Julia Dickson

Current Occupation: Founder & Freelance Designer
Current Location: Ottawa/Remote
Program: Bachelor of Industrial Design/22

Why did you choose this particular language?

I thought the idea of communicating without using any spoken words was a beautiful concept, and after my first class I was hooked on ASL. Learning about Deaf culture and removing some language barriers in people’s everyday lives was amazing. It is a beautiful language to learn, and I wish I used it more than I do.

Your Learning Experience

Deaf culture was very memorable, along with how fluent I got after 4 years. It was challenging at the beginning remembering all the signs, but it was fun doing all the videos of myself signing and seeing how expressive I am.

The unique challenges of learning ASL

The most challenging was seeing how far Deaf people have come. Everything they have overcome in their history was very inspiring. I love that by learning their language I can become closer to their community. Other than that, ASL you have to get comfortable basically “acting”.

As a student, did you actively engage with members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in Ottawa and/or your hometown?

I unfortunately have limited interaction with the Deaf community, but I have had small beautiful moments where I was able to communicate and chat briefly with them. The joy on their faces that I have learned their language and could understand them was wonderful. I wish I went to more deaf community events on campus.

Using language after graduating

I haven’t used ASL much yet, but I am applying it to every project I design and make sure I am taking into consideration their limited hearing and make sure my products are useable universally. Designing for all is my goal for my company.

Why study a second or additional language?

I value learning ASL highly. It make me gain more insight into others lives, removed some barrier between communities, and make it easier for me to learn even more languages. I feel it’s so respectful to know more than just English in Canada. I would recommend learning another language to anyone.

Your personal experience of studying a language at university

It was rewarding to see how far I came at the end. Being almost fluent and learning so much about the Deaf community was great insight. It has shaped me greatly in my major in Industrial Design, and even inspired me to write a paper on “designing for disabling environments” that was selected for the WDO forum.