ASL in Schools

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. These are the standards that define and shape Lakeside and our community. We are constantly striving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and one of the ways we can do that is through introducing a new language course: ASL (American Sign Language).

Mandarin, French, Spanish, and Latin are all great languages, and it is wonderful that we have the opportunity to learn them here at Lakeside. But these languages only serve a certain group of people: people who can hear. What about the people who can’t hear? 

ASL is used by over half a million people across America, making it one of the most common languages after Spanish and English. Currently, very few students who have graduated from Lakeside (or elsewhere, for that matter) can effectively communicate with this large group of people, who often have important things to say.

Now, try naming some of these people. I asked five students, and the responses were not varied. Almost everyone named Helen Keller or Beethoven. But I can confidently tell you that there are so many more influential hearing impaired folks out there! Take Henrietta Swan Leavitt, for example. She was a deaf scientist and an amazing astronomer. One of her most famous discoveries involved Cepheid Variables, which are “pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months,” according to britannica.com. This is the sad truth: we’ve ignored a community of exceptional people for far too long. With a course in ASL, we can help change this.

Learning ASL will help Lakesiders see the world through the eyes of people with impaired hearing. Learning their language brings us one step closer to really connecting with this group, just as learning Spanish, French, Mandarin, or Latin helps one understand Spanish, French, Chinese, and Ancient Roman culture.

ASL will also help us understand how the world is set up for those with the ability to hear, and how we can change that. For instance, most alarm clocks use sound to wake up their users. Fire alarms alert with sound. Doorbells alert with sound. Not being able to hear some of these things could, in fact, be life threatening. This needs to change.

But the benefits of learning sign language don’t stop there. Associating hand motions with words engages the mind differently than associating words with other words, and, of course, engaging the mind in new ways is a beneficial thing to do as it opens our minds to new ways of learning and understanding a language.

In summary, when students learn ASL, they are not only empowering themselves. They are empowering everyone who needs ASL. When we learn their language, we can finally seek their voice, hear their voice, and understand their voice. And the world will be better for it.