Sign Language Storytimes in the Library
Making storytime more accessible for children and adults with hearing impairments
What Is Sign Language?
Sign languages are used all over the globe by members of the Deaf community to communicate instead of using spoken words. These are natural languages with their own grammar rules, lexicon, and regional dialects. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “ASL is expressed by movements of the hands and face.”
In North America, signers usually use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. Sign language was brought to the United States by T.H. Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc from France in the early 1800s. Thus, today’s ASL shares similarities with French Sign Language (LSF or langue des signes française).
Benefits of Hosting a Sign Language Storytime
Sign language storytime creates opportunities for hearing, Deaf, hard of hearing, and nonverbal children to share the enjoyment of storytime activities with each other. These programs also provide these children with differing abilities to interact with each other in an inclusive environment. Parents and guardians, both hearing and Deaf, also have an opportunity to make social connections with each other and possibly foster friendships between their children.
Librarians may also use sign language storytime programs to share stories written by Deaf authors or stories about Deaf characters. Promoting Deaf stories can offer young readers a glimpse into Deaf culture or the Deaf experience. Librarians may also create book displays featuring Deaf authors for adults to browse when they bring their children to storytime.
Sign language storytime can aid in normalizing diversity for children with different communication methods.
Sign Language Storytime in the Library
Remember, sign languages feature grammar rules, local dialects, and lexicons specific to each signed language. For this reason, it is best to have someone well-versed in ASL to aid in telling the story. This person should be an interpreter or someone who uses ASL as their primary language (i.e., a Deaf person or Children of Deaf Adults [CODA]).
Libraries can seek out volunteers from within the community they serve to help with this program, or the library can collaborate with another institution that can provide an interpreter to assist. Librarians can check the National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to find an institution that may be interested in collaborating. Universities and other educational institutions with a Deaf Studies program or other grassroots organizations may also be interested in collaborating with the library.
Watertown Children’s Theatre, in collaboration with the Medford Public Library, held an ASL storytime program in August 2023. The program began with a brief introduction, which exposed children to important terms like “deaf,” “blind,” and “American Sign Language.”
Children had time to ask questions to enhance their understanding of ASL. The interpreter and librarian paused throughout the story to allow time for teaching children a few signs relevant to the story. Although not shown in this program, sign language storytimes can also include singing in ASL.
The first thirty minutes of this program is available for viewing online:
Sign language storytime programs can be hosted annually to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month in September, or they can occur on a more frequent basis.
Other Benefits of Exposing Children to Sign Language
Storytime programs allow children to expand their understanding of sign language beyond a few basic vocabulary words or phrases. While sign languages are intended to be used by members of the Deaf community, hearing families also benefit from learning basic sign language vocabulary.
In recent years, more parents with hearing children have begun teaching their infants and toddlers baby sign language. Sign language allows the preverbal child to learn how to communicate their needs as they continue to work on their verbal skills.
It is recommended that parents begin using signs with their infants as early as possible, between six and eight months old. Toddlers can start signing as early as eight to twelve months of age, although children can begin to learn sign language at any age.
Research shows that babies who learn to sign develop larger spoken vocabularies than their peers who do not learn to sign. Signing children also learn to read earlier, and having an increased vocabulary can help a child feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings.
Free Resources for Learning ASL
- ASL Storytelling Library at Texas School for the Deaf, Statewide Outreach Center. Watch examples of ASL storytelling in action.
- Signing Savvy. An online ASL dictionary.
- American Sign Language for Librarians. A fifteen-hour course.
- Learn Basic ASL by Topic Online. A resource by Gallaudet University.
- SignSchool. A learning tool that offers several courses and games.
- American Sign Language Classes. An eight-week course offered by Oklahoma School for the Deaf. (**Check back on this resource if no upcoming courses are posted.)
A note from the author: In this article, “sign language” refers to any sign language. This article is intended for a US-based readership; therefore, this article refers to the preference for using ASL in library-based sign language storytimes. However, these programs can be hosted in any sign language outside of the US as long as the regionally appropriate sign language is used.
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