A Note from the President
By Samuel J. Supalla
A Comeback for Martha's Vineyard Sign Language!
For many of us, we are accustomed to the notion that the shared signing community life
reported on Martha's Vineyard years ago belongs in the past. Supporting this is the 2015 article
published in The Atlantic with the somewhat depressing title: "The Life and Death of Martha's
Vineyard Sign Language." The article written by Cari Romm centers on how "[t]he island was once
home to a thriving deaf community and a now-extinct system of signing used by deaf and hearing
alike" (p. 1). Although the writer is positive about the historical accounts on Martha's Vineyard, the
widespread signing on the island represents a bygone era, no longer part of us. However, there are
new developments taking place on Martha's Vineyard, as reported in 2020 that is strikingly different
from what was reported in 2015. Things are beginning to change and for the better, in my opinion!
According to the Martha's Vineyard Times, a local publication on the island, a woman by the
name of Lynn Thorp has initiated the Martha's Vineyard Sign Language revival project. The title for
the 2020 article, "Reviving Sign Language on Martha's Vineyard," clearly hits a more positive note in
comparison to the 2015 article. From what I understand, Thorp is hearing and resides on Martha's
Vineyard, and holds a special place in her heart for the history of her island. When she learned about
her husband and some of her neighbors losing hearing due to advancing age, she could not help but
think that knowing and using Martha's Vineyard Sign Language could be a great asset to the
community. Thorp managed to find some historical information on what Martha's Vineyard Sign
Language looked like (via the 1989 teachings called "Interax"). Lessons were then compiled for a
group of islanders that met regularly for the purpose of learning and becoming signers. This particular
endeavor was funded through a Local Cultural Council grant.
More recently, Thorp has pursued the idea that Martha's Vineyard Sign Language should be
formally taught through the island's public-school system. A Martha's Vineyard Sign Language course
has actually been developed as part of the school system's enrichment program. Thorp has
consulted with the Vineyard Nurses Association in an effort designed to help nurses communicate
better with the elderly islanders (who have experienced hearing loss) via signing, for example.
I am excited about Thorp now developing a website on Martha's Vineyard Sign Language for
the island's Chamber of Commerce and the Martha's Vineyard Museum. I hope to access DVDs of
the Martha's Vineyard Sign Language lessons through the island's library system, as I believe many
of you might be interested in these new educational resources as well. Thorp even thought about offislanders
like you and me, who may want a driving tour map when visiting Martha's Vineyard. This
map will include information that signers will appreciate learning about and touring the island for its
most remarkable history.
For myself, I attended a friend's wedding several years ago at Martha's Vineyard. I enjoyed
sharing information and stories with my friends during that time about the island's history based on
Nora Groce's 1985 book, Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language. As an unofficial tour guide, I drove a
rental car around the island with my friends, and they immensely enjoyed visiting places such as the
Chilmark General Store that was mentioned in Groce's book. What we failed to visit is Lambert’s
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The Power of ASL 6
Summer 2020 – Issue 18