American Sign Language: “It’s a difference, not a disability.”
Story by Sydney Ziegler | Design by Destiny Gardner | Photos by Destiny Gardner
Picture sitting in class, surrounded by desks, books and students. The room is filled with questions being asked and language being learned, however it’s completely silent. Looking around, students are using their hands to create meaning. There is still conversation happening. Everyone seems to engage with and understand each other without using sound.
This is the world of American Sign Language.
American Sign Language and Deafness
There are an abundance of different reasons why someone may be interested in learning American Sign Language (ASL). Whether it is a want or a need to communicate in another way, ASL can be helpful for many. This includes Deaf, hard of hearing or allied individuals who desire another way to communicate with others.
“Way back in elementary and middle school, my voice did this thing where sometimes it would just stop, and I wouldn't be able to speak for a while,” Em Eichholz, a Senior ASL minor and president of the ASL club, says. “And frankly, I didn't want to half the time, and so in middle school, I started looking into learning sign language.”
Sign gives the opportunity for people to communicate without needing to speak. Deaf and hearing people alike use ASL to communicate with each other. A hearing person refers to someone who can perceive sound and vocals at ‘normal’ levels.
Interestingly, within the word ‘Deaf’ there are differences of use in capitalization or not. Eichholz explains, “lowercase d, deafness, is the condition of not being able to hear, whereas uppercase D, or Deaf, like the word, is a person who has deafness, part of the Deaf culture, Deaf community.”
“Disability”
As with everything in society, there are stereotypes that follow Deaf culture. Stereotypes can be damaging to a culture’s sense of community, as well as how others see these cultures. For Deaf culture, there are a few stigmas that need to be debunked, including the word “disability.”
“It's what we in education like to call an exceptionality,” Eichholz says. “It's a difference. It's not a disability.” All individuals interviewed for this article discussed how normative society can think of deafness as a disability. In Deaf culture, however, deafness is not something that is usually looked at as a disability– it is simply something that is different from the general public.
People with the difference of deafness have a community that consists of both Deaf individuals and allies where they have their own normal. This culture and community gives people a place where like-minded individuals can connect.
“[ASL] is important to me because a large portion of the world and people who are hearing oftentimes consider ASL to be a disability when it's really not. It's just like any other language,” American Sign Language minor Caitlin Busey says.
In every culture, there are differences in normalities and day-to-day life. “Deaf people can look at hearing people sometimes like an outside perspective, essentially,” Busey says. “Like they're on the outside of a fishbowl looking in, they don't get to interact with everyone.”
As with any other language, there are times when there can be isolation from a lack of understanding. But as with any other language, this gives people the opportunity to dive into a new language and learn how ASL works. “Because then it's like the reverse. We're on the outside looking in,” says Busey. “And we get to see a glimpse as to what their daily lives are like.”
“Deaf heart” and “Deaf and Dumb.”
There are other concepts that are just as damaging to the Deaf community, including hearing people who use the term “Deaf heart.”
“It's a hearing person who is like, ‘I'm Deaf hearted. Hearing, but culturally, I want to be Deaf’,” says Eichholz. “That's not a good way to be an ally to the Deaf community.” This concept undermines the idea that Deaf people have their own culture and only they can understand it on certain levels. Proclaiming you are Deaf hearted takes away a vital piece of what it means to truly be a part of the Deaf community as a Deaf individual.
“Deaf and dumb” is another view that is harmful to the community, according to Eichholz. “A common hearing misconception is that Deaf people are dumb because they don't speak most of the time,” Eichholz explains. This idea creates a stereotype that can be harmful for people who have deafness. Unfortunately, this is a commonality that Deaf people encounter at times.
Open Options
Some may think, aren’t there other options when it comes to language for those in the Deaf community’?
Of course there are other options, but it all depends on individual preference. “Oralism is another one. A lot of time, in hearing culture, is common to try and force speech or oralism onto the Deaf community.” Oralism refers to the system of teaching Deaf people to communicate through the use of verbal speech and lip-reading, rather than sign language. If there are individuals who are enthusiastic about learning how to lip read or want to learn how to use speech, they are able to make that choice. Although, it is not necessarily needed for Deaf people.
“Some Deaf people do want to have a cochlear implant or to try and learn speech and do speech therapy. And that is cool. What is not cool is forcing that onto someone that does not want it,” Eichholz says.
The progression of technology has opened up other options such as hearing aids, which are small ear devices to amplify sound. The use of a cochlear implant can be helpful as well. Eichholz says, “It is like a really powerful hearing aid for ease of understanding.” Eichholz follows up with, “It helps someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing, which is not something a lot of them need or want.”
So, while the answer is yes, there are other options, the choice is left up to Deaf individuals what tools and alternatives they choose to use.
American Sign Language at CWU
There are outlets at CWU for students to get connected with American Sign Language. As previously mentioned, Eichholz is the current president of the CWU ASL club. This club is one of a couple options to start learning about the world of sign on campus.
CWU has a major program in Deaf and Sign Language Studies (DSLS) and a minor in American Sign Language. Busey and Eichholz both expressed their appreciation of Assistant Professor Taralynn Petrites, a Deaf professor in the DSLS program. “I highly encourage everyone to take her class,” Busey says. “It's just an amazing experience and I recommend it to everyone.”
Petrites teaches first through third year, as well as upper-level ASL. Petrites is also the Program Coordinator for the DSLS program. Petrites spends time promoting and sharing information about CWU’s DSLS program to high schools around Washington State. “She is absolutely wonderful,” Eichholz says.
Know before you go
“If I was trying to learn this stuff from a textbook, I guarantee I would not be learning it,” Busey says. If taking an immersive sign language class isn't a possibility, there are other options to look at. Make sure to take time to learn about the background of your sources.
“My general recommendation is, look to see if the person providing this resource is Deaf,” says Elchhoiz. “If they're hearing, maybe take it with a grain of [and] salt do more research on that person.”
There are a few keywords or phrases you can learn in ASL to help in future situations. Busey says, “Help. Emergency. Those would probably be my top two. Because I feel like you should know how to say ‘there's an emergency’ or ask for help in multiple languages.”
You never know where American Sign Language can be helpful in the moment!
Tips From Em
“If you want to learn another language, keep in mind languages are difficult, even ASL. Especially ASL. If you're an adult, start with the alphabet.”
“There are a lot of good sources online. There’s a few that we use in our class and our teachers have told us to use in the past. There's Lifeprint.”
“There's a Deaf person, his name is Dr. Vicar, and he has an ASL dictionary. And just go A to Z, try and find the word. Sometimes a word is just fingerspelled, there's not a sign for that.”
“Do your research.”
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