Helpful Pamphlets/Brochures for Newcomers that Sign:

• A Beginner's Guide to Sign Heraldry - from Robin Elwood

• New to Court Sign Brochure, English PDF - from Nicasia Leontodes 

Skillset: 

• For Individuals LOOKING FOR Signing Services:

  •  "Signers" refers to ALL people within the SCA that sign including professional interpreters, audiologists, teachers of the Deaf, family members (CODA etc), Deaf SCAdians & Deaf newcomers, conversationally fluent members of our Populace, and SCAdians brand new to signing! Not all volunteers are 100% fluent in their signed language, but everyone is continuing to learn and increase their level of fluency (even the super experienced Signers are learning how to interpret old-wordy scrolls presented in court!). People offering signing services either in or outside of court must be approved by the Society Sign Herald. 

  • The Sign Heralds are working on a ranking system for language fluency within the Society. While definitions for these ranks are presently being written, Newer Signers can offer services like signing for scrolls if words were presented to the Sign Heralds and rehearsed by them prior to court running. When reaching out to a Signer for services, PLEASE include what you would like their services for, that way if it is perhaps something that is over their skillset (for example, interpreting a class on Arabic callibraphy or , they can coordinate with other Signers to work toward having have your needs met. 

• For Signers OFFERING Signing Services: 

  • If you have been asked to cover a court session in a Kingdom that is not your own (meaning they may have unfamiliar Kingdom vocabulary), please look at the SCA ASL Dictionary to review that Kingdom's awards. There may not be any videos linked to terms to show signs yet, but definitions and descriptions are included so you can describe an award being presented (for example, in the East Kingdom, you can fingerspell Maunche and describe it as a higher level award in arts and science). 

  • The above bullet-point also pertains to class subjects you may not yet be familiar with. Keep in mind, the SCA ASL Dictionary is still growing, so please jot down notes from classes you've attended or signed at for new SCA and medieval terms to be added to the dictionary in English. Videos using classifiers or other signs may be added in the future by more experienced Signers as examples on how to portray the new concept/terminology. 

  • If an individual reaching out for signing services is requesting aid in something you do not believe you have the skillset to handle (perhaps a day-of request for a Signer in a Punjabi class , coordinate with other Signers to see if their services can still be provided. 

Availability: 

• The volunteers that chose to be listed on this site may not be available at a moment's notice (Pennsic is HUGE and BUSY!). However, they may better be able to work in requests in to their Pennsic schedule if they are contacted ahead of time. For example, if a fighter is planning on fighting on a Tuesday but was made aware that signing services was requested for Tuesday afternoon, they can choose to leave the battlefield early to head toward the source of the request. If a volunteer listed here is already occupied with or scheduled for another activity (teaching, learning, fighting, camp care, etc), they may be able to help you coordinate with another volunteer. 

This is still a growing community, and the Sign Heralds hope that, with this being the first year this website is being used, the community of Signers and volunteers will continue to grow for more events like this to come!

NOTE: SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED!

• Supplies for providing aid to hearing aid users is purchased out-of-pocket by volunteers. Not all manufacturers have universal wax guards and domes. 

• SCAdians with hearing aids will still be recommended to bring their own supplies to volunteers (if you have your own supplies) to ensure proper materials are being used for your devices. If you know how to maintain your hearing aids yourself but have difficulty with hand dexterity, we're still happy to help in any way!

• Hearing aid users are STRONGLY recommended to check in with their hearing aid providers after war. Volunteer services offered at war are only to troubleshoot quick and/or common hearing aid problems and get you back to your war plans as quickly as possible. Volunteer services are not a long-term fix if your devices need critical care. 

Hearing Helpers for Hearing Aids

Her Excellency Baroness Squirrel Mani, also known as Her Squirrelency and formerly known as Lady Erna Mani, departed from this world July 9th, 2025. Her friends and peers would describe her as a beacon of light and joy. New acquaintances would immediately think "I want this person in my life," upon meeting her. 

Within the Sign Herald community, Squirrel was known for her enthusiasm to learn and teach about historic hand-signed communication. She would enthusiastically attend Mistress Tegan's online classes throughout each and every month to continually develop her American Sign Language skills. She took on a student, Chastity Normandin, to continue her study of historic hand-signed communication and research of the historic treatment and cultural practices around d/Deaf and hard of hearing persons of history. 

Squirrel's passion for learning and teaching still inspires her peers and friends. In honour of her memory, a badge has been created (Fieldless, on an open book Vert bound Or,  in fess a hand couped argent and a squirrel maintaining a nut Or) which may be used on publications and as a visual indicator of classes covering hand-signed communication and historic cultural practices around the d/Deaf and hard of hearing, both online and in-person, within the SCA to keep her memory and energy alive as lessons and research continue development within the SCA Signing Community. 

This is the official website of the Sign Herald of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Copyright © 2025 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. The copyright for some material is retained by its original contributors. Links to third-party websites do not represent an endorsement, and the SCA is not responsible for their content. This website and the data it collects are governed by the SCA.org Privacy Policy. To report website issues, contact the Sign Herald Webmaster. 

Ceci est le site officiel du Sign Herald de la Society for Creative Anachronism. Copyright © 2025 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. Les droits d'auteur de certains contenus appartiennent à leurs contributeurs originaux. Les liens vers des sites web tiers ne constituent pas une approbation, et la SCA n'est pas responsable de leur contenu. Ce site web et les données qu'il collecte sont régis par la politique de confidentialité de SCA.org. Pour signaler un problème concernant le site web, veuillez contacter le Webmaster du Sign Herald.