Two centuries ago, many Deaf people lived on Martha's Vineyard, and because of this, an extraordinary thing happened-everyone used sign language. For that brief moment, the barriers that divide and segregate us came down. A community came together, and everyone was part of it.

By learning American Sign Language, we can recapture that sense of community. American Sign Language ("ASL") is a complex visual spatial language used by the Deaf. ASL has its own distinct grammatical structure. It is a linguistically complete language, which shares no similarities with English. ASL is capable of conveying subtle, complex and abstract ideas. As with other languages, the Deaf Community, in response to cultural and technological change, is constantly introducing new vocabulary items.

ASL is the third most popular language studied in the United States today. Within New York State, many school districts now recognize ASL as a "foreign" language, providing credit towards a Regents diploma.