But there’s more to the Deaf community than just Sign language. In this chapter, you find out the history of Sign, the challenges that Deaf people have faced both past and present, and what it means to live in two cultures and to speak two languages. This information can help you better understand just what it means to be Deaf, which, in turn, can help you to better communicate with the Deaf people you know. Many people who can hear typically think Deaf people have a huge void in their lives because they can’t hear. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Deaf people experience life a bit differently, they have a wonderful quality of life and enjoy the same things that hearing people do. Digging into Sign’s Past You can find Sign languages in every country throughout the world. Some countries, such as Canada and the United States, have similar Sign languages because their spoken languages are also similar. However, this isn’t always the case. American Sign Language (ASL) is unique among the world’s Sign languages because it has had many influences and has influenced many Sign languages of the world.
