Joey Teets was one of a very few people who comes to the practice then social almost regularly.  And he has learned a lot since then, and still does not give up.  In fact, he still learns new sign words once in a while.  He also helps us teach new learners once in a while.  We appreciate you for being part of us today. 

So I asked Joey to tell a bit about himself, why he does want to learn, what motivates him to learn ASL, and lastly what tips he would suggest for New ASL learners.

I am a 52 year old divorced father of three adult children ( boy, girl, boy).  I was originally raised outside of Pittsburgh PA but moved to Virginia 25 years ago.  I currently live in Manassas but hope to move to DC by Sept 09.

I am learning sign because it’s about time I did.  As a child my brother and I were fascinated with the manual alphabet.  In high school my girlfriend taught me a few signs; my favorite was I Love You.  When my nephew was born with downs syndrome I learned a few signs that his teachers taught him.  At work I had a deaf colleague who held a few ASL training sessions that I attended.  A couple years ago I met a nice fellow at Omega who is deaf.  I could only sign my name but he was patient and we visited for a little while passing notes back and forth.  He soon left with his deaf friends and I figured I’d never see Toby again………

Now my best friend, David, is dating Dean and I don’t want to lose my best friend just because I can’t keep up with the conversation.  I am enjoying learning a new skill although I find it much harder to learn things now that alcohol has killed off my best brain cells.

I strongly encourage new learners to come regularly so you can quickly use the new signs.  The more you use them the easier it gets. I found I could actually sign a short conversation (with a patient person) after just a few months.