LSSC Black American Sign Language Video Reflection

Since you learn American Sign Language this semester, let’s think about what happened in the history of deaf schools segregation. Black ASL, (BASL) is a form of American Sign Language that was birthed from segregation.

Black deaf children were not allowed to learn at deaf schools because of slavery and segregation. Before any schooling system, most deaf black individuals knew what is called “home signs.” Home signs are signs that are understood by family, or people in close contact with the deaf individual. The first school for the deaf was founded in 1817 (American School for the Deaf in Hartford, CT). However, education for Black deaf children wasn’t created until the middle of the 1850s. Some deaf schools in the north didn’t practice segregation of Black students, while some did.

Watch this video and you will learn how difference between ASL and BASL:Black ASL – YouTube

Please respond to questions below.

1. What did you recognize signed vocabulary between ASL and BASL?

2. Explain brief about 2-handed vs 1-handed signs.

3. Why do you think the lives of deaf Black individuals are not documented during slavery time in the U.S?

4. Share your thoughts about this video.