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From https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/opinion/sign-language-isnt-just-for-babies.html

In this recent op-ed, Rachel Kolb writes, "When we see sign language as only a fad, a trend or merely as 'so beautiful,' and when we separate it from the context of the actual deaf people who use it to communicate, we lose sight of the real stakes of language. Language welcomes, but it also excludes.

"...We need to provide more access to signed language for the people who really need it. As a path toward mainstream acceptance why not give fluent deaf users of A.S.L. more leadership and visibility to usher in the widespread use of their language? (The Baby Einstein signing videos, which star the deaf actress Marlee Matlin, are a good model.) Families who find themselves interested in baby signs may be intrigued by the contributions of deaf storytellers, like Leala Holcomb and her partners at Hands Land or Sheena McFeely and Manny Johnson of ASL Nook, who have put together children’s tales and visual nursery rhymes in A.S.L. And why not invite more people to use A.S.L. throughout their lives?"

Read the full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/opinion/sign-language-isnt-just-for-babies.html