Introduction to American
Sign Language
ASL I
1st 6 weeks
Mrs. McClure
ASL
 Signed
in North America and Canada only
 It is more like French Sign Language.
 Developed by American Deaf people to
communicate with each other.
1817
 Laurent
Clerc and Thomas H. Gallaudet
established first school for the Deaf in U.S.
 Since 1800’s Deaf people have been
discourage from using ASL.
Deaf Community
 In
spring of 1988, student protesters at
Gallaudet University (Deaf university) in
Washington D.C. sent a loud and clear
message to the world: “Prejudice is
believing that Deaf people have to be
taken care of.”
 That year the university (124 years old)
picked another hearing president. This
angered the Deaf students.
Why are they angry?
 The
students wanted a Deaf president
who could communicate using ASL and to
represent their Deaf university.
 They boycotted classes and blockaded
entrances to the college signing “Deaf
Power”.
Result?
 The
hearing president resigned and I. King
Jordan became the first Deaf president at
Gallaudet University.
 Students demanded that the hearing world
respect their right to govern their own
lives. They showed that deafness is not a
disability, but rather the quality that unites
Deaf people into a cohesive, vibrant
community.
 ASL is the heart of the Deaf community
What do we call “Deaf” people?
 In



years past, they were called:
Deaf and dumb
Deaf mute
Hearing impaired
 They
are not any of the above. They are
ONLY Deaf.
Deaf Myths
MYTH: All hearing losses are the same.
FACT: The single term “deafness” covers a
wide range of hearing losses that have
very different effects on a person’s ability
to process sound, and thus to understand
speech.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
All Deaf people are mute.
Some Deaf people speak very well
and others do not. It all depends on the
kind of hearing losses and at what age
they became deaf, etc. Being deaf usually
has very little effect on the vocal cords,
and very few deaf people are truly mute.
 MYTH:
People with impaired hearing are
“deaf and dumb”.
 FACT:
The inability to hear affects neither
native intelligence nor the physical ability
to produce sounds. Being deaf doesn’t
make people dumb in the sense of being
either stupid or mute. Deaf people find
this offensive.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
All deaf people use hearing aids.
Some deaf people benefit from
hearing aids. Others do not. Many find
the hearing aids or ear molds to be
annoying for various reasons and choose
not to wear them.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
Hearing aids restore hearing.
Hearing aids just amplifies sounds.
They have no effect on a person’s ability to
process that sound. In cases where a
hearing loss distorts incoming sounds, a
hearing aid can do nothing.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
All deaf people can read lips.
Some deaf people are very skilled
lip (speech) readers, but many are not.
This is because many speech sounds
have identical mouth movements. For
example: P and B look exactly the same
on the lips.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
All deaf people use sign language.
Many deaf people prefer to use
American Sign Language, others do not.
There are several kinds of “signing
systems” used by those who attend
mainstreamed programs. Still others
choose to be oral.
 MYTH:
Deaf people are not sensitive to
noise.
 FACT:
Some types of hearing losses
actually accentuate sensitivity to noise.
Loud sounds become garbled and
uncomfortable. Hearing aid users often
find loud sounds, which are greatly
magnified by their aids, very unpleasant.
 MYTH:
 FACT:
Deaf people are less intelligent.
Hearing ability is unrelated to
intelligence. Speech and speech reading
skills, or lack of it, also has nothing to do
with intelligence. It is the lack of
knowledge, understanding, stereotyping,
and oppression; however, that has often
limited educational and occupational
opportunities for Deaf people.
 MYTH:
Deaf people are alike in abilities,
tastes, ideas, and outlooks.
 FACT:
Deaf people are as diverse in their
abilities, tastes, ideas, habits, and outlooks
as any other large group of people.