Sign, please!
Written by Annie Kwon
I walked into a relatively new building next to NTID during break and wanted to have a cup of coffee before I went to work. There was a large flat screen TV hanging on a wall; it was showing three different segments. One large segment showed a speaker talking about a communication issue in NTID. An issue that Deaf people have had experienced for the last thirty years. Then and now, the Deaf students don’t feel respected in the public where ASL is dominantly used.
The issue that Deaf people have is, at NTID, people who speak don’t use ASL to communicate with each other in open public. Mainly, when the professors and staff who are hearing, go out into the open space during free time and they don’t use ASL to communicate with each other. NTID recently declared a policy that NTID is to be a Sign Zone where everybody who is present must sign to communicate. Even in effect, some people don’t follow. Most of the Deaf students and staff feel that it is disrespectful and they are being ignored.
Dr. Peter Hauser has conducted research for years on visual learning and language. He spoke that this issue is a sensitive one and everyone involved is slightly uncomfortable when confronted with this issue. (I am only able to summarize what people say on this issue since I couldn’t find a source online to put in details).
The reasons why Deaf students want all people to sign::
1) They are enriched when they see what professors say outside of class.
2) They get to interact with people and see who they are.
3) They feel right at home because there is no barrier in communication.
4) They are able to do their business with services without frustration.
The reasons why Non-Signers don’t like the idea of Sign Zone:
1) They think it encourages violation of their privacy.
2) They don’t know sign languages very well and feel forced when they don’t want to sign.
He hoped that in the future, RIT would become a place where all Hearing students are able to communicate with all Deaf students freely.
So, readers, what do you think of the policy “Sign Zone: Everybody must sign in NTID”? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
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Dianrez
Hauser is correct in why people don’t sign in the Sign Zone. Additionally, it is because it’s physically easier to talk than to sign especially when the other person is also a speaker. It takes effort to use sign when there are more native methods available, so it’s an uphill struggle.
However, the principle is excellent and really should be used from the beginning when the student is an infant; i.e. to be surrounded by live language that one can soak up from the environment.
Give hearing people an incentive to stay in sign mode–money. Perhaps a student poll that is part of a salary review? After a while signing may become a habit and the incentive will become unnecessary.
Deaf Advocate
Why use money when most signers don’t get paid???
That’s biased.
Sign Zone should be respected and maintained regardless.
Those hearies are always making excuses since 1880!
So be it!
Annie
@Dianrez:
Giving people money to sign does not encourage them to stay in sign mode. It is disrespectful to Deaf people. Sign language is a language that Deaf people use to communicate and get by everyday. Like Spanish in Mexico or French in France.
@Deaf Advocate:
“Those hearies are always making excuses since 1880!” Why did you say that? Why 1880?
Dianrez
Thats a good point, why use money? I was referring to staff and faculty who don’t use sign in the sign zone. If they were dedicated people it would be different, but the reality is that hearing people are hired on the basis of their technical qualifications and a first knowledge of sign language is secondary at both NTID and Gallaudet.
Theoretically that’s wrong, but unfortunately it’s a fact. Put teeth in the requirement: use sign or lose $$. When it becomes habitual that is the time to phase out the financial incentive and start considerations for promotions and tenure.
For hearing ASL students and interpreter majors, however, it is respectful thing and immerses one in the culture. They’d be crazy to pass up the unique opportunity to live as the natives do and speak their language.
Human nature being what it is, it is unrealistic to just command that they use sign language when everything works against it. That needs to be balanced with incentives.
Maybe reward stickers instead of cash? Silly as it sounds, but it could be an incentive to be accumulating stickers on one’s shirt as one goes through the day signing and being seen by appreciative students.. The students could be designated on a rotating basis so that one never knows where stickers are coming from. These could be stamp-dated or colored differently for each day. There are many other ideas that could work.
Katie
If you know sign language it is rude to speak in front of deaf people. That’s the A number ONE rule of deaf culture.
People should be respectful of that. I understand, as a hearing person, and an interpreter, that it’s really natural to fall into speaking with another hearing person. ESPECIALLY if that hearing person is really stilted in ASL and doesn’t really have the vocabulary to easily express what they want to say. Sometimes, even as a certified interpreter, in spontaneous communication it is hard for me to collect my thoughts in ASL and way easier to just speak English. STILL, THAT IS NO EXCUSE!!!
Rude is rude, and if you chose to be around deaf people then you chose to sign. Period.