Imagine being completely fluent in a language that is unspoken but visually understood. Where the movement of your body and mouth is the way you communicate with people around you. This is American Sign Language (ASL), claimed by Hand Speak to be “the fourth most used language in the United States.”

Both of junior Andrew Aydt’s parents are deaf, enabling him to become bilingual in English and ASL. Aydt became a native signer before he could speak.

“I learned sign language from my parents. I basically picked it up from them, and I’ve known it ever since I could remember,” Aydt said. “Sign language has made a big impact on my life because it’s a way I can communicate with different people and between my parents. I like signing, and I’ve been able to help people who are deaf in my community other than just my parents.”

One of the most widespread misconceptions about deaf culture is that sign language hinders speech development. However, according to Gallaudet University neuroscientist Dr. Petitto, “the brain cannot tell the difference between hands and lips when it comes to language.” Although sign language is visual, it is not easier or less important than verbal languages. Studies in neuroscience further prove that humans are not wired to learn only verbal languages because according to Hand Speak Organization, “language is not central to speech.”

These studies prove that it is not detrimental to brain growth for children growing up in deaf households to learn sign language before English. ASL teacher Tiffani Symons also believes that ASL should be looked at as a language and not as a barrier between the deaf and the hearing.

“How is knowing Spanish before English any different from knowing French before English? People think ASL is a ‘new’ foreign language, when it is not. It might be new to people, but ASL has been around in our community for a long time,” Symons said. “Deaf culture and [ASL] is so misunderstood, and people think just because we use our hands that it’s not a real or legitimate language.”

Having deaf parents, Symons encourages people to equate ASL as a language, not a simplistic language form for people with a disability.

“When you study linguistics, there are parameters that languages have to align with to be proven to be a language, and ASL aligns with all of those like any other foreign language we offer at West or any language in general. It is sad that ASL is always judged as ‘less than’ to every other language,” Symons said. “I try to educate other people and show them that ASL is just like any other language. It is different because it’s a visual language. We have our own methods of using english, such as glossing, and we have a strong structure for grammar”

ASL has not only made Aydt more independent, but also reliant on technology to easily communicate with his parents.

“My mom goes to work before I go to school, so if I’m sick, I have to text my mom to let her know, and then I call in sick. I’m more responsible for that stuff than most people I know,” Aydt said. “Being able to text my parents has been super helpful, because when I was younger, it was hard to let my parents know where I was because I couldn’t call them.”

Other than facing a few obstacles at home, Aydt and his family have faced a bigger problem in society: audism. This is a form of discrimination where someone’s ability to hear determines their value. Audism is also the system of having an advantage from hearing, judging or having negative attitudes towards a life without hearing and the metaphysical orientation linking human identity with speech, according to Gallaudet University.

“When I was younger people would make fun of the way my dad talked. I see people make deaf jokes or ‘fake sign’ with random hand movements once or twice a week. It does bother me when people make fun of deaf people and ASL because they don’t know how hurtful they are,” Aydt said. “People think that just because deaf people can’t hear that their speech is automatically bad. Deaf people are humans before their disability, and people should be careful about what they say to others.”

Aydt has been able to play hockey with a deaf team member and communicate with him to help him become successful on the team, and Aydt’s half-sister has started an ASL program at Parkway Central High to encourage more people to be educated about deaf culture and ASL.

“In certain situations, many deaf people have been taken advantage of and are always worried about people using them. It’s unfair that people with a disability have to work harder to have equal rights and abilities to other people,” Aydt said.