The ASL LLC is For You If…

• You are Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing.
• You know or are learning ASL.
• You intend to major in ASL Studies, Interpreter Training Program, or ASL World Languages.
• You would like taking courses with fellow ASL LLC peers, where all of you are learning ASL together and can come back to your living space using what you learned.
• You want to be involved with events on and off campus where everyone at the event is using ASL.
• You are ready to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week Wisconsin in collaboration with Signing Students Association and ITP students.
• You would like to participate in a service day with Deaf Senior Citizens at Water Town View in Milwaukee.
• You want to take part in a Sign and Dine Study session with mentor and teachers.
• You will enjoy ASL game nights in collaboration with the ASL Studies Program, Signing Students Association and the Accessibility Resource Center.

Purpose

The purpose of the American Sign Language LLC is to establish a community for Deaf students and students who know or are learning ASL.   This unique ASL LLC program will enhance students’ knowledge and skills in American Sign Language (ASL) and an understanding of and respect for ASL and its linguistics, culture, history, and literature. The ASL LLC also emphasizes the social and cultural diversity of the signing community.

Required Courses:

• ASL I (3 credits) or level tested into
• ASL II (3 credits) or level tested into

Location

LLCs may be housed in a different University Housing Facility from year to year. Find out where this LLC is currently located, or will be located during the upcoming Academic Year, by visiting the Living Learning Communities page and clicking on the Community Choices section.

In Their Own Words:

Andrew Damon, LLC Mentor:
“I joined the LLC two years ago because the best way to learn a language is to be fully immersed in it. The ASL LLC is way to get fully immersed because you live with people who can sign. Being the mentor gives me a unique opportunity to get to know first year students and watch them grow. Living and working on the LLC floor is a challenge, but its a challenge worth doing to better the lives of everyone involved including me.”

Kelsey Ferris, LLC Student:
“I joined the ASL LLC so I would have something in common with people I lived with and so I would know people in my ASL classes. It’s great being in the ASL LLC because you don’t have to wait until you’re a junior or senior to get into your major. Here you live your major every day and you always have someone to turn to. We’ve all become really close and it’s because of our commonalities.”

Leah Hoffman, LLC Resident Assistant
“Choosing to live in the ASL LLC impacted my college experience tremendously. As someone who was nervous about moving to the big city, living in the LLC gave me a welcoming home with students who have similar interests as me.  For the last four years, the LLC has been a place where I have made great friends, grown, improved my ASL skills, and get great feedback on homework with others.  As someone who first lived in the community and who is now the RA for the ASL-LLC,  I have had the opportunity to see many students have similar experiences to myself.  I have seen so many students improve their ASL skills and continue to be involved within the Deaf community at UWM and within the Milwaukee area.  Living in the LLC has been very rewarding and is one of the best decisions I have made during my college career.”

Katie Lemmenes, LLC Student
“I enjoy living in the LLC because it helped me develop an instant group of friends and connected me to the Deaf community. I think I am a much better signer than I would be without the LLC since I have been able to learn through immersion and experience Deaf culture first hand.”

Contacts

Erin Wiggins
Clinical Assistant Professor and ASL Studies Program Coordinator
wiggine@uwm.edu