should British sign language be added to the national curriculum Sign language is a natural human language, they have their own vocabularies and sentence structures. Sign language comes into practice wherever Deaf societies come into existence. Sign language is not identical worldwide; every country has its own language and accents; however, these are not the verbal or transcribed languages used by hearing individuals around them. British sign language (BSL) is a form of communicating using hands, facial expressions and your body language, it is mainly used by individuals who are deaf. BSL is entirely acknowledged language and does not depend on spoken language. BSL is a language which is utilised by many individuals which has experienced discrimination …show more content…
People need to build an environment suitable for the deaf students in school. A psychologist is shouting for signing to become offered as a ‘foreign language’ subject for both hearing and the deaf in primary or mainstream secondary schools for them 2 last GCSE years. Dr Jim Cromwell states that learning BSL would value every individual’s education and make life better for deaf individuals, bringing ‘extraordinary’ benefits for those without hearing. Dr Jim Cromwell has also found that those deaf children who are being educated in mainstream schools are not getting the education that they be worthy of. There is not enough support for them, they are being helped by teaching assistants with level 2 BSL, which is less than an O-Level. He also states, “Schools are getting away with that. There is the attitude of ‘they (deaf children) are not doing well, but they are disabled, aren’t …show more content…
They find it harder to get into jobs than those who are hearing. It is also harder for them to enjoy casual sports, movie and theatre due to hearing and communication complications. However, GCSE’s are known very well, a GCSE in BSL will be a great change in terms that it will be accepted and understood as a language and also being able to use it whenever needed to break any communication barriers. Another reason why BSL should be added to the national curriculum is due to the fact that it would have an optimistic impact on mental health issues of deaf individuals as statistics show that 1 in 4 D/deaf individuals are more likely to develop mental health problems, compared to those who are hearing, which is 1 in 6 individuals. Societies could also come together so that it can enable D/deaf individuals to bond with and show hearing people how to communicate accurately and fluently. This will allow D/deaf individuals to feel like they belong in their community, which will make them feel a sense of security and also enables them to feel less isolated. This will also give hearing people an understanding of how Deafness plays a role in everyday life of a D/deaf person, not only the D/DEAF person but also individuals surrounding
This issue is important because if you try to force the Deaf to hear, they might not grow because they will have no form of communication to use with other people. Even though the doctors might say to not use ASL, this will greatly hinder your child's well-being in the long run. I learned a lot about Deaf people, ASL, and/or Deaf Culture after reading this book. Deaf people are normal, just like anybody else, and they should not be treated any differently. Some people treat deafness as a disease that needs to be cured, but it's not.
Mark Drolsbaugh, the author of Deaf Again, was born to deaf parents at a time when the deaf population didn’t have and weren’t given the same availability to communication assistance as they have today. He was born hearing and seemed to have perfect hearing up until the first grade when he started having trouble understanding what was being said but was too young to understand what was happening. (Drolsbaugh 8).
Hearing about the deaf clinking of glasses (wrists) for cheers was very interesting to me. Having hearing is a privilege and being able to receive and express communication is how we all function; I can not fathom losing one or both modes of communication. Learning about deaf culture should be implemented in school. Many children and even adults do not know how to interact with a deaf person and can either offend the deaf person or make the situation extremely
In the book Seeing Voices, the author describes the world of the deaf, which he explores with extreme passion. The book begins with the history of deaf people in the United States of America, the horrible ways in which they had been seen and treated, and their continuing struggle to gain hospitality in the hearing world. Seeing Voices also examines the visual language of the deaf, sign language, which is as expressive and as rich as any spoken language. This book covers a variety of topics in deaf studies, which includes sign language, the neurology of deafness, the treatment of Deaf American citizens in history, and the linguistic and social challenges that the deaf community face. In this book, Oliver Sacks does not view the deaf as people having a condition that can be treated, instead he sees the deaf more like a racial group. This book is divided into three parts. In the first part, Oliver Sacks states a strong case for sign language, saying it is in fact a complete language and that it is as comprehensive as English, French, Chinese, and any other spoken language. He also describes the unhappy story of oralism (this is the education of deaf students through oral language by using lip reading, speech, and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech)) in deaf children’s education. In addition, the first part is about the history of deaf people as well as information about deafness. It also includes the author’s own introduction to the world of the deaf.
One excerpt mentioned that the idea that Deaf people are left with the burden of fitting into a hearing world was a product of “laziness” on the part of the Hearing. Instead of making adjustments to accommodate the Deaf, Deaf people are doing all of the work to accommodate the Hearing. Notwithstanding the major alterations that include learning to speak and wearing hearing aids, hearing people merely have to learn sign language. I’ve witnessed this in my own home. When my brother stopped speaking, it wasn’t ever a concern for the rest of the family to adjust to him, we continued on as if nothing changed. It’s true, Deaf children practically have no say in how they would rather communicate, it is left up to the parent and in most cases, Hearing parents. I’m just glad that I have an opportunity do the work to learn ASL and make strides in breaking down barriers that have hindered communication between the Hearing and the
...t is also nice to see that people are no longer ashamed to be deaf, but instead they are proud of who they are and are willing to stand up to any one who attempts to make them feel lesser. The Deaf Culture has become a lot stronger, but we still have a long wase to go.
The book, ‘Alone in the Mainstream,’ is a collection of interviews spliced together thematically with parallels to the author 's life. It covers everything from Teachers, good and bad, to friends, bullies, classes and all other parts of growing up. The common theme gluing them all together is not solitude as the book states, but difference felt by the interviewee or the author. Several of the sections, namely the ones about great teachers and great friends, show that deaf people are not alone, but that their experience is vastly different.
English is an interesting language. English is comprised of many different words from different languages all mashed up and mixed together. English is a very hard language to learn, especially if you can’t hear it. How easy would it be to confuse a “B” with a “P”, they sound similar and when trying to lip read how can you tell the difference? I feel that young Deaf /hard of hearing students being taught by a Deaf teacher or a child of a Deaf adult (C.O.D.A) teacher is very important because ASL is the first step to learning English and becoming bilingual. According to the article Why Schools for Deaf Children Should Hire Deaf Teachers: A Preschool Issue By Courtney Shantie and Robert Hoffmeister, the authors state “This paper will focus on
The repression of Deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens does no benefit to anyone. The whole of the species is belittled when 70 million people are denied access to language, to education, to equal opportunities. What kinds of progress in all disciplines, in all arenas of life, are sacrificed when a human mind is wasted to this degree? Promoting awareness of Deaf culture and ASL as necessary and beautiful elements of a thriving global community is just one way to bring Deaf issues to the fore of the hearing world, but any step in the right direction is crucial in advocating voices that have too often been silenced.
American Sign Language is considered a foreign language by 40 states around the United States. American Sign Language is not considered a foreign language, because a foreign language is defined by “any language used in a country other than one’s own; a language that is studied mostly for cultural insight”. By definition American Sign Language does not fit that description because, it is only used in America. American Sign Language is also not qualified as a foreign language because people say that a language must have literature for proper study when American Sign Language does not, also people have argued that American Sign Language lacks the same element of culture as other foreign language courses. But in other cases American Sign Language can be considered a foreign language in many ways just as it cannot be considered a foreign language. Some of the reasons that American Sign Language can be considered a foreign language are, American Sign Language is no less a foreign language than Navajo, which is also indigenous to the United States. One huge step towards the thought of American Sign Language being considered a foreign language is that the whole idea of language being foreign is disappearing. I believe that American Sign Language is a foreign language and should be accepted in more states and more schools around the country.
One of the largest challenges is people being unaware of the Deaf culture and how to distinguish communication. It may be assumed that the members of the Deaf culture have low self-esteem and live in a lower status in society. For the most part, a hearing person has little to no experience with Deaf individuals and society can have preconceived notions about Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Due to our society, one-side view of deaf people, they are stereotyped as people who cannot function without the help of someone else. People tend to think that there is a relationship between being deaf and intelligence. Many Deaf or hard of hearing people lead very successful and productive lives. In order to change societies discriminatory behaviors our society must understand the oppression that Deaf people face
The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.
Bahan, Ben. Hoffmeister, Robert. Lane, Harlan. A Journey into the Deaf World. USA: Dawn Sign Press.
American sign language “is a sign language for the deaf in which meaning is conveyed by a system of articulated hand gestures and their placement relative to
Sign language is believed to be present in the Western world around the early 17th century. The system of signing is made up of hand movements to represent the alphabet, conventional gestures, hand signs, mimic and finger spelling. Sign language is one of the earliest and most simple forms of communication among humans. We use sign language when emphasizing in speech and when waving goodbye or hello to another person.