Blog Posting #2

 Hey, guys! I hope you have all had a great week, and a relaxing weekend. This past week in my new occupation of learning ASL, I have taken a few different steps to better integrate myself into the deaf and hard of hearing community. I am still waiting on the book that I am super interested in reading, "Deaf Community in America: History in the Making". I think it will be exciting to learn more about the evolution and beginnings of the deaf community, and how they have made the progress to get where they are today. I did download an American Sign Language for Beginners book, and have read the first two chapters! Each section of the book is broken up into a different focus, with the signs getting progressively more complex. 

I have already learned some interesting facts about the deaf community and ASL, such as the importance of the use of manual markers, facial expressions, and body language. Non-manual markers are elements of signing that add meaning, such as the use of your mouth, eyebrows, and face. The book explains that the use of the elements in addition to the actual signs act as ASL's inflections and punctuation, which I found super interesting! I also had wondered if ASL was a universal language, and in the first part of this book it explains that ASL is only used in the United States and Canada, so now I know. 

I feel pretty good about my involvement with my occupation, and have been focused on learning the basics. I have successfully learned to sign my name, and am now working on solidifying signing all letters of the alphabet. I feel pretty good about most of the letters so far, however some of the letters seem very similar to me so I am working on making sure I know the slight differences in the signings of each letter. 

In Hasselkus (2011), the different definitions of occupation vary, however I do see ASL fitting into each definition. The use of sign language is something that individuals engage in every day, and it is a purposeful and culturally relevant activity. In the definition of occupation proposed by Law, Polatajko, Baptiste, and Townsend in 1997 (Hasselkus 2011), ASL relates to it by being an, "activity of everyday life, named, organized, and given value and meaning by individuals and a culture." As Pierce, in Hasselkus (2011) makes distinctions between an occupation and an activity in 2001, I do think that American Sign Language fits more into the definition of an activity, as it is defined as "a culturally defined class of human actions, shared in the minds and cultural language of persons." However, occupation is defined as "the subjective experience of an individual, with meaning that is personally constructed." ASL can also fit into this definition as an individual participating in sign language can give the act their own individually constructed meaning that varies from person to person. 

In the chapter in Hasselkus (2011), Wilcock proposes a model of occupation as "doing + being, becoming, belonging = survival and health". I do believe that my new occupation of ASL relates to this model, as each part of the proposed model can be found in relation to sign language. The act of doing is found in engaging in the act of ASL, and being is as an individual who participates in the occupation and their meaning found in it. In becoming, change can be found in individuals as they progress in their journeys of learning and using ASL, and also as they form new emotions and value in a different way to communicate with others. I think belonging is a huge part of sign language, as the use of ASL connects you to an entire community with those who are deaf and hard of hearing. To engage in sign language is to belong in a larger community, with the ability to reach and communicate with others you may have not been able to before.

I had a great time with my new occupation this past week, and hope you all did too! I can't wait to see everyone's progress!