american sign language

Photos of some of the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting are seen during the vigil.

National

Photos: Maine shooting victims remembered at community vigil

9:37am October 30, 2023

by Raquel C. Zaldívar

Over 1,500 people gathered to mourn the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting. Wednesday night's attack at a bowling alley and a bar left 18 people dead and 13 injured.

Health & Safety

Governor Cooper proclaims September as 'Deaf Awareness Month'

7:25am September 07, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

Governor Roy Cooper has declared September as Deaf Awareness Month. State officials want to promote understanding and appreciation of contributions made by the state’s deaf citizens.

Chantelly Manzanares grades her daughter Rosabella's spelling test. Because her mother is deaf, Rosabella sometimes uses American Sign Language to interpret what's happening in her classes on Zoom.

National

Parents With Disabilities Face Extra Hurdles With Kids' Remote Schooling

7:54am January 23, 2021

by Kristin Gourlay

Parents with disabilities often face extra issues with remote learning. A deaf mom whose first language is American Sign Language is navigating the challenge of monitoring her hearing child's work.

Many residents of a close-knit neighborhood in Newton, Mass., decided to learn American Sign Language when they found out the new kid on the block, Samantha Savitz, was born deaf.

National

To Make Girl Who Is Deaf Feel At Home, Dozens Of Neighbors Learn Sign Language

5:39pm December 25, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

"We really wanted to communicate with her and play with her," says Jill McNeil, who lives across the street. "Since she couldn't learn our language, we thought we wanted to learn hers."

Mozzeria is one of the most talked-about pizzerias in the heart of a vibrant San Francisco neighborhood. Every staff member employed at the restaurant identifies as deaf or hard of hearing.

Health & Safety

Deaf-Owned Eateries Forge Path To Fight Joblessness Among Those With Hearing Loss

5:44pm September 06, 2018

by Meaghan Clark Tiernan

There are few employment opportunities for deaf or hearing-impaired people. But funding, training and business partnerships with deaf-friendly establishments are slowly helping to turn that around.

Starbucks is opening it's first deaf-friendly store in the U.S., where employees will be versed in American sign language and stores will be designed to better serve deaf people.

National

Starbucks To Open First 'Signing Store' In The U.S. To Serve Deaf Customers

1:48pm July 20, 2018

by Kristen Hartke

The store will be in Washington D.C., and will not only focus on hiring employees fluent in American Sign Language, but also on lighting and design that makes it easier for the deaf to communicate.

A promotional image from Skunk Bear's video on Ape Language.

What Are The Planet's Real 'Talking' Chimps And Gorillas Saying?

12:50pm July 25, 2017

Movies are full of loquacious chimps, but could nonhuman apes really use language? NPR's Skunk Bear sorts through the disturbing history of research on ape language to sort fact from wishful thinking.

SignAloud gloves translate sign language into text and speech.

Science

These Gloves Offer A Modern Twist On Sign Language

12:01pm May 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

Two college students developed SignAloud, gloves that connect to a computer and convert some sign language words and letters into speech and text. In the process, they've learned about deaf culture.

Queue Listen Now

Melissa Malzkuhn, director of the Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet University, suits up in motion capture to record a nursery rhyme for deaf children.

When It Comes To Learning For The Deaf, 'It's A 3-D Language'

2:36pm June 28, 2015

by Emma Bowman

English nursery rhymes don't translate well to ASL, a visual language. One team is merging high tech with cognitive research to improve language learning for deaf and hard of hearing children.