Posts by Amy Lazzaretti



Alexander G. Bell and Edward M. Gallaudet

TWO EDUCATORS OF THE DEAF: WERE THEY FRIENDS OR FOES? Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell was a teacher of the deaf school in Boston? He was fluent in American Sign Language. His philosophy for the Deaf was advocating oralism. Did you know that American Sign Language (ASL) almost. . . + Read More

ASL Handshapes Produce Mental Movies

Mental movie? What’s that and how do we produce mental movies? When we visualize something in our minds, it’s a scene running of what we recalled or imagine what it would be like. It can be a memory or possible situational scenario. For the Deaf people, while thinking in English,. . . + Read More

Crazy & Dumb FAQs for Deaf People

April is the month to celebrate National Deaf History every year (anything that’s related to Deafness, including American Sign Language, history, culture and so on). I thought it would be a good time to raise awareness about the Deaf community and their struggles. Let’s start with this amusing topic: crazy. . . + Read More

We Asked, You Answered! Updated Demo.

After our initial demo launch, we asked for your feedback. Here are some of the changes:  New video player slow-motion moved the play button so it doesn’t interfere with the video custom buttons on the player Tools to help you measure your progress while studying progress bar flag that pops. . . + Read More

Names (and “Sign Names”) in ASL

Hi! My name is _________. The ASL alphabet is an essential function of the language and is often relied upon by beginners to communicate while learning more vocabulary.  Check them out below. Challenge: Learn your ABCs, then post a video on Facebook or Instagram fingerspelling your name (add your sign. . . + Read More

ASL Poetry

Every language has art forms centered around it (poetry, music, etc) and ASL is no exception. This post will dive into popular styles and devices used in ASL poetry. Many thanks to Kenneth Lerner, at RIT for interviewing, teaching, and sharing poetry resources! Poetic Devices  Speed changes can be used. . . + Read More

Blitz Spotlight: Deaf Refugee Advocacy

We contacted Diana Pryntz, Robert Tawney and Marta Tawney, co-founders of Deaf Refugee Advocacy (DRA), to learn more about how the organization started and what they do. To summarize, DRA is a Rochester-based organization that helps Deaf refugees learn English, ASL, culture, and assimilate into the community while staying true. . . + Read More

Blitz Spotlight: SLB Founder, Chris Morrison

Read this post to learn about Sign Language Blitz founder, Christopher Morrison!   What made you want to start Sign Language Blitz? There are three big reasons why I started Sign Language Blitz.   First and foremost I want to give back.  Sign Language Blitz [allows me to use] my. . . + Read More

How to Be Deaf Friendly at Work

Chances are, if you work in service, you’ve had a Deaf customer.  If you don’t sign, the language barrier could leave you wondering how to connect. ASL in Customer Service Working with the public is about communication.  That’s why Ugly Duck Coffee in Rochester, NY, hosted an ASL crash course. . . + Read More