ASL IRL: Walls Club Dedicated to American Sign Language Takes Off

The Walls halls echo with many languages, the trilled “r” of Spanish, the “xia” of Chinese, and, of course, the familiar sounds of English. But for some Walls students, language is not heard, but seen. In order to educate more of the Walls student body about the language used by many who are deaf or hard of hearing, Walls student Lorena Diamond (‘28) established the American Sign Language (ASL) club after two previous iterations in 2020 and 2021 had died out. 

Beginning during quarantine, Diamond thought communication verbally was important; along with her curiosity about family members who are hard of hearing and rely on aids and lip-reading. Diamond established the club in freshman year with Maadame Saady as the club sponsor to bring attention to the fact that humans don’t only communicate by speaking. 

“Our club teaches American Sign Language, a unique and beautiful language of its own right.” Having dedicated herself to learning ASL since 2019, Diamond believes that teaching ASL “is important because it…strengthens Walls’ diversity.” 

Indeed, members of the club have grown enthusiastic about ASL and the value of studying it. Yazzy Wright (‘28), a dedicated club member, explained that “[ASL] can be a valuable skill in many different careers and allow hearing people and deaf people to form stronger bonds. Ruth Teka (‘28) agreed, adding that “people don’t learn it unless they know someone [who speaks it].” 

MK Edwards (‘28) affirmed that ASL Club is “a great community that not a lot of schools have.” Edwards explained that ASL Club doesn’t only strengthen extracurricular opportunities at Walls, but also encourages people to step outside of their comfort zone. 

The first half of club meetings start with a lesson of vocabulary followed by a game that incorporates the lesson. Interested in giving your brain a challenge? ASL club meets every Wednesday at 3:30 PM in room 224! QR codes are posted around the school.