Adjusting to Change: Learning American Sign Language Online During A Global Pandemic

Second language acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) requires opportunities for engagement with native language models (Krashen, 1988). The shift to online instruction due to the impact of COVID-19 presented unique challenges for ASL programs across the United States. With little time to redesign courses, instructors and students had to navigate the experience of online learning together. The students who participated in this 2020 study at Western Oregon University (WOU) shared their raw experiences related to this transition, and unfortunately, one year later, many of the same barriers reported by students persist. The purpose of this article is to share their stories, and present evidence that face-to-face instruction of ASL is essential and cannot simply be replaced with online learning without negative consequences. Access to immersion opportunities and consistent engagement with native language models are not easy to replicate in online environments, pointing to the fact that there is a need for face-to-face opportunities to acquire ASL when it is safe to do so.