My earliest recollection of communication in my home was the movement of hands in the air. I watched my mom and dad sit across the table from each other and sign. They coupled the fluid movements of their hands with meaningful facial expressions and body movements. From the back seat of the car, I would watch Dad signing one-handed to Mom. This was my life as a CODA, or a child of deaf adults.
My parents, my brother, and I, and the Deaf community we were a part of had a very different experience communicating through American Sign Language. If you’re interested in learning ASL or having your student take an ASL course, I’d like to share with you what this beautiful language means to me from a CODA perspective. I hope that it might inspire you to encourage your child to take the first steps to begin learning ASL.
Learn about ASL from a CODA Perspective!