Transcript

Operational ASL Storytime
Transformative Deaf Education & ASLized

[Victorica, a dark skinned signer, is standing in the middle of the screen from the hip up. The background is beige with shadows at the corners. Victorica is wearing a gray polo with a short zipper.]

Hello! I’m Victorica. I’m excited about the upcoming collaboration between TDE and ASLized. Our goal is to increase the visibility of Deaf People of Color (DPOC) signers online. We are doing this for the children of color as it is very important. #OperationalASLStorytime is a wonderful idea. Since a large number of white signers contributed to this movement, we can barely find the ones signed by DPOC. We would like to change this and push for their visibility. DPOC children will be able to connect to the DPOC signers better. This type of exposure will strengthen their self-esteem and multiple identities, beyond their Deaf identity. It is so important for the DPOC children to be exposed by others who look just like them. For this reason, we partner with ASLized.

[Elsie, a white signer, is sitting in the middle of the screen. The background is royal blue. She is wearing a black blouse.]

Hello! I’m Elsie. We are excited to sponsor this project spearheaded by TDE. We will pay DPOC signers one hundred dollars each. Submissions criteria have been established: first, your stories need to be original. We aren’t looking for translated works from English-based books. I believe your lived experiences along with your upbringing, culture, values and more that truly make you who you are today. I also believe it is important to preserve and disseminate for children of tomorrow. Your story needs to be child-friendly. Instead of posting your submission publicly, we encourage you to submit your story through Google Drive or DropBox. We will need to review the submission for any possible bias or anti-violence and ensure it is within the social justice framework. TDE will have the final say on your submission approval. Once approved, we will download and upload your work onto ASLized’s Library. Finally, you will be paid one hundred dollars. This is how the process works. If you are a white person and you want to support this project, you can always make monetary contribution. All proceeds will go to the DPOC signers. In the next sample video, I will show you what not to do.

Do you see what is wrong with this picture? What did you notice? I will go ahead and share a few. The background shows a vertical line which is distracting. It is best to work with a clear, solid background. Also, do you see this object in the video? My position is not centered. There is sunlight so there are shadows on my torso and on the left side of my face. The top I am wearing should be darker… the goal is to wear something that contrasts the skin color.

We are looking forward to your submission as they will inspire our children of color. It is essential to make our resources to be freely available for all. We are inspired by your contributions to this important project and we look forward to the expansion of this idea.

Submit your work to Link

#OperationalASLStorytime #ASLized #TransformativeDeafEducation