What makes Kimberly Nussbaum with ASL Friends a good neighbor? 

Mr.Roger's Neighborhood Finds a Special Mission to Serve the Deaf Community

Language bridges worlds, and few understand this better than the remarkable team at ASL Friends, a grassroots nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh. Their story, as shared on the Good Neighbor Podcast with host Leila Carter, reveals how a chance encounter with Fred Rogers himself sparked a mission that continues to transform lives in the deaf community.

ASL Friends, led by founder Kimberly Nussbaum alongside Susan Miller and Laura Clark, focuses on fostering early language acquisition for deaf children while supporting family communication through immersive educational programming in American Sign Language. Their cornerstone project—a one-week special edition of Mr. Rogers ASL Friends designed specifically for deaf children and their families—honors both the legacy of Fred Rogers and addresses a critical need in language development for young deaf children.

The organization's origin story is nothing short of serendipitous. Kimberly, who had studied American Sign Language in Arizona, moved to Pittsburgh as a new mother and found herself deeply moved when revisiting Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Looking at the program through the lens of a sign language interpreter, she recognized its potential value for deaf children but needed permission from Fred Rogers himself. By an extraordinary stroke of fate, she was assigned to interpret for a keynote speaker who turned out to be Fred Rogers. This chance meeting allowed her to share her vision, eventually leading to the formation of ASL Friends as a nonprofit in 2005, with award-winning deaf producer James DeBee at the creative helm.

What makes their work particularly crucial is the stark reality they're addressing: deaf high school students, on average, graduate with just a fourth-grade reading level, severely limiting their educational and career opportunities. This isn't a reflection of ability but rather a consequence of language deprivation. By pairing Mr. Rogers' deliberately constructed, vocabulary-rich content with skilled ASL signers, they've created programming where deaf children and their families can learn up to 70 signs from a single 130-minute episode.

The misconceptions surrounding deaf communication and language development remain significant barriers. Many people erroneously believe sign language is universal worldwide, when in fact each country has its own unique sign language. More critically, there's a widespread lack of understanding about how vital early language acquisition is for deaf children, particularly between ages one and three—a critical linguistic development period. This language foundation directly impacts future academic achievement, employment opportunities, and overall quality of life.

ASL Friends primarily targets deaf children and their hearing family members—parents, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers. They've embraced social media, fundraising campaigns, and networking efforts to connect with this audience, while also partnering with Schools for the Deaf across the nation. Their approach emphasizes that American Sign Language isn't just for deaf individuals—it's beneficial for all brains, supporting visual learning and offering communication advantages regardless of hearing ability.

The organization's dedication stems partly from personal experiences with adversity. All three women interviewed have faced serious life challenges, including siblings who suffered catastrophic accidents. These experiences have instilled in them values of perseverance, faith, and tenacity—qualities that drive their commitment to improving communication access for deaf children and their families.

For those interested in supporting or learning more about ASL Friends, their website (www.aslfriends.org) offers resources, including online classes for individuals, families, and companies. They maintain active Facebook and YouTube presences and host fundraising events, including a golf tournament in Naples, Florida. Their message is clear: American Sign Language is for everyone, and ASL Friends stands ready to help anyone interested in learning this powerful visual language take their first steps.

To learn more about ASL Friends go to: 

https://www.aslfriends.org/

ASL Friends

(724)713-1402