My Journey in Learning Sign Language

My journey with sign language began in a virtual environment. It was during Covid and I was working virtually with WinVinaya Foundation but did have the opportunity to interact closely with the deaf community. Many of my colleagues were deaf, and our interactions became a brilliant avenue for me to get exposed to a new language: Indian Sign Language (ISL). Initially, my attempts at learning ISL were uncertain, I found it difficult to grasp the speed, I was misunderstanding certain signs and felt a little bad about being slow in picking up the language. But then, slowly, this experience opened my eyes to a world of communication beyond spoken words.

A year and a half later, I transitioned to a corporate role and hired two associates with hearing impairment. This shift marked the true beginning of my learning journey. Working in close proximity with my associates, engaging with them daily on work-related tasks, jokes, and casual conversations, significantly honed my ISL skills. The everyday interactions and the need to communicate effectively in a professional setting pushed me to become more proficient and confident in using sign language.

My move to Atypical Advantage brought with it a broader scope of interactions with individuals with hearing impairment. Each conversation, every interaction was a step forward in my learning journey. The process was not just about mastering a language; it was about understanding a culture, a community, and a way of life.?

Every day brought a new lesson, a new insight into the language, the culture, and the community of people with hearing impairments. This constant learning reinforced the importance of diversity and culture in shaping our languages.

The easiest way for me to convey this is by bringing in a parallel between Kannada, my mother tongue and ISL. The diversity within Kannada itself is vast – from the dialects spoken in the North, like Bidar and Bijapur, to those in the South, like Bangalore, and further to the West in Chikmagalur, Udupi, and Mangalore. Each region has its unique flavor, yet all fall under the umbrella of the same language. Similarly, ISL encompasses a rich diversity that reflects the varied experiences and backgrounds of the individual. The nuances, the regional variations, and the personal touches each individual brings to the language make it a dynamic and evolving mode of communication.

The transition from understanding spoken languages to mastering a visual-gestural language like ISL required unlearning and relearning many concepts, making the journey both challenging and exhilarating.

One of the individuals I have interacted with told me, “It’s so interesting that my family is able to understand my signs clearly and am able to communicate well with them even though they are hearing people. Yet, if another deaf talks to them, they look to me for support. We sign the same, yet the understanding levels are so different.”

The entire process of learning ISL has been a testament to the enriching experience that diversity brings. It has taught me that language is not just a tool for communication but a reflection of cultural identity and community values. Embracing this diversity has broadened my perspective, deepened my understanding, and enriched my professional and personal life in countless ways.

Now, when someone asks me if learning sign language is challenging, I simply say two things.

1) All of us, in one way or another, have made our own sign language and use it regularly. For instance, certain signs that only two best friends understand; certain signs and gestures that a mother and a child understand; certain signs that are universally used to signify certain emotions or thoughts.

2) All we need is the exposure to hone it and fine-tune it. Start learning today because the world beyond spoken language is so beautiful that it will open you up for enriching experiences.

As I continue to learn and grow, I am reminded daily of the beauty and richness that diversity brings to our lives, both in language and beyond.