Trends: Media Exposure of ASL Leads to Increased Interest in Learning ASL
ASL (American Sign Language) got a lot more exposure over the last couple years thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic and the movie "CODA" Oscar win for Best Picture of 2022. As a result, a lot more people are now interested in learning ASL.
’It’s becoming more popular’: interest in ASL grows due to its visibility during pandemic
During the coronavirus pandemic, there were constant updates in all major cities in North America. A lot of press briefings had ASL interpreters visible on screen- so that the information being shared was accessible to Deaf people. Because the press briefings were so frequent, ASL interpreters got a lot of screen-time, so people were exposed to ASL whenever they wanted to get updates on the pandemic.
'CODA' Oscar Wins Sent Sign Language Searches Skyrocketing in U.S.
At the 2022 Academy awards, the movie "CODA" won Best Picture and also Troy Kostur won for Best Supporting Actor. The movie "CODA" featured a family that was Deaf and used ASL to communicate.
Both the pandemic and ASL in successful movies has led to a huge increase of exposure to ASL in North America, and as a result a lot people are now interested in learning the language. More people wanting to learn ASL also means an increase in demand for ASL teachers!
© Roger Desmarais, 2022
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