major bookstore chain--uggh!

[Doug McLean]

In message <20000216003034.29633.qmail at hotmail.com>, Adam Schembri
<acschembri at hotmail.com> writes
>
>What I don't understand is some people's insistence that ASL books ought to
>be in the "foreign language" section of bookstores. Given that ASL evolved
>entirely in the USA, and may actually result from a mixture of LSF and
>Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (an older sign language that had been used
>in the USA for several generations), it seems to me that ASL is only
>slightly more "foreign" in North America than English!

We have a general small town bookstore as well as our 'Deaf' operation
and our Sign Language dictionaries are in the English dictionary section
of our shelves, but grouped near the 'Languages' section close to the
Welsh and Gaelic books.  But I do know of so many other bookstores where
Sign Language is grouped with disability and therefore in the medical
section. One assistant at a well known London shop when (mischievously)
asked by me where the Sign Language books were, said I might try the
'disability' section. Upon my further enquiry as to the whereabouts of
this 'disability' section, she pointed to a narrow spiral staircase that
disappeared into a gloomy basement. When I asked the obvious question I
was told 'Well, we are always willing to go and fetch anything anyone
asks for'!

--
Doug McLean.
The Forest Bookshop (Specialist in books and other media on Deafness and Deaf
Issues).  8 St John Street, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England, GL16 8AR.
Tel: +44[0]1594 833858 TDD/Voice      Fax: +44[0]1594 833446
Videophone(isdn) +44[0]1594 810637    Web Pages http://www.forestbooks.com