Each student comes to class with their own motivations for learning ASL.
“Most Deaf people, myself included, feel a bit depressed,” signed Angellia Burnett, a volunteer assistant in Georgia Southern University’s American Sign Language (ASL) course. “We miss a lot in life, because it’s always been a struggle with communication.”
Burnett grew up deaf and is the only person in her family who is deaf. Her family members speak ASL, but she said many members of the deaf community continue to be excluded from family conversations because not everyone will sign all the time.
This leaves deaf family members feeling isolated even within their own home.
“Not everyone accepts my deafness,” Burnett signed off. “They need to know about deaf culture. They have to accept that. »
One of the most effective ways to accept someone is to understand the challenges they face.
In recent years, the world has seen a renaissance of Deaf culture, where the inclusion of Deaf people is becoming more common.
Recently, the movie “CODA”, which stands for “Children of Deaf Adults”, won the Oscar for Best Picture 2022. It brought Deaf culture further into the spotlight, opening many eyes to the lives of people with hearing loss. .
“What that means is that it embraces the whole community,” said Dana Taylor, Ph.D., Georgia Southern adjunct professor and sign language interpreter. “It’s not about isolating a group as different. Individuals can see the struggles, challenges, and triumphs people are going through. »
At Georgia Southern, a group of students are taking courses to increase the number of interpreters in their communities and fields.
Each student comes to class with their own motivations for learning ASL. Some learn sign language because they have people in their lives with hearing impairments or other communication disabilities where signs can be beneficial. Others are there to develop their sign skills as a professional tool.
“If I had a client who spoke ASL, I would be able to communicate better with them or put them at ease,” said speech-language pathology student Ricki Botsford. “I learned a lot about the scope of communication because there are many ways to communicate apart from the verbal option.”
When the students were asked if they had tried learning other languages like Spanish or French, all hands went up. When asked if they stuck with learning them, all but a few slipped.
What makes Sign different?
“It’s a lot easier to fit into everyday life,” said Adia Greer, who is studying to be a sports coach for deaf athletes. “I can say it verbally, but I can also sign it. I learned a lot about beckoning my cat. She doesn’t understand it, but it allows me to practice.
While the students practice signing with their favorite pets and TV shows, Burnett keeps coming to class to help show his students the world they share, but not the one they see.
Georgia Southern has a network of Student Accessibility Resource Centers on the Statesboro and Savannah campuses, providing interpreters for students who want to take classes and interact with their environment, as well as many other resources for students. hearing-impaired students.
“The whole world must learn the sign,” Burnett signed. “I want to see people motivated to learn. I see lots of hearing people who are motivated to learn and lots of Deaf people who want to help them succeed. I am really proud to be able to contribute to it.
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