ASL Literature Series: What My Life is Like, a performance with Cassie Simmons in American Sign Language

The Department of Linguistics proudly presents Cassie Simmons, storyteller and comedienne.  Narrations - both humorous and serious - of Cassie’s personal experiences as an African American Deaf woman raised in Detroit form the basis of this entertaining show. The performance is enhanced by classic coming of age tales in the slapstick comedy tradition that were posted on YouTube by OICmovies including Revenge of the Lips, Shh (or Walking Noises), and Preacher Shock.

Cassie is a graduate of the Detroit Day School for the Deaf and the Michigan School for the Deaf.  From 2009 to 2015, she appeared on OICmovies, a platform for American Sign Language students and interpreters to learn and practice sign language through narratives told by Deaf storytellers. Since leaving OICmovies, she has been a traveling storyteller, which she enjoys.

In 2015, Sorensen, which hosts a Deaf Culture video series on Facebook, invited Cassie to perform in New York City. In 2016, she performed for Epic Jam Spotlight in Seattle, Washington, and at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC.

In 2017, Cassie was interviewed by students at Madonna University in Michigan about stories from her life. She made a video for ASLDEAFINED, a Michigan-based online ASL learning platform. and was invited to join a panel discussion at Oakland Community College in Michigan. Cassie was Master of Ceremonies and a performer at Reel Def Entertainment and performed at an event hosted by Detroit Black Deaf Advocates.

In 2018, Cassie performed at a conference of the Northern California Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and gave a presentation for Michigan Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. In addition, she was a presenter for an ASL Immersion program in Grasslake, Michigan.

In 2019, Cassie became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (AADHH) in Detroit, Michigan. She presented workshops for Envision, an agency that provides support to ASL students. Cassie is also a member of All Means All, an organization promoting the work of disabled artists in Michigan.

Cassie tutors ASL students and has given workshops specializing in facial expressions for ASL students.