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Lack of Language Classes a Sign of the TimesBy Opal Colvin I was living in Virginia the year I entered the eighth grade. Students could choose the courses they wanted to take, and high school credits counted toward graduation. It was then that my guidance counselor told me I would need to take two years of a foreign language. There was no question in my mind what language that would be. I wanted to take sign language. I soon discovered that sign language was not offered in that school or any other school in the district. The counselor recommended I choose a standard foreign language, such as French, German or Spanish. None of those languages interested me, so I decided to wait. The next school year, we were living in another state. (My father was in the Air Force, and our family was constantly being relocated.) Unfortunately, the junior high school on the military base didn’t offer sign language either. The next year, I was at yet another school with still no option to take sign language. I ended up taking two years of Spanish. Currently I live near a large city in Florida. My local county lists 15 pages of various schools in the yellow pages. Even with that many resources for education, there are fewer than 10 active programs that offer sign language classes. According to one of the program directors for the Hillsborough County School System, sign language is not offered in the schools as a credited (foreign) language class. Students who wish to take it must first get permission from their school guidance counselor. There are only a few area high schools that offer any sign language classes. Part of the reason may be that in Florida, a teacher is required to be certified in deaf education and teaching in order to teach sign language as a credited course. Some community colleges, however, are now offering the classes through their adult education programs. Civic groups and churches in a number of communities also have classes. In addition, some so-called “megachurches” actively recruit members of the deaf community, boasting interpreters and programs for the deaf and their families. Those wishing to find out more about sign language classes should contact their local colleges, as well as larger churches, to determine if programs are available. After learning that sign language was being offered at a local church, a friend and I signed up for a class in ASL (American Sign Language), the preferred language of the deaf, and the type most used to communicate with people who are deaf. Our class instructor Christa had chosen to teach ASL rather than SEE (Signing or Signed Exact English) because it is used more in conversation among the deaf. At this time, my signing is more like PSL (Pigeon Sign Language), a combination of the other two. Like many of the teachers in the churches and civic organizations, Christa has a deaf family member. In her case, it is her 11-year-old son, Ryan, who was born with CHARGE syndrome. His deafness was diagnosed when he was 18 months old. Deafness or partial deafness is one of the most common conditions associated with CHARGE syndrome. Having a deaf child has made Christa and her husband Ron well aware of many challenges faced by the deaf and their family members. When they learned their son was deaf, Christa and Ron searched their community and surrounding areas for help. They found a D/HH (Deaf/Hard of Hearing) prekindergarten program, and Ryan began to learn sign language immediately. Christa said that her decision to get their son cochlear implants was so Ryan would be able to have as normal a life as possible. When he becomes old enough to make informed decisions on his own, Ryan will be given the option of choosing whether he wishes to live as a member of the deaf community or as a hearing person. Christa and Ron will accept Ryan’s decision, whatever it may be. In the meantime, Christa is trying to bridge the gap between the deaf world and the hearing world as much as possible. She says she has been learning sign language for eight years and teaching it for two. I am grateful to finally be able to take sign language classes. I have met some wonderful people that otherwise I would have never had the pleasure of knowing. Initially, I didn’t learn signing with the idea of becoming a licensed interpreter. But it’s nice to know that, should I ever decide to, I can. ****************************** Opal Colvin is an advocate for disability rights. She lives in the state of Flroida ****************************** |
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