In the two years since this project was started, it has ballooned from a personal goal to implement ASL to a set of resources in the broadcast meteorology community.

In January 2022, the initial youtube video and the general idea were presented at the 102nd annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society. For a look at the presentation visit this link.

During that initial presentation, a meteorologist and writer for The Washington Post took notice. She began a deep dive into the issues need surrounding the use of ASL in weather broadcasts. This was published in The Washington Post on April 15th, 2022. Check out that article at this link.

With a bit of momentum going on this project, I was invited to join forces with the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Representation, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Diversity (BRAID). With this group, we discuss the issues surrounding equitable communication in hazardous weather situations. From there further discussions and plans were formed to get this type of learning and thought in weather centers and newsrooms across the country.

In June 2022 the project and progress to that point was presented to the attendees at the 49th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There industry leaders were able to learn some signs that can keep their viewers safe in hazardous weather situations.

What’s Next?

In January 2023 this project will be presented, under the title “How Meteorologists Can Utilize ASL and Visual Cues to Reach d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities in Hazardous Weather Situations,” at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society in Denver Colorado. If you would like to attend the presentation it will be on Monday, January 9th, 2023 a part of the 11th Symposium on Building a Weather-Ready Nation: Enhancing Our Nation’s Readiness, Responsiveness, and Resilience to High Impact Weather Events.