Florida: Calling All Deaf Advocates!

[Alysse Rasmussen]

Calling All Deaf Advocates!
UCF ASL Professors Need Help

Thursday, February 26th, 2004
4:00 PM
University of Central Florida
Student Union
Key West Room
Orlando, Florida

UCF offers 84 BA programs, 64 MA programs, 23 PhD programs and yet still
refuses to recognize ASL for exit credit in spite of recent legislation.  You can
help change this.  Just come to UCF for ONE hour on Thursday, February 26th,
and tell the Faculty Senate how you feel.

On February 26th at 4:00 PM the UCF Faculty Senate will vote, once again, on
whether or not ASL (American Sign Language) will be allowed to satisfy the
foreign language graduate requirement.

This is very important for members of the Deaf community.  If ASL is not
accepted, the quality of signers and services will remain poor.  Students who
might elect to take ASL to fulfill a foreign language requirement will be forced
to take other languages.  They will never learn about the beauty and artistry
of ASL.  They will never learn about Deaf people.  They will continue to
believe "Deaf people can't".

If ASL is accepted, the program will grow.  Qualified signers, interpreters,
and professionals, who are aware of what ASL means to the Deaf community, will
be able to get the kind of professional scholarship they need to help ALL
Deaf people succeed.  They will know "Deaf people can do anything!"

In spite of the passage of state legislation mandating ASL as a FULL and TRUE
foreign language, there is a great deal of Faculty Senate opposition to this
issue.

If you are a Deaf person or someone who wishes to support Deaf people, please
attend this meeting and support this vote.  This is VERY important for
everyone who is a member of the Deaf community.  Please tell all your friends.
Please come help.  Your presence will make all the difference.  If the Faculty
Senate sees that Deaf people really exist -- and care about the quality of
interpreters and signers -- they will do the right thing.

WHERE?

UCF is set up like a wagon wheel.  The Student Union is the center "hub" of
the campus.  It is in the middle of the campus.  Here is a map:
http://www.ucf.edu/campusmap/

The adddress is 4000 Central Florida Blvd.  It is right off 434.  Here is a
map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=250&addtohistory=&address=4000+Central+Florida+Blvd.&city=orlando+&state=fl&zipcode=&submit=Ge
t+Map

Thursday, February 26th, 2004
4:00 PM
University of Central Florida
Student Union
Key West Room
Orlando, Florida
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