May is a great time to be a Star Wars fan.

We celebrate the release of the Original and Prequel Trilogy films, the birth George Lucas; the man who gave us the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and this year on May 25th Star Wars returns to the big screen with Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Then there is the phenomenon of “May the 4th.”  It’s become a day where the whole world celebrates the magic of Star Wars.  This year was a particularly special May 4th for me.  I was given the opportunity to combine three of my passions: Star Wars, American Sign Language and supporting people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  To truly understand what made this year so significant I need to talk a bit about what I do when I’m not telling you where Mark Hamill will be signing next, recording the Star Wars Autograph News Podcast or covering comic cons around the world.

Just about 18 years ago I received a call from my best friend that would, quite literally, change my life. We met in college nine years earlier and then worked together supporting children attending a school focused on providing education to students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. When he called me he had recently started working for a human service agency in the same city (actually on the same street) where we had worked together previously.

He said he wanted me to work in one particular group home there.  He explained that it was very difficult to staff that particular home due to the challenging behaviors the people living there exhibited.  I was hesitant, not because of the behavior, that was my wheelhouse, but because I wanted to get back into writing, which I had studied when we were in college. This friend wouldn’t give up and I finally relented and said I’d give it a shot, but only on a part time/relief basis.

“Great!” he said.  “There’s just one thing, they are both Deaf and you will need to learn American Sign Language.”

The next thing I heard was a dial tone.

I had just made the single most important decision of my life.

Not only did I learn American Sign Language (ASL) but I quickly realized I loved everything about it.  The two people who lived in the home began my education.  They taught me ASL, about the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture. My love of the language and culture led me to accept a management position at that home, which I did for several years before transferring to an employment program within the same agency where all the individuals I supported were Deaf, as well as all my co-workers.  It was a unique situation to be the only “hearing” person (how people who are not Deaf are referred to in ASL/Deaf culture) in that environment. You’ve heard that if you want to learn French the best way to do so is to live in France for awhile?  Well, there is no Deaf country, but working at that employment program was just about as close as anyone can get. I won’t lie, it wasn’t always easy, but it was by far the best education I could have possibly received.

There are so many events that have shaped my life that I can directly attribute to saying yes to my friend all those years ago; the birth of my daughter being first and foremost. Over the years I’ve held many wonderful positions at the agency, including 10 years in the Clinical Department before taking on the role of the Training Coordinator two years ago.  I was also afforded the opportunity to take night classes at Northeastern University in Boston in their American Sign Language and ASL Interpreting programs which lead to me becoming a contracted ASL interpreter for the Archdiocese of Boston, which I have been for the last 9 years.  All of these things made possible from that one phone call.

Here’s how it all comes together.

I started attending conventions around New England in 2006, five years before creating Star Wars Autograph News.  During that time I got to know many of the cosplayers from my local Star Wars costuming groups; the New England Garrison of the 501st Legion and Alderaan Base of the Rebel Legion.  As fate would have it one of those cosplayers would wind up working with me in our IT Department. I never take for granted that at any given moment I can walk down the hall and have a conversation about Star Wars with someone who loves it as much, if not more, than me.

One of the many great things he’s brought to our agency is the “ASL Word of the Day” which features a short clip of our staff demonstrating a word or phrase in ASL.

With very few exceptions these videos have all been performed by our staff who are Deaf, and that is the way is should be.  In March he approached me with the idea of me doing a series of videos for the week leading up to May the 4th. Being asked to do five Star Wars-themed “ASL Word of the Day” segments was a great honor, but my first thought was to defer to someone who was Deaf.  After some discussion it was decided I would be videotaped performing the signs…while wearing his Jedi robes.

You might assume that since I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan and I know ASL that I would know Star Wars vocabulary.  You’d be incorrect.  We decided on five words/phrases for the week.  “Jedi”, “Stormtrooper”, “Darth Vader”, “Lightsaber” and “May the Force be with you.”  I only knew one sign from that list.

I’d been wanting to learn Star Wars “sign names” (signs specific to characters, places and concepts from the films) for some time. While covering Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando in 2012 I was able to arrange an interview with two of the American Sign Language interpreters who were assigned to the event.  Unfortunately the battery in my video camera died just before the interview so I had to use my phone, which greatly altered how I was able to conduct the interview.  One of my questions was specifically about Star Wars sign names.  That is how I knew the one sign from the list I was given at work: Darth Vader.  Since I had to hold my phone I wasn’t able to sign my questions, so you might be able to hear my (stammering) voice, but their responses are all in ASL.

I bumped into Rob and Jennifer at CVI as well and was able to ask them about their experiences at the show and what they loved about Star Wars.  I think Rob’s love of Star Wars is obvious in this video whether you know ASL or not.

I was thankful that I had recorded these interviews at CVI, but I needed more help.  I Googled “Star Wars sign names” and found this great video by Jason Hurdich on Youtube.  Jason is Deaf and is a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI.) The website Signing Savy explains “CDI’s are deaf or hard of hearing individuals who are nationally certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). They serve as an equal member of the interpreting team along with a certified hearing interpreter. The CDI interprets the message from the deaf consumer to the hearing interpreter and the hearing interpreter then relays the message to the hearing consumer.” Jason’s video was a tremendous help in preparing for my upcoming video segments.

And here are the finished videos which were released daily from Monday, April 30th – Friday, May 4th.

“JEDI”

The sign for “Jedi” is the act of pulling the hood up over their head and bowing slightly.  This sign is not specific to “Jedi”, it’s often used for “monk” or “friar” and a variant of it can also be used for “sweatshirt.”  Facial expressions are just as important as what you do with your hands in ASL.  Since Jedi have “the most serious mind” I tried to make sure my facial expressions reflected that.

“STORMTROOPER”

This video was specifically released on May 1st because it is also known as “5-01 Day” which is a big day for the 501st Legion.  You’ll notice that I am making two different signs.  These two signs are not “storm” and “trooper.”  The first part shows the shape of the bottom part of the stormtroopers helmet and the second part, which is a bit more obvious, is them shooting their rifle (which we all know is more likely than not an E-11 blaster.)

“LIGHTSABER”

This was probably my favorite video of the five.  The first part of the sign is “light.”  The second part shows the shape and length of the lightsaber. That pose at the end isn’t at all part of the sign, it just felt like the right thing to do.

“DARTH VADER”

Again, two parts to this sign, neither of which are “Darth” or “Vader.”  The first part shows the approximate shape of his helmet and the second part shows the part of his helmet just below his nose (I started that part of the sign higher on my face than I intended.)  Can someone confirm if that part of the mask is called the “Granar Multiplexar?”

“MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU”

This phrase is a great example of how ASL is it’s own language and not just a signed version of English.  There is a mode of communicating where you sign in exact English word order, but that is not the same as ASL.  You can probably tell I am not signing the words “May-the-force-be-with-you” here. The ASL word for “force” it’s specific to making someone do something.  In Star Wars there are Force powers which literally do “force” people or things; Jedi Mind Trick, Force Push etc.  When you wish someone “May the Force be with you” that is not what you are taking about.  Your referring to what Yoda says to Luke in the Empire Strikes Back “Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us.”

My left index finger represents the “you” in the phrase as my right hand and facial expression represents “the Force.”  My right hand then represents the Force becoming one with you.

I was thrilled to see the response these videos received on Facebook and the attention it brought to our agency, American Sign Language and Deaf Culture.  The opportunity to combine three of my life’s passions to make these videos truly brought warm feelings to my heart.

WCI is a private 501(c)3 non-profit agency providing an array of services to people with intellectual disabilities, autism, acquired brain injury, physical, sensory and medical needs. WCI’s goal for four decades has been to foster the greatest possible degree of independence and competence for individuals to live, work and be a part of the community. WCI provides flexible options to people it supports, as each individual’s needs are different.

To make an online donation to WCI please click HERE.

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