What makes Kimberly Nussbaum with ASL Friends a good neighbor?  Have you ever wondered about the profound impact of early language development on a child's future? When Kimberly Nussbaum took American Sign Language as a college requirement, she couldn't have imagined how it would transform not only her life but countless others in the Deaf community.The remarkable journey of ASL Friends begins with a stroke of serendipity—Kimberly, newly moved to Pittsburgh and working as an interpreter, was randomly assigned to interpret for a keynote speaker who turned out to be Fred Rogers himself. This fateful meeting allowed her to share her vision of creating sign language versions of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for deaf children. What started as a "cute idea" quickly evolved into a profound mission when Kimberly learned that deaf high school students graduate with an average fourth-grade reading level, severely limiting their educational and career opportunities.This passionate nonprofit team—Kimberly, Susan Miller, and Laura Clark—now creates immersive ASL programming that enables deaf children and their families to learn up to 70 signs from a single episode. Working with award-winning Deaf producer James DeBee, they've developed a pilot special edition of Mister Rogers' ASL Friends specifically designed for deaf children ages 1-3, a critical period for language acquisition. Their work tackles widespread misconceptions about sign language while addressing the serious consequences of language deprivation in the Deaf community.ASL Friends embodies the belief that American Sign Language is "for all brains"—beneficial not just for deaf individuals but for anyone with a visual learning style. Whether you're curious about learning ASL yourself, know a family who might benefit from their programming, or simply want to support their mission, visit www.aslfriends.org to discover how this Pittsburgh nonprofit is bridging communication gaps and changing lives one sign at a time.To learn more about ASL Friends go to: https://www.aslfriends.org/ASL Friends(724)713-1402

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