ASL Slam Takes Poetry and Spoken Word to Another Level

SAN DIEGO, CALIF., September 19, 2019 – You’ve probably heard of Poetry Slam and Spoken Word, but how about ASL Slam? ASL Slam is a visual art with a national and international presence. Their events deliver live poetry, storytelling, comedy and more in ASL for the Deaf community. ASL Slam Orlando is one organization that has taken the concept and ran with it.

ASL Slam Orlando launched in 2017 and has been going strong since, even bringing to their stage performers from around the country. “ASL Slam is an open stage for the community…Deaf audiences, interpreters, ASL students, and signers participate and show their unique talent in ASL.” said Orlando host and founder Kumar Singh.

Artistic and linguistic expression, raising awareness and inclusivity are among their core objectives. Awareness and inclusivity especially come into play with their hearing attendees. They even have interpreters for the hearing at times, interpreting the performer introductions for those who are not ASL proficient. Singh said, “When it comes to a performance, the interpreter will be voice off and allow hearing people to focus on the visuals, not hearing…they can learn new experiences of what ASL is like. Everyone is always welcomed! They might be surprised at the silence in the room.”

The ASL community comes together for these events monthly between Orlando and other locations in the US.

The next Orlando ASL Slam event is in November and you can visit aslslam.com to learn much more.

For more on this story, and the resources used for this blog, please visit https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-et-kumar-singh-asl-slam-orlando-20190829-2ie2miwpfvbfxisrnadbmrsveq-story.htmlhttps://bit.ly/2lVgJsZ and www.aslslam.com.

Photo: Trevor Fraser/Courtesy photo via the Orlando Sentinel.

About Interpreters Unlimited, Inc.

The IU Group of companies include: Interpreters Unlimited, Accessible Communication for the Deaf, Albors & Alnet, Arkansas Spanish Interpreters and Translators, and IU GlobeLink, LLC, and are headquartered in San Diego, California as a minority-owned company. IU Group is committed to providing equal opportunity in the work environment with its diverse team to aid in supplying linguistic and cultural interpretation services to clients. A combined 70 years in the industry has demonstrated a surplus of leadership and best practices, which has helped establish its respected role in the language services community. Its services include interpretation, document translation and non-emergency medical transportation.