IT IS OFFICIAL AND WE ABSOLUTELY WON BECAUSE WILLIAM AND MARY IS OFFICIALLY ADDING ASL COURSES TO THE CURRICULUM!! I AM BEYOND THRILLED THAT OUR HARD WORK PAID OFF AND WE ARE FINALLY SEEING THIS CHANGE HAPPEN ON CAMPUS!! STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON THE FIRST CLASSES BECAUSE THIS IS …
April 12, 2019
Final supporters
This is a petition to request that the College of William and Mary offer courses in American Sign Language as part of its undergraduate studies curriculum whereas:
- American Sign Language is an efficient method of communication.
- American Sign Language is just as legitimate as any language, spoken or written.
- Various high schools offer courses in American Sign Language as a second language for foreign language credit.
- Many community colleges and four-year universities offer courses in American Sign Language, including University of Virginia, Liberty University, George Mason University, Radford University, James Madison University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Barton College, and Gardner-Webb University.
Why learn American Sign Language?
- To develop skills in a language that is different from standard American English
- To realize, learn, and understand that speaking and writing are not the only methods of effective communication. Learning American Sign Language can reinforce that point.
- Communicate and interact with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. 28 million Americans experience hearing loss of some kind, and 2 million of these individuals are Deaf.
- To gain an understanding of American Sign Language, which is widely used throughout the country, and other sign languages used worldwide.
- To gain understanding of Deafness and hearing loss in order to appreciate Deaf culture.
Updates
March 19, 2019
WE JUST CRUSHED OUR FIRST BIG GOAL OF 100 SIGNATURES!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PROGRESS AND I AM BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE THIS MOVEMENT GROWING SO FAST!!
Reached 500 supporters
March 18, 2019
March 17, 2019
I AM ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY BY THE ENERGY BEHIND THIS PUSH FOR ASL COURSES!! THE CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING AROUND CAMPUS PROVE JUST HOW MUCH THIS LANGUAGE DESERVES A SPOT IN OUR CURRICULUM AND I AM WORKING HARD TO ENSURE THE ADMINISTRATION SEES ALL OF THIS PASSION!
Reached 100 supporters
March 17, 2019
March 17, 2019
WE ARE TEARING TOWARD 500 SIGNATURES AND I NEED EVERYBODY TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM EXPLODING!! GET THIS LINK OUT THERE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE ARE ABOUT TO SHOW THE ADMINISTRATION THAT WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED!!
114 Comments
ASL would have been one of the most useful classes that I could have taken; as an alum I am trying very hard to teach myself ASL, but I would have definitely preferred to learn it in a classroom with a professor and other students.
Offering ASL classes is so important! My sister is Deaf and I grew up speaking ASL at home, so this is an issue that I feel very strongly about. ASL is an incredibly useful (and marketable) skill for students who want to be able to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. This is a super important step towards making our campus more accessible!
Since my first day at William and Mary I have wished sign language classes were offered. By learning sign language, a whole new world could open for me and others. Even if sign language classes don’t get offered before I graduate, I hope future William and Mary students can have the opportunity to learn sign language.
As a person who is half deaf, I have never learned ASL even though it is something I should know ~just in case~, due to the difficulty of finding classes. If they were more easily available, it would make it so much easier for everyone to learn and communicate better.
Linguistically, ASL is just like any other language! It has a large number of speakers in the Deaf community and outside of it. Linguists know: ASL is not just English spoken with gestures. It's a unique language. It should be considered such at W&M.
Get with the times
I’m a junior so this will probably after I leave but better late than never!
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IT IS OFFICIAL AND WE ABSOLUTELY WON BECAUSE WILLIAM AND MARY IS OFFICIALLY ADDING ASL COURSES TO THE CURRICULUM!! I AM BEYOND THRILLED THAT OUR HARD WORK PAID OFF AND WE ARE FINALLY SEEING THIS CHANGE HAPPEN ON CAMPUS!! STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON THE FIRST CLASSES BECAUSE THIS IS …
April 12, 2019
Final supporters
This is a petition to request that the College of William and Mary offer courses in American Sign Language as part of its undergraduate studies curriculum whereas:
- American Sign Language is an efficient method of communication.
- American Sign Language is just as legitimate as any language, spoken or written.
- Various high schools offer courses in American Sign Language as a second language for foreign language credit.
- Many community colleges and four-year universities offer courses in American Sign Language, including University of Virginia, Liberty University, George Mason University, Radford University, James Madison University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Barton College, and Gardner-Webb University.
Why learn American Sign Language?
- To develop skills in a language that is different from standard American English
- To realize, learn, and understand that speaking and writing are not the only methods of effective communication. Learning American Sign Language can reinforce that point.
- Communicate and interact with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. 28 million Americans experience hearing loss of some kind, and 2 million of these individuals are Deaf.
- To gain an understanding of American Sign Language, which is widely used throughout the country, and other sign languages used worldwide.
- To gain understanding of Deafness and hearing loss in order to appreciate Deaf culture.
Updates
March 19, 2019
WE JUST CRUSHED OUR FIRST BIG GOAL OF 100 SIGNATURES!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PROGRESS AND I AM BEYOND EXCITED TO SEE THIS MOVEMENT GROWING SO FAST!!
Reached 500 supporters
March 18, 2019
March 17, 2019
I AM ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY BY THE ENERGY BEHIND THIS PUSH FOR ASL COURSES!! THE CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING AROUND CAMPUS PROVE JUST HOW MUCH THIS LANGUAGE DESERVES A SPOT IN OUR CURRICULUM AND I AM WORKING HARD TO ENSURE THE ADMINISTRATION SEES ALL OF THIS PASSION!
Reached 100 supporters
March 17, 2019
March 17, 2019
WE ARE TEARING TOWARD 500 SIGNATURES AND I NEED EVERYBODY TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM EXPLODING!! GET THIS LINK OUT THERE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE ARE ABOUT TO SHOW THE ADMINISTRATION THAT WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED!!
114 Comments
This would be incredibly useful to know how to use! (I've worked in customer service and it sucks when you can't help someone out because you don't know how to better communicate with them!)
ASL would have been one of the most useful classes that I could have taken; as an alum I am trying very hard to teach myself ASL, but I would have definitely preferred to learn it in a classroom with a professor and other students.
Offering ASL classes is so important! My sister is Deaf and I grew up speaking ASL at home, so this is an issue that I feel very strongly about. ASL is an incredibly useful (and marketable) skill for students who want to be able to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. This is a super important step towards making our campus more accessible!
Since my first day at William and Mary I have wished sign language classes were offered. By learning sign language, a whole new world could open for me and others. Even if sign language classes don’t get offered before I graduate, I hope future William and Mary students can have the opportunity to learn sign language.
As a person who is half deaf, I have never learned ASL even though it is something I should know ~just in case~, due to the difficulty of finding classes. If they were more easily available, it would make it so much easier for everyone to learn and communicate better.
Linguistically, ASL is just like any other language! It has a large number of speakers in the Deaf community and outside of it. Linguists know: ASL is not just English spoken with gestures. It's a unique language. It should be considered such at W&M.
Get with the times
I’m a junior so this will probably after I leave but better late than never!
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This would be incredibly useful to know how to use! (I've worked in customer service and it sucks when you can't help someone out because you don't know how to better communicate with them!)