HandSpeak
About HandSpeak
HandSpeak is a content site on sign language online. Handspeak consists of American Sign Language (ASL) online dictionary, grammar, fingerspelling, literary arts (storytelling and poetry) and other features.
About the creator
Jolanta Lapiak is the creator of Handspeak. Born a truly native-signer to signers (Deaf family and communities from Europe to North America), she has been signing daily all her life in family life and communities. She had lived in several cities in North America as well as she has traveled to many countries where she has been exposed to different sign languages and cultures which expanded further her sign language literacy and culture. She is an ASL instructor, presenter, ASL literary artist, media poet and narrator in ASL/Ameslan.
Jolanta teaches courses at Lakeland College/University of Alberta in the ASL/Deaf Studies and ASL/English interpretation programs: ASL courses, intercultural communication for sign language interpreters, and arts in Deaf culture. She holds an LPI proficiency level score of 5 out of 5 in ASL. She earned a MFA degree in Media Arts from NSCAD University, Halifax, a BFA with distinction in Media Arts from ACAD, Calgary, and a BA from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
Handspeak
Jolanta, a pioneer, created a previous website in 1996 and then recreated it to handspeak.com in 2000, both originally as a hobby. It was a labour of love, respect and passion for sign language and is still today (many volunteer hours). Due to the expenses of the operation, labour and time, she started the subscription program to help sustain the site.
Who uses HandSpeak? Who learns and uses signs?
babies and infants, college students, clergies, dancers, deaf and deafened people, doctors, firefighters, foreigners, hard of hearing, hearing people, home-schoolers or homeschooling families, military officers, musicians, nurses, owners of pets, parents of deaf children, parents of infants, performing artists, pilots, police officers, people with disabilities, public speakers, sale clerks, scuba divers, sign language students/ interpreters/ instructors, singers, teachers, teenagers, US Army, US Navy...