Sign Language Revival

Just a 45-minute ferry ride from mainland Massachusetts, the island of Martha’s Vineyard is known for its historic fly-fishing culture and summer tourism, but many people are not aware that it was one of the United States’ first known deaf communities. Since the 18th century, deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing citizens had equal communication access and participation in public life on the island— everyone could understand each other through speech or Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). When the last person fluent in MVSL died in the early 1950s, the language and once-accessible society slowly withered away. The Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language Creative Inquiry project, led by Dr. Jody Cripps from the Department of Languages, is helping reduce communication barriers and to readapt the island’s society to accommodate the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

During the team’s two trips to Martha’s Vineyard, they visited popular lighthouses, Lambert’s Cove Beach and the Chilmark Library to explore the community and research its history. Through the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, the students visited several restaurants, medical centers and other local businesses to speak with community members about sign language conversational skills and vocabulary they need to learn to make their services more inclusive.  After compiling the feedback, the Creative Inquiry team partnered with Martha’s Vineyard Television Station (MVTV) to create a series of beginner’s sign language demonstration videos. When complete, the students plan to upload their video library to MVTV for viewers to rewatch, learn and hopefully bridge the gaps between native, novice and non-signers.

Introducing a new way of doing things to people requires patience, consideration and a clear explanation of intentions. “I didn’t want to step on people’s toes and move too fast. [As outsiders], when we intrude on people’s lives, their culture and communities, you have to take time to build that trust and grow that relationship,” Cripps said. Allison Schippert, a senior modern languages major, interviewed a woman who works at a local medical center and saw some of this mentality. “Even though she wasn’t willing to learn all 50-something signs we had planned, she was very open to learning signs that she felt would be beneficial to her team,” Schippert said. “I thought it was a lot more effective to ask them what they wanted, as opposed to us hoping that we gave them the right words. It was good to just have ideas from people who don’t necessarily know the history or have the same perspective as we do,” August Vincelette, a junior modern languages major, said.

If the MVTV video library is successful, the team will use their creative research process as a model for other organizations to improve their accessibility and inclusivity. In the future, the Creative Inquiry project plans to return to Massachusetts to collaborate with Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse and international film festivals to bring more deaf stories to live stage productions and entertainment on the big screen. With much ahead of them to do, the students are eager to help restore the inclusive legacy of Martha’s Vineyard.