Following his time in the military, and after visiting with a group of Deaf people who had befriended him while he served, Dr. Joseph became part of the Deaf community and learned American Sign Language (ASL). He became an interpreter and learned about the challenges Deaf people face when engaging with things like wilderness experience, poor health care communication, and other issues. Joseph decided to dedicate his life to help remove some of the communication barriers and try to improve the human condition. He spearheaded the Baby Sign Language movement, created a learn-to-read Fingerspelling program, an ASL medical dictionary, and the Medi-Sign program. He continues to create innovative learning materials based on ASL applications. Appearing on many national and international television and media programs, Dr. Joseph has used his platform to advance both communication and to acknowledge the many contributions the Deaf community makes to our society.
