Nebraska: Silent language seeks recognition

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Silent language seeks recognition

By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Apr 16, 2006 - 12:09:04 am CDT

Linsay Darnall Jr. sat watching the conversation earlier this month among
members of the state Board of Education and state Department of Education
staff. In the face and gestures of interpreter Tanya Wendel, he saw their
caution about accepting a proposal to make American Sign Language an
official world language for the states K-12 schools. He could not hear,
but caught board members hesitation in Wendels gestures as she signed
their comments.

Board President Fred Meyer of St. Paul said it might be wise to study the
proposal, which would add ASL to such language courses as Spanish, French
and German in public schools, a little more. Member Bob Evnen of Lincoln
was not comfortable until he better understood the implications of such a
proposal. I was kind of surprised they had some concerns, Darnall signed
later as Wendel interpreted. I didnt think they had any problem before. Im
surprised there are still questions. Darnall, the Nebraska School for the
Deaf Alumni Association president, also wondered about the effect of
having a state education policy rather than a state law.

Sen. Roger Wehrbein introduced a bill in the Legislature this session that
would recognize ASL as a distinct language and authorize schools to offer
it as a world language credit. But the Legislatures Education Committee
thought a Department of Education policy may be the better way to
recognize the language, and to establish a curriculum, said Wendel,
executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing. This really has been an emotional issue for the deaf community,
she said.

In 1911, the Nebraska Legislature banned the use of ASL in the state. Now,
with 41 other states recognizing the legitimacy of the language, the
community has wondered: Are we second-class citizens if our language is
not recognized? American Sign Language is made up of gestures, facial
expressions and body language and has its own grammar and structure. Its
part of a distinctive deaf culture that has its own history, arts and
customs. In the past few years, it has become a popular language for
hearing students to learn at high schools and universities across the
country. The proposed policy to make it a world language in Nebraska says
it would help to integrate the deaf and hearing communities and stimulate
interest in such careers as sign language interpretation and deaf
education.

Darnall is optimistic a Department of Education policy would work,
especially if Nebraskans look at ASL as an opportunity. With course
offerings in high schools would come a need for teachers.  Assuming those
teachers would need an endorsement in ASL, the University of Nebraska at
Omaha could respond to that need, said David Conway, UNO associate dean of
the College of Education. UNO has a program to train interpreters, with 19
hours of sign language already offered, Conway said. Teachers and students
seeking endorsement could also take such classes as the sociology of
deafness, language development in deaf children, discourse analysis and
comparative linguistics. A practicum would also be developed.

Some community colleges and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln also offer
signing classes. Nebraska has a shortage of interpreters, said Carol
McClain, who is on the Education Departments management team for special
populations. In smaller communities, some interpreters have had only one
sign language class. Thats not enough, she said. If the policy is
accepted, and public schools decide to offer the classes, districts could
offer students up to 20 units, or two years of credit.

It may be difficult to find teachers, McClain said. Distance learning
could be one solution for districts seeking to offer the classes, she
said. The state department will gather more information and talk to world
language teachers about the proposal. The board likely will address the
policy in June. Darnall said people who would like to know more about the
language and the deaf community can visit the Nebraska School for the Deaf
Museum in Omaha.  The first goal of the museum is to preserve Nebraska's
deaf heritage, he said.

The second is to educate people about the states deaf community. Deaf
people are not a medical model, he said. We are people with a distinct
language, history and culture.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung at journalstar.com.

American Sign Language

* Forty-one states recognize it.

* Employment opportunities for students of sign language: Teachers and
interpreters for health care, police departments, courts, government,
churches, entertainment venues.

* American Sign Language credits are accepted at Midland Lutheran College
and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and on a case-by-case basis at
Creighton University.

* Credits may be accepted at Dana College, the University of Nebraska at
Kearney and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Deaf school museum

Nebraska School for the Deaf Museum, 3223 N. 45th St., Omaha, is open on
Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m., except holiday weekends. The school
closed in 1998.

On the Web:

www.nsdmuseum.org

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