ASL and Deaf-Gain

I found the theory of Deaf-gain is somewhat similar to the Neurodiversity paradigm, where in both situations, diversity was emphasized in stead of differences or deficiency. I am especially intrigued by ASL and how ASL constitute a complex language system on its own. It seems to me that ASL has greatly contributed to the formation of deaf culture and essential to the theory of Deaf-Gain. Language is always cruicial in the formation of any culture. It is only through the share of language (or any other means of communication) can a group of people exchange ideas and thoughts. The beauty of ASL was very well displayed in the film Deaf Jam. It is my second time watching Deaf Jam, and I am once again drawn into the expressive power of ASL. The slam poetry performed by Aneta was so powerful that as a person who do not have much background in ASL can feel the emotions and strength from her hands, gestures and facial expression. My favorite part of the film are the animations added to Aneta’s hand when she was practicing her poetry. The animations, as another form of translation of ASL (and I think a better one), were very helpful for people having not much background in ASL to interpret her language.