The Center’s ASL Programming Excels
Sonoma Community Center to add American Sign Language classes for beginners.
Sonoma, California. The Sonoma Community Center is expanding its American Sign Language (ASL) programming. Currently, classes are taught exclusively in ASL, but the program will now also teach the language to beginners. This initiative is spearheaded by Azelia Mazur, a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), with her mother, Barbara White, who are dedicated to providing accessible and immersive learning opportunities.
In the past year, the Center’s initial ASL offerings have consistently sold out, attracting Sign Language speakers from the Bay Area and as far as Sacramento. All classes are taught exclusively by Deaf and ASL-fluent instructors, ensuring an authentic and high-quality learning environment. Previous workshops and classes focused on ceramics, baking, and sewing, and they plan to introduce other creative disciplines in the future.
“Being a CODA, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of communication access and the richness of Deaf culture,” said Azelia Mazur. “The Sonoma Community Center allows us to bring this vital language and cultural education to a wider audience, creating a more inclusive community here in Sonoma.”
The Center’s ASL program welcomes Amber Tansey to teach beginning ASL this summer on Tuesdays beginning June 2. Tansy, born in Sonoma County and Deaf, was inspired by her personal experiences to bridge communication gaps. She is committed to teaching effective communication tools to the community, First Responders, and others to foster understanding and ensure accessibility for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
The class will meet once per week for eight weeks. It will cover essential vocabulary, grammar, fingerspelling, and Deaf culture while building basic conversational and signing skills. The cost is $165, and full and partial scholarships are available.
Registration for upcoming classes, including the two May sessions of ASL Sourdough and the June Beginning ASL course, is now open on the Center’s website. Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up early, as spaces are limited and enrollment is expected to fill quickly.
Visit SonomaCommunityCenter.org for more information or to register. The Center envisions a campus where people of all ages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, language backgrounds, artistic talents, income levels, interests, and more feel not just welcome, but at home—a place where everyone finds something to suit their needs.
About Sonoma Community Center
The Sonoma Community Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1953 to serve the communities of Sonoma Valley with the mission of cultivating a vibrant community through extraordinary creative, cultural, and learning experiences. Originally built as the Sonoma Grammar School, which opened in 1916, the Center is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Community – Innovation – Creativity – Inclusion – Leadership
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Media Contact:
Azelia Mazur
Organizer, Sonoma Community Center
[email protected]
707-938-4626
