hand in the shape of a C and tilting it up, as if you were holding a cup and bringing it to your lips. Other signs, as I soon learned, were not as familiar, but just as interesting and showed the complexity of the language. By changing the direction, repetition, or facial expression of a sign, a completely different meaning can be represented.  

Despite my anxiety, I continued to attend Silent Dinners each week. Before long, I found myself signing with more ease and understanding more and more. As my knowledge increased, the subject matter of the conversations became deeper.  

I began to have conversations with members such as Luke Benoit, a Deaf man who has been friends with ASL Professor Becky Walker for a long time. By communicating with him in his native language, I was able to learn his life story and his testimony in a way that I would not have been able to if I had not known ASL. As my knowledge and understanding grew, I began to be able to make jokes in ASL, tell stories, and explain its linguistic features.  

Three years later, I am now the president of the ASL Club. Being in this position has allowed me the opportunity to invite new members to go on the daunting but valuable journey of learning ASL. Meeting new members and seeing their growth, even throughout one event, is rewarding and encouraging.  

ASL has proved useful outside of the context of Anderson University and the ASL Club. At my job at Bath and Body Works, I have helped Deaf customers in ASL and seeing their face light up as they see I know sign language is a sight to behold. I have met Deaf people in local libraries and stores, and more often than not, they are so grateful and appreciative to meet someone who knows ASL, since so many do not.  

After learning and practicing ASL these past few years, Silent Dinners are no longer silent. In fact, they are anything but. Laughter and exclamations can be heard in our group, but more than that, when you learn ASL, the beauty of the language makes you forget that you are being quiet at all. That is how immersive the community is, and that is exactly what the ASL Club values and encourages.   

So, if you have ever wanted to learn sign language, I want to tell you that now is a better time than any. Even if you know nothing about it, you are welcome and capable of learning. You do not have to be fearless to be brave enough to attend a Silent Dinner. Even if your hands shake as you fingerspell your name, someone will be there to still your heart and encourage your spirit. By learning ASL, you can learn more about yourself as you are opened to a new world and culture you’ve never experienced before.  

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About the AU ASL Club: 

The hallmark of the ASL club at Anderson University is the weekly silent dinner event. Every Thursday at 6 p.m., students of all levels in ASL are invited to spend time practicing and learning ASL with fellow students and members of the local Deaf community at the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Student Center Game Room.  

The event is called a silent dinner because no one speaks. Members must use ASL, gestures, or written words to communicate. The presence of Deaf people, use of online Sign Language dictionaries, and papers with the ASL alphabet are resources that help support the learning and understanding of the members. 

Upcoming events for AU ASL Club:  

Silent Dinners: September 26th, October 3rd, October 17th, October 24th, October 31st, November 7th, November 14th, and November 21st.  

More events to come! For more information about future events, check out their Instagram here.