The ASL (American Sign Language) Club is a place of comfortable silence and communication. Sign language is a language used by the Deaf community to communicate and therefore requires no spoken words. Instead, it uses hand, body, and facial movements. The ASL club seeks to learn and educate others about the Deaf community and ASL Club and is sponsored by Ms. O'Daniel and Mr. Davis. The club is welcoming to those who don't know ASL or have never taken an ASL class Ms. O'Daniel, states one of her favorite parts of the club is "getting to know VHHS students who are not in ASL class" and sharing her "passion for ASL to such a great group of students." According to Ms. O'Daniel, some common misconceptions surrounding ASL include that ASL is not derived from a shortened form of English but is a "rich, complex complete language that does not have its roots in English," also that sign language is "not universal," but there are "over 300 different signed languages", and that ASL requires the use of one's hands but also the "eyes, shoulders, eyebrows and mouth" for example, "raising your eyebrows is a way to make a yes/no question." Ms. O'Daniel also states one of the goals of the ASL Club is to "build awareness of the Deaf community and Deaf culture" while learning ASL. Anna Jones, president of the ASL Club and experienced in ASL, claims her favorite part of being president has been "getting to interact with [her] classmates in a way that's not as structured as a usual class" while practicing "a skill [she] enjoy[s]." She hopes the club will continue to "grow [their] skills as signers, have fun, give back to the Deaf community." As stated earlier, the club is not exclusive to those who already know ASL, a member of the ASL Club with no formal learning experience with ASL claims her favorite part of the club has been "learning new signs" and "learning more about the Deaf community" she claims she knew some sign from friends and wanted to learn more about ASL so joined the club and has enjoyed learned about the Deaf community and sign language. Overall the ASL Club is a welcoming and fun way to improve one's ASL skills or begin learning a new language, learn about the Deaf community, and give back to the Deaf community.
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