The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine Florida is not only recognized as one of the only schools of its kind in Florida, but one of the top schools for the deaf and blind in the nation. The 80-acre campus located in the historic downtown serves over 1000 students each year ranging from pre-k to 12th grade. The FSBD is built to accommodate any student’s specific learning styles and needs so they’re set up to succeed. Students have the opportunity, along with their education, to participate in performing arts, team sports, clubs and recreational activities. They also host interactive learning events for students and families, such as pizza night focused on teaching students essential to cooking skills for independent living. This year we’re celebrating National American Sign Language Day on April 15th and taking the opportunity to learn more about the language and the history of FSDB. Sign language is celebrated on this day in remembrance of the first school for deaf children opening in the United States on April 15th, 1816.
Some interesting things to note about sign language is that different countries will have their own different forms of it and the language uses more than just hand gestures, which is why facial expressions play an important role. ASL is a language with its own evolved slang, structure and history so roll up your sleeves and get ready to learn some basics. You can first start with the greetings such as “nice to meet you”, “what is your name?”, “how are you” etc. After mastering some of the basics and boosting your confidence, you can get more in-depth with learning how to sign your name, ask questions and build up your conversation from there. It can be virtually free to pick up this language so building up your word bank one step at a time is crucial for learning and succeeding. ASL is not a hard language to learn, especially compared to others. It mostly relies on muscle memory and parameters like palm orientation and hand shape. We’re celebrating almost 150 years of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind and over 200 years of National American Sign Language Day by continuing to educate ourselves and appreciate one of the top deaf & blind institutions, right here in historic St. Augustine.
