Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern’s response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

New challenges–and opportunities–for American Sign Language users in a pandemic

Lori Whynot has been acting as an American Sign Language interpreter for Governor Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 press conferences. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

When Lori Whynot is interpreting Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 press conferences, the information she’s relaying can be a matter of life and death. It’s crucial that the message be presented as clearly as possible.

And certain public health protocols enacted recently to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19—particularly the guidelines to wear masks in public—create a challenge for those using American Sign Language.

Wearing a mask while signing, says Whynot, who is the director of Northeastern University’s American Sign Language Program, “is like listening to a muffled message.”

Read more at News@Northeastern.

More Stories

decorative image with the text

Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month at Northeastern University: Honoring Our Faculty and Their Work 

05.28.2024

Feminists on the Politics of Crisis: The Ninth Annual Women’s History Month Symposium

05.01.2023

Honoring Women’s History Month: A Commitment to Scholarship, Leadership, and Belonging

03.13.25
All Stories