S2E12. UConn Majors: American Sign Language (ASL) with Linda & Donna

Season two of My First Year Story concludes with special guests Dr. Linda Pelletier and Donna McNeil, both of whom discuss their roles within UConn’s relatively new American Sign Language (ASL) program which began in 2020. As a current faculty member, coordinator, instructor and major advisor for the ASL program, Linda’s knowledge and familiarity of ASL stems from being a CODA (child of deaf adults), having used ASL amongst family for all of her life. As a Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) major, Donna initially intended to be an ASL minor. However, after experiencing the immersive nature of ASL classes taught by deaf professors, it was difficult to resist the opportunity once ASL was finally offered as a major. Donna is now a senior, double-majoring in MCB and ASL and also serves as president of UConn’s ASL club. This week’s episode features a conversation regarding our guests’ undergraduate experiences and how ASL has made an impact upon their academic journeys. Here, we are able to see perspectives from both sides — what it’s like to be familiar with deaf culture and to teach others about it, as well as the significance of learning it.