Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

New Resource: Summer Camps for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children

Summer camp can be a powerful experience for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Beyond fun and outdoor activities, camp offers opportunities for language access, confidence-building, friendship, and a strong sense of belonging.

To support families in finding these opportunities, ASL Up Network has created a Summer Camp Resource Page featuring camps for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children across several states.

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Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

Exploring the 5 Handshape in ASL

Exploring the 5 Handshape in ASL is a focused class that helps participants understand how one handshape can be used to create many different signs and meanings in American Sign Language. Learners will explore common and more advanced signs using the 5 handshape and see how movement, location, and facial expression change meaning. This class is open to ASL learners at all levels, from beginners to advanced, and is designed to deepen understanding of how ASL works as a visual language.

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Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

Beginning ASL: The Basics

Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of ASL, including visual communication norms, everyday vocabulary, and basic sentence structure. Emphasis is placed on practical, real-life use of ASL, helping learners feel comfortable incorporating signs into daily routines, interactions, and family life.

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Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

2026 Language & Literacy Symposium

The 2026 Language & Literacy Symposium is a virtual event spotlighting practical, evidence-informed strategies to strengthen language and literacy for deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind children through ASL and English.

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Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

Holidays in ASL

Holidays in ASL - Class Recording Released

The recording of our Holidays in ASL class is now available. Thank you to all who participated and helped launch our first ASL Up Class.

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Cheri Dowling Cheri Dowling

When Conversation Leaves Someone Behind: Understanding Dinner Table Syndrome

This article explains “Dinner Table Syndrome,” the isolation Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals can experience when everyday conversations are not accessible. It highlights the emotional impact of being left out and offers simple, practical ways families and communities can create more inclusive, visually accessible spaces where everyone belongs.

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