ASL 1 Unit 5 Culture Notes
ADA- What does it stand for?
 ADA-
American’s with Disabilities Act
 Federal law requires equal access to
information and services for all people,
regardless of disability
 Think of ramps to classrooms and visual
fire alarms
Interpreters
 Sign
language interpreters are a way for
deaf and hearing people to have equal
access to each other.
 Interpreters sign what is heard and voice
what is signed
 If you use an interpreter, talk directly to
the Deaf person- don’t say “Ask him”
 Make eye contact with the Deaf person,
not the interpreter.
Education options:



Residential School that uses ASL
Residential School that uses the Oral
Method and do NOT sign
Attend a public school (Mainstreamed)
Residential Schools
A
residential school is a school specifically
for D/deaf students.
 Residential schools either use sign (manual
method) or forbid sign (oral method)
 The first school for Deaf people opened in
the US in 1817- The American School for
the Deaf. They used the manual method.
Residential Schools



There is usually only 1 school for deaf children
in each state (depending on the state size
and population of deaf people)
Some students will stay at school during the
week and return home on weekends and
vacations.
This is a place where being Deaf is normalDeaf teachers, sports teams, administrators,
etc. Even if a person who works there is
hearing, they can sign. Everyone on campus
signs!!!
Oral Schools (Oral Method)
 These
schools strive to teach deaf
students to speak and speech read.
 The focus is on the “Hearing World”
 Rarely (if ever) are students allowed to
sign
 The schools are usually preschool-8th
grade.
 Learning to speak is a long and
challenging process for many deaf
people
Mainstream
 Some
deaf students attend a public
school or are mainstreamed
 Often there are very few deaf students in
a public school- this can be lonely and
frustrating at times
 Students will wear hearing aids, teachers
use a microphone, and/or there will be an
interpreter in the classroom.
HISTORY: Milan Conference




Occurred in Milan Italy in 1880
Enforced the oral method over the manual
method
The only country against this change was the
US
This had a huge impact on deaf people:




Deaf teachers lost their jobs
Students had to sign in secret or be punished
Sign language could have been “lost”
Organizations were developed to protect the
rights of deaf people and sign language
Gallaudet University
 Founded
in 1864- the world’s only liberal
arts university designed specifically for
Deaf and hard of hearing students.
 In Washington D.C.
 All courses taught in ASL
 Hearing students may attend but they
must demonstrate fluency in ASL
Definitions
 Prelingual
Deafness: Going deaf before
learning a language (first 5 years of life)
 Postlingual Deafness: Going deaf after
learning a language (after 5 years of life)
How to sign “Mr. and Mrs.”
 There
are no signs for Mr., Mrs., or Miss in
ASL.
 Show respect by using a person’s sign
name and respectful facial expressions.
If you are late:
 In
formal situations in Deaf culture be
ready to give a detailed explanation of
why you are late.
 This is considered polite in Deaf Culture.
Time Spot
 Used
to communicate the hour and
minute
 Number begins at the wrist
 All time signs face outwards including
numbers 1-5
Classifiers
 Handshapes
in ASL that represents a class
of shared characteristics
 The handshape conveys details
contributing to the overall concept of the
sign as well as the signs meaning
 Often used in ASL storytelling and when
describing things
 Represented by CL:
CL:B (see page 193)
 Walk/Step
 Walls,
doors
 Flat surface like a table or ground
 Flag waving
 Boat on waves
CL: 1
 An
individual- walking, hunching over,
moving quickly, falling over, etc.
 Can increase number for more people up
to 5 for a crowd
 Can also be cylindrical objects like logs or
poles
CL: 3
 Wheeled
Vehicles like cars, bikes, or
motorcycles
 How would you show these?
CL: ʌ
 Represents
actions of a person’s legs or
eyes
 Laying down, jumping, falling, how you
walk, where you look etc.