In addition to making one of the VL2 Storybook Apps available for free each week, Malzkuhn’s team responded to COVID-19 school closures by launching a website full of related resources. ASL Literacy Activities from the Motion Light Lab Here are six ASL resources to help Deaf students engage with books and storytelling during distance learning. “It's been fantastic seeing how the Deaf community has rallied together through this, with our creativity, storytelling and our sense of community accountability for all Deaf children,” Malzkuhn said. Educators and advocates across the Deaf community have curated lessons, created storytime videos and organized events to support Deaf students’ literacy. That’s why, as schools across the country moved to distance learning in March, her team opened free access to their storybook apps.
With strong ASL skills, it bridges right into learning how to read and write,” Malzkuhn said. “They need ASL access, and strong ASL models to develop literacy skills. Even when captions or transcriptions are available, Deaf children who are learning to read are unable to use those resources. And according to Malzkuhn, many online educational resources being recommended to families right now are dependent on audio. About 73% of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children live in homes where family members do not regularly sign, according to a 2014 national survey by Gallaudet University. You can see the foundations being built.”īut with schools across the country closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Deaf children have less access to such stories. “ASL is their natural visual language, and they learn swiftly. Exposure to stories in ASL is essential for young Deaf students, she said. Since 2013 her team has worked with Deaf storytellers and artists to create bilingual stories for their VL2 ASL Storybook Apps. Malzkuhn is the founder and creative director of Gallaudet University’s Motion Light Lab.
It's incredible, always incredible and uplifting when you see kids learning, absorbing and enjoying,” she said. “They retell the stories, or they pick up a sign or phrase, or they repeat something they find funny. For Melissa Malzkuhn, the best part of creating storybook apps in American Sign Language and English is seeing children’s reactions.
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