Another Way To Communicate- ASL at Glasgow
By: Carlin Adjula
March 18, 2021
ASL- American Sign Language
For every 1,000 children born in the USA, 2-3 of them are born deaf, and 1% of children are mute. Although this doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s difficult for deaf or mute children to communicate with others when they don’t have the ability to speak or hear others.
How can we help deaf or mute children?
Well, for starters, another way to communicate is by using ASL which is commonly referred to as American Sign Language. Sign language is performed by using hand gestures to say different words and spell out different letters. If ASL were to be taught in schools, it would help to talk with others when needed even if it’s just the basics. It would certainly provide and expand more options in the future if needed.
What does Glasgow think?
The majority of Glasgow students that filled out the survey think that ASL should be taught in school as a language elective, and 98.3% of Glasgow students think that ASL would be able to help deaf/mute students (while 1.7% disagree).
When you compare this to the people that think ASL would help them, 39.7% said yes” while 44.4% said “not sure,” and 15.9% said no. This shows how many people would want to use ASL, but not many people know it. “Integrating ASL into Glasgow would really push for a more included community, both within Glasgow and internationally,” Safa Touri said. An anonymous quote, “I think by implementing ASL in Glasgow we can make Glasgow a better place and a more inclusive community for all students even with disabilities.”
“I think that it would be really useful to learn ASL so that we have a more accurate and universal way of communicating with those who can’t hear or speak. Being given the option would be a great way to learn more about communication, but also having more empathy for others who aren’t as lucky as we are.”- Quoted Ayesha Gulzar.
This shows the majority vote: Glasgow students think that ASL should be taught in schools to help others who can’t hear, speak, or communicate in general.
How can you communicate with others even without knowing ASL?
- Use a phone or notepad to communicate
- Learn ASL yourself or take lessons
- Talk slowly or use body language
Sources:
Quick Statistics About Hearing
Parents Guide: How to Help a Child with Selective Mutism
People listed in this article:
|Grade 8, Safa Touri (She/Her) | Grade 7, Ayesha Gulzar (She/Her)|
Carlin Adjula is an 8th grader at Glasgow Middle School, Her ethnicity originates from the Philippines and she loves to embrace that. She also likes entertainment such as K-drama and Anime, along with listening to music artists such as, Yoasobi, Dreamcatcher, LiSA, Itzy, etc. Some of her hobbies include singing, dancing, along with attempting to learn new languages. Overall, she's dedicated to what she does, and always tries her hardest.
Riley Crane
Mar 18, 2021 at 11:51 am
This article is very well formatted and is very well done also I think if we made ASL elective a reality it would be a class that I think alot of students would take becuase to learn ASL isn’t that hard besides from remembering the motions and symbols I think this could help student go into many different fields and work at jobs which may require ASL and so I think it would be a skill rather than just for fun. Thanks, Grade: 07 Riley