🌅 Where Black American Sign Language Came From

SOURCE

The New York Times

WHAT TO KNOW

• Black people represent around 8% of the 11 million or so Americans who consider themselves to be deaf or hard of hearing, of which about 50% use a dialect known as Black American Sign Language, or BASL. BASL is distinct from standard American Sign Language and includes several notable differences, including more two-hand signs, a larger signing space, signs placed around the forehead rather than the body, and distinct terms, like a sign for “tight” that means “cool” rather than close together or snug.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Like many things throughout Black history, BASL is the product of racial segregation. The Black ASL Project at Gallaudet University—one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on BASL—found segregation at deaf schools in the South after the Civil War led to Black deaf schools teaching a curriculum far different than that at white deaf schools, emphasizing signing and vocational training rather than oral and academic-based methods.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• On July 4, Max debuted Sinners on its streaming service, offering viewers the chance to stream the film interpreted in BASL. Max parent company Warner Bros. Discovery says it’s the first time a streaming service has debuted a film interpreted in BASL.