ASL as a Foreign Language By Julia Summers

American Sign Language ASL should be considered a foreign language for school credits. It is used in everyday life in the Deaf community, with people with special needs, and people who can’t hear or speak If someone knows ASL, there are many job opportunities for them. For example: Careers in human services Special education teacher Audiologist Career counselor Interpreter Speech language pathology

Origins of ASL Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Laurent Clerc Alice Cogswell Laurent Clerc Old French Sign Language (OFSL) American School for the Deaf 1817 Gallaudet University Edward Miner Gallaudet

Controversy What people say: ASL is just another version of English It’s not a real language if it’s not spoken It’s only used in the United States and Canada, so it’s not considered foreign

Responses American Sign Language is a language just like any other, it is used by a group of people who are dependent on it for communication. For example, if a person who is deaf was suddenly able to hear, they would not be able to recognize the sounds of English, just like people who know English do not automatically know Spanish. They would have to learn English, just as if a foreigner was learning English. They may be able to read and write in English, but they cannot speak or understand it being said.

States that recognize ASL as a foreign language

ASL is a real language Here in the United States, American Sign Language is the primary language of an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 Americans. This includes native deaf signers, hearing children of deaf parents, people who are hard of hearing, people who are not necessarily deaf but have trouble with speech, and fluent deaf signers who have learned ASL from other deaf people. Most of the time, ASL is offered in education, speech, or communication disorder departments rather than in foreign language department One reason for this is that there are not many licensed ASL teachers.

Deaf Community The difference between deaf and Deaf A person who is deaf cannot hear A person who is Deaf is not necessarily deaf; they are a part of the Deaf community and use ASL as their main way of communication. Someone who is deaf is not necessarily a part of Deaf culture. Alexander Graham Bell He encouraged oralism and speech training instead of a signed language He thought that being deaf was a curse and he tried in any way he knew how to prevent deaf children from being born

Conclusion ASL classes: increase socialization between hearing and deaf students, Increase students’ interest in becoming interpreters, which may eventually even out the shortage of interpreters, increase acceptance of having deaf people as employees and co-workers, and increase interest in becoming educators of the deaf, creating more jobs in teaching sign language "If there are deaf people, there will be sign language...“ George W. Veditz President National Association of the Deaf 1904-1910

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDrNZuZ-Dr0 Difference between the hearing and Deaf cultures

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