New ASL Class for Deaf New Americans
- juliafw
- Jun 8
- 1 min read
Bhawani is teaching a new ASL class for Deaf New Americans with the support of the Himalayan Foundation. Classes will be held online on Zoom Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 PM East Coast time. To sign up, contact Bhawani at BraidedRiverbd@gmail.com
When Deaf Bhutanese refugees came to the United States, many communicated in Nepali Sign Language. Refugee resettlement agencies offered English lessons, but no arrangements were made for the Deaf refugees to learn American Sign Language. Without a way to communicate, they were also denied access to the services other refugees received such as cultural orientation, help finding employment, and bus training.
When Bhawani and his family arrived in Concord, NH in 2011, he also didn't have access to either ASL instruction or effective communication. It took a while, but eventually he and his wife Damanta learned ASL and were able to communicate. Bhawani then reached out to the other Deaf refugees in both Concord and Manchester and taught ASL classes. For many of the Deaf refugees, these classes were a way out of isolation as they formed their own community and learned language they could use to communicate with Deaf Americans. The lessons also covered cultural orientation, bus training, and other important information that had been unavailable to them through the refugee resettlement system.
