UNIVERSITY

The University of Guelph’s ASL Club (formerly the Sign Club University of Guelph) was the catalyst for My ASL Dictionary’s creation.
After College, I wanted to continue my ASL studies, knowing first hand the longer the gap between classes, the greater the risk of losing the language.
Created by students, The Sign Club offered weekly lessons in American Sign Language with registered ASL instructors and free textbooks. Starting with a modest fee of $25, the Club soon offered free ASL classes, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced, to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge.
The teachers involved the class with each lesson, often exceeding the limitations of the textbook. As my time with the Club continued year by year, I went from taking notes to starting sketches of the hand signs, which captured the lesson better. Inspired by my teachers, I used study time to create finished ASL cartoon illustrations as my homework. In 2013, my ASL teacher,
Charles McKelvey looked at my artwork and told me to make a book. In 2020, I finally finished it.
The character for the ASL sign UNIVERSITY is a young student in a dressy costume, with the different names of logos of the University ASL Club that immersed me in ASL.
Similar to the ASL hand sign for COLLEGE, the U hand sign slaps down on the opposite palm to curl upward in an arc, representing another higher education.
#ASL #signlanguage #university #universityofguelphaslclub #cartoon #myasldictionary