Tufts Blogs

Have you ever wanted to learn a new language but never had an opportunity to take classes? That was how I felt about American Sign Language all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I wanted to learn it since second grade, but I never found any local classes that were accessible and could really teach me to sign fluently. So, I made sure every school I considered had a strong ASL program—and I am so grateful my college search process led me to Tufts. 

After spending my first two semesters sampling various introductory classes, I finally took ASL I in the summer following my first year. Most students take it in a fall or spring semester, but I was too eager to get started. On the first day of class, there are interpreters to translate everything the professor says into English, especially to review the syllabus and explain how the class will look for the rest of the semester. After the first day, the class is entirely in sign language—which sounds terrifying, but it isn’t so hard once you get started and it’s much more effective than using spoken English. Because summer semesters are much shorter, the curriculum was condensed, so I took about 12 weeks’ worth of classes in under 20 classes. When I tell you I practically learned a whole language in that amount of time, I’m not joking. I mean, I didn’t learn every sign or become fluent in one semester, but in a matter of weeks, I knew enough sign to hold basic conversations and communicate with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people who rely on ASL. I felt so accomplished and happy with myself, and I couldn’t wait to continue with ASL II and III. 

I took ASL II in the fall of my sophomore year and ASL III the following spring. My classes had about 18 students, which is the perfect size to receive one-on-one attention and support from the professor while having plenty of classmates to practice and collaborate with. Each semester, we had two Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing guest speakers with interpreters to teach us about topics like being a Deaf DJ, working in the medical industry as a Deaf person, and what it means to be Deaf and have other marginalized identities like being Black or LGBTQ+. Students also pick two off-campus Deaf events to attend each semester, like socials and festivals hosted by Deaf organizations or the annual ASL Ball in Boston. Since I’m from Washington, DC, I attended an art opening over spring break at Gallaudet University, the only Deaf university in the world! Overall, the Tufts ASL program is designed to promote as much interaction with the Deaf community as possible to encourage real-life signing skills and exposure to Deaf culture.

I have to be real with you: it’s a really difficult class. Learning any new language is challenging and daunting, and there is a lot of work that goes into learning a manual language with grammar and vocabulary that is nothing like English. But the effort you put into it so worth it. Beyond just learning ASL, the community within the ASL program is extraordinary. Every student I met in ASL is super friendly, truly passionate about learning, and isn’t afraid to make mistakes. I made more friends in ASL than in any other class, partially because most of us took three semesters in a row and got to spend a year and a half in class together. We still text in the group chat we made a couple years ago about cool ASL/Deaf culture-related things! 

And of course, the professors are wonderful. There are currently four professors across the three levels and they are all so incredibly kind and supportive. They meet you where you’re at instead of expecting you to keep up with an unrealistically fast pace. They really push you and make you work for your education, and you become a much better signer by the end of the semester because of it. I think the popularity of the program speaks for itself: dozens of new students sign up for it every semester, and there are currently over 100 students across ASL I, II, and III. A few former ASL students even started the Tufts ASL Society, which hosts events for anyone in the Tufts community who wants to learn or practice sign language. Some of my favorite memories of Tufts come from those events when I got to hang out with professors and students, playing games, chatting, and having a good time. I still attend guest speaker visits and local Deaf community events, and I catch up with my former ASL professors regularly to stay in touch with them and keep practicing. It’s part of what makes Tufts home for me, and I will forever remember and cherish the people I met in my year and a half learning sign language.