ASL in the Classroom

Cassidy Bullis
Mrs. Gardner
English 12
11 March 2013
American Sign Language
! American Sign Language has played a signiﬁcant role in the deaf culture. Indi-
viduals who were deaf did not have a voice to communicate with, but when American
Sign Language was created it gave deaf individuals a new found voice. Sign language
started a new culture for the deaf and brought deaf people around the world together.
The deaf culture has been becoming smaller because of a new technology. This new
technology is called a cochlear implant, which helps with the loss of hearing. The devel-
opment and evolution of American Sign Language has allowed deaf individuals to com-
municate, however, due to new technologies such as cochlear implants, the language of
signing is in decline.
! American Sign Language is a beautiful and unique style of language, but what
truly is sign language and how does it work? American Sign Language is also known as
ASL. The majority of people who are not deaf think that sign language is a universal
language. They are wrong; there is no such thing as a universal sign language. Sign
language differs in each country (“American Sign Language”). For example, Australian
sign language uses the two handed alphabet method, while ASL uses the one handed
alphabet method (“Auslan”). Normally when a hearing individual is having a conversa-
tion with someone he is listening with his ears but for a deaf person he has to listen with
his eyes. When signing, a person will use his dominate hand to sign. (Duke 26). Signing
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Cassidy Bullis Friday, April 19, 2013 1:16:56 PM ET 04:0c:ce:d9:22:90

does sometimes involve the use of both hands and when this is the case his dominate
hand does not matter (Duke 27).
! American Sign Language is a complex language and has a visual style of com-
munication. ASL is a language used by people who are deaf. ASL uses the movement
of the hands as well as body posture and facial expressions to communicate. (“Ameri-
can Sign Language”). ASL is style of language that has its own syntax, grammar, and
punctuations (Duke 2). The way hearing people speak is not the way ASL users sign.
ASL users use a method call syntax, which arranges words in the same order that
events are occurring in real life. An example of syntax is “After work I am going home”
instead of “I am going home after work” (Fant 42). The uniqueness of sign language
makes it hard for hearing individual to understand its culture syntax.
! When learning how to sign there will be a great deal of practicing. The person
who is practicing will need to be relaxed and not worry about errors he will make (Duke
30). Eye contact is an extremely important quality to have when he is signing to another
person. Breaking eye contact is terribly rude during a conversation. It looks like he is not
interested in what the other person is saying (Duke 31). It is extremely important for
deaf individuals not only to sign correctly, but to know the protocols and etiquette of
signing. If American Sign Language was never created, the deaf community around the
United States would have never had a voice to communicate with. The deaf community
is blessed that someone two hundred years ago made it possible to sign (“American
Sign Language”).
! There are scientiﬁc reasons why individuals are born or become deaf. Genetics
or diseases can cause any individual to be deaf (Lazorisak 6). In a hearing person, a
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signal travels through the spiral fluid filled tunnel that is lined with tiny hair cells in the
cochlear. After the signals pass through the tiny hair cell they travel next to the auditory
nerve, where they will end up in the brain. When someone is deaf, the tiny hair cells
have been damaged and the signal can not reach other nerve fibers (Delost). Much re-
search has been done to help deaf individuals and repair this nerve fiber damage.
! Medically there are two types of deafness. One occurs when an infant is born
deaf and the other is when a child or adult becomes deaf later on in life. Each year ap-
proximately one thousand babies are born deaf in the United States (Walker). Ninety
percent of the children who are born deaf have hearing parents (“Cochlear Implants”).
Babies who are born deaf with hearing parents may have genes that are passed down
from other family members or there might not be any history of deafness in the family.
Babies can also be born deaf, due to a complication during pregnancy or drugs the
mother takes during pregnancy. These complications during pregnancy are the illness,
Rubella, herpes, and toxoplasmosis (“Causes of Deafness”). When mothers contract
these diseases during pregnancy she can cause the child to become deaf. The other
ten percent of babies who are born deaf have deaf parents, which is hereditary (Diggs).
! If a baby is not born deaf, there are other ways he can become deaf. There are
three types of hearing losses conductive, sensorineural, and mixed loss (“Cochlear Im-
plants”). Conductive hearing loss is a blockage or a decrease in sound in the middle
ear. Conductive hearing loss is caused by many different reasons, including ear infec-
tions, otosclerosis, benign tumors, or foreign body (“Types”). Conductive hearing loss
can be treated by medical treatments (Connelly). Sensorineural hearing loss is not
treatable and is permanent. Sensorineural hearing loss is also caused by many different
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reasons. Such as head trauma, tumors, otosclerosis, or hearing loss that runs in the
family (“Types”). Mixed hearing loss is when conductive and sensorineural loss are
combined together (Connelly).
! Although science and technology cannot help all of the problems of deafness to-
day, scientists are hard at work to develop new technologies. One of these technologies
available is the cochlear implant. It helps the human ears hear again, but what exactly is
a cochlear implant and how does it work? A cochlear implant is a device that restores
damage to hair cells by delivering electrical stimulation to nerve fibers (Hossain). Coch-
lear implants can not make a deaf person hear one hundred percent again. They do not
eliminate deafness and they are definitely not a cure, but they may help some deaf indi-
viduals (Cochlear Implants).!
! The cochlear implant often helps some deaf individuals hear certain sounds. Un-
fortunately if it does not work some deaf individuals cannot hear anything with a coch-
lear implant or they just hear static (Diggs). Cochlear implants are a risk certain people
are willing to take to help themselves hear again. In the case of a child, a parent must
make the decision to try a cochlear implant for his or her children to hear again. People
should always research and talk to a doctor to know the benefits and risks that come
with a cochlear implant before making a decision.
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!
When having surgery for a cochlear implant doctors cut a small hole into the mastoid
bone, which is located behind the ear. This hole holds the implant in place where the
electrodes are placed inside. Following surgery it will take up to five weeks for it to heal.
When the five weeks are over, the implant can be activated and be given the external
components (Delost). A cochlear implant external component works by wearing an ear
set behind the ear, like a hearing aid, that is called a microphone. After the external
component is all set up, a magnetic transmitter and speech processor which are both
connected by a wire to the ear piece. The speech processor has to be set up next to the
proper level of stimulation (Delost). Once it is all set up, the microphone picks up sound
that carries it to the speech processor. The speech processor examines the sound into
a special coded signal. The special code is then forwarded to the magnetic transmitter
that is located behind the ear. The special signals are then forwarded again as an FM
radio to the implant beneath the skin, which finally stimulates the nerve fibers and sends
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information to the brain (Delost). Although the operation to install this implant is fairly
straight forward and not very traumatic, the implant is still a complicated piece of tech-
nology that hopefully works correctly.
! When a child is born deaf, the mother and father has an enormous decision to
make whether or not to get a cochlear implant. The majority of hearing parents want
their child to understand the sounds around them. They want them to speak, listen to
music, and have a conversation on the phone (“Cochlear Implants”). If they decide to go
with the implant, they will have a large amount of research to do. Parents should under-
stand that cochlear implants do not cure their child of being deaf, but the implant will
help them with their speech. The younger a child gets an implant, the better their
speech will improve (“Cochlear Implants”). Having an implant can be a very difﬁcult de-
cision for a parent to make.
! Not all parents want a cochlear implant for their child. Some parents prefer their
child to be deaf so they can be part of the deaf culture. If a parent makes that decision,
the child will have to adapt to learning American Sign Language. To help the child learn
how to deal with their deafness, the parents need to get their child involved in deaf pro-
grams with other deaf children. Starting them in a deaf program will expose them to the
deaf community and culture (Benedict). The deaf culture will allow them to embrace
their deafness and teach others to do the same. It is very unfortunate when a baby is
born deaf and parents need to decide between a cochlear implant or deafness. If the
parents decide to get their child an implant, that child will never learn a wonderful lan-
guage or experience a beautiful culture like the child whose parents decided not to get
them the implant.
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! A vast amount of people from the deaf community are against cochlear implants.
They believe that deafness is not a disability, It is a life style (“Cochlear War”). They also
dislike the term hearing impaired, because they do not think they are impaired. They
can do everything a hearing person can do except hear, which does not bother them.
However, medical professionals believe that deafness is a disability. They think cochlear
implants are the answer to ﬁxing deafness, but people who are deaf strongly disagree
with them (“Cochlear Implants”).
! A majority of the deaf culture believes that cochlear implants are going to annihi-
late sign language and the deaf community. They believe each person who gets a coch-
lear implant, there will be one less person who will not be a part of the deaf culture. The
majority of the deaf culture agrees that deafness does not need to be undone (“Coch-
lear War”). The deaf community wants other deaf individuals to understand that they
should not be scared of being deaf or think they are different from everyone else. They
want them to know that they can be extremely happy without being able to hear (“Coch-
lear Implants”). The deaf community wants the language to grow and get more individu-
als to join to experience the culture. They never want the language of American Sign
Language to disappear.
! American sign language is a one of a kind language and the deaf culture is
unique and a great support of deaf individuals. Deaf culture has been very necessary to
make deafness much less of a disability. It is understandable that the deaf culture wants
to keep sign language and traditions alive. However with the invention of cochlear im-
plants and other future technologies designed for the deaf, the decision to be deaf or
not might become a decision for each individual to make.
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Works Cited
"American Sign Language." NIDCD. June 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
"Auslan” (Australian Sign Language)." Start ASL. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Benedict, Beth S. "Deaf Culture & Community." Hands & Voices. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"Causes of Deafness ." Deaf Children Worldwide . Web. 3 Mar. 2013.
"Cochlear Implants." National Association of The Deaf . 6 Oct. 2000. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"Cochlear War." The Deaf View. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Connelly, Patricia. "Types of Hearing Loss." Better Hearing Institute. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
Delost, Shelli. "The Cochlear Implant Controversy." Drury University. 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 13
Feb. 2013.
Diggs, Kim. Personal Interview 26 February 2013.
Duke, Irene. The Everything Sign Language Book : American Sign Language Made Easy. Avon,
MA: Adams Media, 2009. Print.
Fant, Louie J., and Betty G. Miller. The American Sign Language Phrase Book. Chicago: Con-
temporary Books, 1983. Print.
Hossain, Shaikat. "Cochlear Implants and The Deaf Culture: A Transhumanist Perspective."
hplusmagazine. 11 June 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Lazorisak, Carole, and Dawn Donohue. The complete Idiot's Guide To Conversational Sign Lan-
guage Illustrated. New York: Alpha, 2004. Print.
“Types, Causes and Treatment." Hearing Loss Association of America. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
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Walker, Lou Ann. "5. Losing The Language of Silence: as More Deaf Children Are Given The
Chance to Hear, The eloquent System of Signing Is Under Attack." New York 21 Jan.
2008: 56+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
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ASL in the Classroom