Dear Stephanie Bishop and Heidi DeHart,

Western Washington University student Amelia Bailey, 21, didn't have a first word, she had
a first sign.
Bailey, a junior at Western studying sociology, is president of the American Sign Language
Club. Her experiences growing up as a Child of Deaf Adults (CoDA) shaped her entire life,
from having to interpret for them at parent-teacher conferences to relaying into
understanding people's body language really well. Bailey sees ASL Club as not only a
learning outlet for students interested in ASL, but also gives students the chance to
engage in deaf culture. She wants to influence the perception that hearing people have
about deafness and ASL, helping students who come to the club learn how to "normally"
interact with deaf people.
ASL Club is an Associated Students club, creating a space for ASL on the Western
campus, attempting to fill a void created by the lack of ASL courses offered at the
university. This is relevant to the readership of The Western Front, as it provides
opportunities for students that might not come easily elsewhere. ASL and deaf culture
relate to many areas of interest, from sociology and linguistics to communicative sciences
and disorders or disability studies. It is estimated that ASL is the third to fourth most
utilized language in the United States, so having space on this campus to represent that is
important, if not a necessity.
A possible interviewee is Wyatt Chapman, the vice president of the club, as he is a
freshman and has an interesting point of view regarding ASL classes and community
engagement. Another potential person to contact would be Kim Theissen in the disAbility
Resources for Students office, as she is the counselor for deaf and hard of hearing
students, so she will be not only someone to interview, but could also help further the
search for diverse sources.
Bailey wants to bridge the gap between hearing students and the deaf community, making
interactions between groups less of an awkward or uncommon thing. Western is a
community dedicated to diversity and it is a shame that ASL has been overlooked as an
aspect of curriculum, but ASL Club makes an effort to go even above and beyond the
usual needs met in a classroom. More information can be found at the club Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/aslclubwwu or contacting myself or Amelia Bailey at
baileya7@students.wwu.edu.
Thank you,
Mirabelle Blech
206-455-4198 | mirabelle.blech@gmail.com