American Sign Language: Acceptance at the University Level

Abstract

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual–gestural language identified as the first or natural language of many persons who are deaf in the United States. For over 200 years, it has been the focal point of a heated controversy regarding optimal teaching methodologies for deaf children in the American elementary and secondary educational systems. One perspective is that deaf people should assimilate into American culture by learning to respond verbally as hearing people do, and the opposing perspective is that deaf people are bicultural and have the right to be educated using their native language. In tandem with this debate over language use in the classroom have been the civil rights struggles of deaf Americans to attain recognition of ASL as a language and to obtain interpreting services in educational, medical, legal, and employment settings. Following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), ASL began to gain recognition as a language at the post-secondary level, and is accepted as a foreign language or elective academic credit by colleges and universities in 40 states across the nation today.

Keywords:

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• status of
• acceptance of
• deaf community
• foreign language