Frequently Asked Questions

ASL Mural
Mural at CSD, Fremont, California

How to study using this dictionary.

  1. Use a liaison. Find a deaf person who is patient and kind to hearing people and work through that person to influence change in the Deaf community. Ask him to give you feedback on your ideas. Then ask him to be your partner/spokesperson.
  2. Use an organization. Join a Deaf Organization and propose your ideas at its meetings. That way it will be the XYZ Deaf Club’s “coffee social” instead of Blakey Olson’s event.
  3. Set up an ASL Club at your school and get a Deaf student to participate on the board. Then ask him to be the contact person and put his name, email, and TTY number on any flyers. (Make sure this person is indeed a member of the local Deaf community. Just because a person is physically deaf doesn’t mean he is culturally Deaf.)
  4. Subscribe to your local Deaf newspapers. Get access to Deaf Calendars or bulletin boards. This is critical for setting up events so that your events don’t conflict with established events.
  5. Never surprise announce new ideas or events. Always “grow them” slowly. For example don’t go to your instructor and spring it on him that you are setting up a Deaf coffee night. Go back and read your original sentence. You said, “ ... being proud of what I thought was a good thing, I emailed my instructor and told him.” Whoops. You see, it is okay to take pride in doing good things, but it is cultural suicide to APPEAR proud and ANNOUNCE that YOU are the doer of good things. That aspect of the Deaf community is a major roadblock for up and coming movers and shakers.

How to contact ASLTC?

Look in about ASLTC on the main page. If you are a subscriber you can use the "Ask Dr. Bill? feature or the forums to contact us. We are also on Facebook.

What equipment is required?

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