Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Jesse Juarez
Staff Photographer
Albert Erazo, an American Sign Language interpreter at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, had dreamed of being unique among his family by being the only one who knows ASL. By mastering ASL, Erazo created opportunities for himself and others. He is now working at a school where he both interprets for hearing impaired students, and teaches ASL. Learning American Sign Language makes communication and connection with the deaf community possible. It is a flexible tool for communication and situations requiring silence. ASL also offers other professional benefits in industries such as health care.
Jesse Juarez: Explain to people why you wanted to learn ASL over any other language.
Albert Erazo: When I was growing up, I got to see ASL used in the real world at schools, in courts, and at doctors’ offices. The connection and energy that these people had when communicating was invigorating. Back then, to me, all I saw were people simply waving their hands to one another. Then when the class was offered to me in my sophomore year in high school, I remembered these experiences and thought, “wouldn’t it be something if I could have a conversation with just my hands?”
The first week, I would watch people interpreting music at concerts with ASL through the media. Seeing the energy, the fun and the smiles on these interpreters’ faces when doing this made me want to learn this language made me want to do what they do, but add my own sense of style to it as well. My teacher made learning the language fun and emphasized that controlling facial expressions, body language and confidence were key to success in the class. So instead of learning a different language, I decided to master ASL.
JJ: Explain the opportunities you were given and the doors that opened for you by learning ASL.
AE: During the first year I had taken the class, I had been told about testing to get something called a Seal of Multiliteracy. This would add a stamp to my high school diploma about my proficiency in the language of sign, so I decided to take it. By taking this test, I opened an array of doors for both career pathways and for connecting to a different community. I was able to use this to get into jobs that require a signer or someone with enough proficiency to translate to a deaf individual. By completing this test, I was also awarded a California Legislature award for being a master in a world language. Both of these things work together to give me opportunities to work with ASL, teach ASL, and amateur interpreting without a certificate.
JJ: Why do you think people overlook the ASL language and community itself?
AE: For the same reason I did. Without a proper induction into the language and without learning about history, etiquette, and formality of the language, one simply feels foolish. The language of ASL requires the utmost expressive parts of yourself to be unearthed, to be revealed, read, and critiqued. With this, plenty of people don’t attempt to learn the language because it looks too difficult, or they simply cannot remember things for long periods of time, let alone a language like ASL. With these people, I believe they would prefer to safeguard themselves from the embarrassment of being incorrect or of being seen doing something outside of their comfort zone. Within the community, deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals are very blunt, judgmental, and direct. However, being deaf, personally, I believe, constitutes this because they need to judge facial expressions and signs to truly understand communication. These parts of the community make hearing individuals with the skill of signing feel embarrassed to meet them or use the skill, me included.
JJ: How did your friends and family react when you wanted to learn ASL?
AE: When I first told my parents, they looked at me a little funny because they didn’t understand why. One of the first things I was told was, “Why would you learn that? No one in our family is deaf or knows the language.” My response was simple, “Exactly.” My family didn’t exactly understand why I wanted to learn the language, but it was my choice, and I was sticking with it. They preferred I learn Spanish; however, I wanted something of mine to myself that I could have. Being new at the school, I didn’t have many friends, but I did make some in the ASL class, and these friends were supportive of my reasoning behind wanting to learn the language.
JJ: After learning ASL, did your perspective change on the deaf community?
AE: Yes, drastically. We don’t exactly understand the size of the privilege we have to hear. Being in very close proximity to those who are profoundly deaf and have no hearing at all, I’ve realized how differently I see the world. I’m very reactive to music; I hear it and I react. However, those who cannot hear do not understand the magic that is flowing into my ears, causing me to feel a lighter, happier mood. For that, my perspective has changed on the community and has made me so much more understanding and inclusive. If I hear music, I sign my interpretation just in case someone is not as privileged as I am to hear it.
JJ: Through your eyes, explain what the deaf community is truly like.
AE: The deaf community is such an open, engaging place. There are people from every corner of the world, from every inch of this planet, who are connected simply through their lack of my privilege, hearing. The community is welcoming, yet sharp. Not every deaf individual is the same, so learning preferences are key to connecting and being included. The community is keen on communication and effort; if an effort is being made respectfully, a spot will open for you to be included respectfully, and vice versa.
JJ: Do you see yourself taking ASL even further into your future career, or do you want to go down a different route?
AE: I do see myself taking ASL further here in the near future. I plan on taking my EIPA, the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment, so I can interpret in education. Then, while I keep an interpreting position, I plan on learning medical or legal terminology so I can interpret for those as well. I also want to possibly attempt becoming an interpreter for concerts, as this is where the basis of my love for the language lies.
Jesse Juarez can be reached at jesse.juarez2@laverne.edu.
Jesse Juarez is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. A camera has been a very powerful tool and a vessel of expression for him. While originally focused on portraits and fashion photography, his work is continuously evolving. His other work can be found at jessejxo199x.edublogs.org.
