Letter to Carleton University: ASL instructor

Only a native language user should be hired to teach ASL.

This is unacceptable. Having a Deaf instructor is invaluable

I support ASL

I think your a racist I grew up going to school for the deaf in st John's there were hearing teachers and deaf there nothing wrong with a hearing teacher teaching me sign language grow up stop being judgemental and racist

I'm Deaf. I went to st. John's school when I was a I Kid. Until i was a teenager. They sent me to a hearing school at my hometown. That did not help me with my education. Very difficult. Teachers helped me alot. And the students too. But not much help. Until grade 11. I got sick with R. A. I never make it. So please enourage the Deaf students to go to DEAF school there. I know they will improve their educations there. Thank you Alma Moores Please help Deaf students at St. John's

There is nothing wrong with a non deaf teacher teaching asl like grow up people anyone can teach this it not only for deaf people. Who ever sign this is sick in the head. I dont judge by the comments I read here you are all divided and racist people hearing people can do anything so can deaf and hard of hearing people give up be racist and rude where are your manners

I am taking ASLA 1010 at Carleton this coming fall and believe this class should be taught by a Deaf teacher. Disappointed in this decision.

Please don't continue with Audism since we have issues for many many years in Canada.

Kept ASL program and kept Deaf instructors please.

With all the struggles in the advancement of Deaf education awareness, this takes it back a decade or two. As a CODA, (Child of Deaf Adults) and a professional Sign Language interpreter, there is no way a hearing person will be able to teach ASL at the level of a Deaf native user of ASL. Period.

We teach ESL by English speaking instructors. Should we not teach ASL with deaf instructors.

It is wrong to hire a hearing teacher to teach American Sign Language (Deaf people’s language). Please do the right thing by hiring Deaf teacher.

I wish that hire Deaf Instructors please.

Please do the right thing and hire someone who is actually Deaf, grew up using American Sign Language, fully immersed in the Deaf culture.

Hire Deaf Instructors!

To the signatories of this letter, thank you! The letter is well written and clearly articulates the issues of audism and injustice and the broader impact of this extremely short-sighted and uninformed decision to hire a non-deaf ASL instructor. As an interpreter, educator and employer, I can attest to the statements made in the letter and to the additional statements of those who have signed this petition. The more exposure one has to the native language and culture of the Deaf community, the better one's outcomes are whether they are learning ASL for pleasure or for professional pursuits. At this time in Canada's history, with the passing of Bill C-81, it is even more important than ever that potential interpreters be educated by Deaf instructors. If we want to truly provide access that is in line with the Accessible Canada Act we must set the stage in these formative learning years. With such a large intake of ASL students, it behooves Carleton University to re-think their decision and rectify this wrong-doing.

Instructors MUST be qualified. Carleton's current posts in Spanish (https://carleton.ca/provost/2019/instructor-i-linguistics-and-language-studies-spanish/) and Indigenous Leadership and Management (https://carleton.ca/provost/2019/assistant-associate-professor-sprott-indigenous-leadership-and-management/) both reference a connection to the content (Spanish: "native or native-like fluency in Spanish, an M.A. or equivalent in Applied Linguistics with a specialization in second or foreign language teaching") (Indigenous Leadership and Management : "Ph.D., or equivalent, in Business/Management with an emphasis in Indigenous business and leadership" and "research and teaching interests in Indigenous issues in leadership and management, integrating Indigenous knowledge into the learning environment, developing academic programs to serve the Indigenous market, working with Indigenous organizations, and related areas are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates are encouraged to identify community connections. ") Allowing the quality of teaching personnel to fall will produce unprepared graduates and will tarnish the reputation Carleton has worked to gain. This is an embarrassment for any Carleton Alumni. When we know better, we should be doing better.

This is unacceptable. I was an ASL Teacher too and I know how important it is to have a Deaf ASL teacher teaching the language.

Comme je le comprends, il y discrimination dans ce que je lis.

Please respect our language and culture. Please give a job opportunity to a Deaf person who has more knowledge than the one you hire. Thank you