By Julia Bae and Chloe Lien Banner Staff and Contributing Writer

There are currently more than 7,000 different languages worldwide. Although all of these languages are essential channels of communication, they serve different purposes and represent the influences of diverse groups of people.

American Sign Language (ASL) is one such language—communicated completely non-verbally—that is becoming increasingly prevalent. ASL is now the third most common language in the United States, following English and Spanish, and it is officially recognized as a language in 45 states.

ASL uses the English alphabet, but its sentences are not simply direct translations. As Bibi Noury-Ello ’25, co-head of Winsor’s ASL Club, summarized, “ASL’s grammar is completely different from spoken English, which makes learning ASL a complex process.” Despite this learning curve, more and more people within and outside the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities are learning ASL. In the words of Noury-Ello, “ASL opens you up to conversations with a whole host of different people.”

ASL at Winsor: photo from Leela Uppaluri

Spreading knowledge of ASL is something that many members of the Winsor community have consciously strived to do. With the help of faculty and staff, students have been able to incorporate ASL culture into the student body with clubs and interpreters. For instance, Amber Renthal ’25 and Noury-Ello founded the Upper School ASL Club two years ago, and last year, Chloe Lien ’29 acted as a sign language interpreter for the Lower School Council. 

Several Winsor community members are also learning the language. “We should be able to communicate with each other whether we can hear or not, and I think it’s part of being a good citizen,” said Ms. Valenza, a visual arts teacher, explaining the importance of inclusive language. Spreading awarness about ASL, breaking some of the communication barriers between the hearing and deaf communities, and supporting a variety of communcation methods play an important role in fostering inclusion.

We look forward to seeing ASL become more prevalent—both at Winsor and in our communites.

ASL Graphic: from Google Images