AUS charity bake sale promotes learning American Sign Language

With the aim of encouraging students to learn American Sign Language (ASL) and spreading awareness about deaf culture, students at American University of Sharjah (AUS) held a charity bake sale on campus where students had to use ASL to make their orders.

Held under the theme “Sign it to buy it,” the event was organized by the AUS Department of Community Service and Outreach. To help students learn how to sign the names of the items available at the bake sale, the organizers displayed a video of a deaf teacher signing the food items for sale. Through that simple ordering process, students learned more about sign language and raised money for charity.

“ASL is a language for everyone, not just people who are hard of hearing. Many other people, including those with autism and dyslexia, communicate through sign language. We believe in accessibility and inclusivity for everyone, which is why we want to encourage learning sign language, along with raising awareness about deaf culture. While there are more than 300 different sign languages in the world, ASL is the most accessible to learn online and for free, which is why we chose it in particular,” said Lujain Khalil, a student with a double major in mathematics and computer science and one of the event organizers.

She added: “We sold everything from doughnuts, sugar cookies bearing the letters A, S and L to mini hotdogs, pizzas and cupcakes. The event caught students' attention because it's not something that has been done in AUS. A lot of the students kept asking how to sign more than just the food items. We made sure to direct the students to reliable online resources to learn more.”

Janna Aly, a second-year psychology major, said the bake sale was fun and educational, highlighting the importance of holding such events at AUS.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the bake sale. It was fun and exciting. We had to learn the signs for the food items sold. You could see that the response from students was enthusiastic.. Students put an effort in perfecting the signs. After the bake sale, I became more determined to support people who are deaf and hard of hearing by learning more about deaf culture. Hopefully, there will be more events like this in the upcoming semesters,” she said.  

The ASL Initiative started in 2016 by a handful of students who wanted to learn sign language together under the guidance of the AUS Department of Community Service and Outreach. The initiative slowly grew in number as more students showed interest and commitment to learning by using online resources made available by deaf teachers of ASL.

The Department of Community Service and Outreach is part of the AUS Office of Student Affairs. It organizes regular community service activities on and off campus allowing students to take part in volunteer projects and engage with the community. The department boasts strong partnerships with several national and international organizations. It operates based on the belief that all students can contribute ideas, energy and action to enhance society. The Department of Community Service and Outreach offers a wide selection of programs and events that cater to diverse student interests with a focus on the various needs of different sectors of society.

For more information about the work carried out by the Department of Community Service and Outreach at AUS, visit www.aus.edu/life-at-aus/student-life/community-involvement.