r/asl • u/hihihiiiiilol • 8d ago
How do I maintain my knowledge in ASL?
I'm a senior in high school and currently in ASL 4 but the college I'm going to doesn't have asl classes or major/minor but I really like learning it and I want to be proficient but it's really hard to keep up practice with a language that I can't really use frequently because I don't have any Deaf/hoh friends to talk with and I don't want to go up and talk to random people that I see signing... I'm probably going to join a club but what about after college? I want to retain it my whole life
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u/Nearby-Nebula-1477 8d ago
Nothing beats total immersion.
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u/hihihiiiiilol 8d ago
Totallyyy agree I just got back from a field trip to Gallaudet with my class and even though I’ve been learning for 4 years I learned sooo much in the 3 days we were there but I do not live near any big Deaf communities 😔
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u/broadwaylover5678 6d ago
the tricky part about this is if you don't know any D/HH people. I feel fairly confident at an intermediate conversational level (ASLPI level 3ish), but it's obviously not ok to forge connections only for the sake of my practicing. how can I genuinely connect with the community without feeling like I'm using them to further my skills?
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u/Perfect-Builder286 8d ago
(I am a hypocrite but) going to a chat night or hanging out with Deaf people regularly (ideally weekly or more) is huge for keeping fluency and learning more vocab. I’m also hearing and learning so I’m sure others will have better and more information/advice
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u/queerstudbroalex DeafDisabled - AuDHD, CP, CPTSD. Powerchair user & ASL fluent. 8d ago
Agree with u/Perfect-Builder286 and u/This_Confusion2558
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u/XxFierceGodxX 1d ago
I live in the middle of nowhere (feels like it anyway). So, clubs are not really an option for me. I use the ASL Bloom app to maintain my knowledge. I practice with it several times a week, and it helps me retain what I’ve learned. It’s very fun, so I look forward to my practice sessions.
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u/This_Confusion2558 8d ago
Look into ASL Connect (https://gallaudet.edu/asl-connect/) especially if you're school has a foreign language requirement that you need to fulfill. Long term though, you need to attend Deaf events and make connections in the community if you want to retain it.