Ginny Stewart

EDSP 1115-002
Danielle Goyette
September 3, 2020
Reflection Paper #1
Teaching American Sign Language

American Sign Language is a beautiful language that I believe should be taught to all

people. According to the National Library of Medicine, one in twenty Americans is deaf or hard

of hearing. Despite the number of Deaf Americans being so large, there are not many people

outside of the Deaf community who know sign language. As a society, we need to adapt and

begin teaching all Americans to learn ASL. While it is easy to say all people should learn ASL,

the more important question is, would this goal ever be possible.

I believe that ASL should be taught in schools the same way other foreign languages are

taught. I find it kind of ridiculous that students are taught French and Latin when these languages

will likely not prove useful to them in their future. Because ASL is typically associated with

disabilities, I feel it is often swept under the rug because modern society does not like thinking

about people with disabilities. As a person who works with people who have special needs, I

have seen first-hand the discrimination that disabled people can face. “Dominant groups tend to

see others not only as different but inferior.” (Dobrin, 2013). Due to the way that people with

disabilities are seen in society, people are often afraid to talk to people who are different from

them and therefore see no reason to learn ASL.

In the article, “Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language,” the author, Nora Groce, discusses

how the original islanders of Martha’s Vineyard had a large population of Deaf people. Instead

of shutting out the Deaf members of the society, the island learned to adapt and created sign

language so that the Deaf members of their community would not be left out of conversations.
Along with this, Groce speaks on her interviews with members of the island. They told her ways

that using ASL worked well in their community such as telling friends a dirty joke, and to keep

the conversation appropriate for the women and children around, they would sign the joke

instead. This also allowed people to have private conversations or talk in group settings without

disrupting others. The island did not see the Deaf members as lesser people due to their

disability; they saw them as equals and found a way to converse with them the way they would

any other person. I feel this way of life needs to be more present in modern society.

While I believe it is possible to have more people learn ASL, I feel it might be

challenging to teach it to everyone. I grew up in a school where we were forced to learn Spanish

as a foreign language. I would be lying if I said I could speak more than one sentence in Spanish.

Despite what school systems want you to learn, it can be difficult for some students to learn a

second language. Now on the other side of that argument, it has been proven that teaching

hearing children sign language can help them as they learn vocal communication. According to

the article, “Enhancing Early Communication through Infant Sign Training,” “For typically

developing children, sign training may simply provide an effective means of communication

several months earlier than those who rely solely on vocal communication.” This can make a

huge difference in the relationship between parents and children. This article also discusses how

often behavior issues can be a result of language delays. When a child does not know how to

communicate with their parent, it can lead to temper tantrums. By teaching these children sign

language, they are capable of communicating up to six months earlier than others. If society can

adapt and begin to teach sign language to children from an early age, I think it is entirely

possible to integrate ASL in modern society. The issue I see is to teach children ASL, parents
must also learn ASL. I do see more parents and schools teaching ASL to their children, which is

an amazing step in the right direction for teaching all people.

As today’s society is beginning to normalize disabilities much more than previous

generations have, I do feel it is possible that within the next few generations, we might be able to

make American Sign Language a common language in our country. While there will be

difficulties along the way, I think our society is heading in the right direction to be inclusive to

all people despite any differences they might have.

Dobrin, A. (2013, July 23). Where Everyone Spoke Sign Language.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/am-i-right/201307/where-everyone-spoke-

sign-language. 

Groce, N. (1980, January). Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language.

Everyone_Here_Spoke_Sign_Language.pdf.

Mitchell, R. E. (2005, September 21). How many deaf people are there in the United States?

Estimates from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Journal of deaf studies

and deaf education. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177267/. 

Thompson, R. H., Cotnoir-Bichelman, N. M., McKerchar, P. M., Tate, T. L., & Dancho, K. A.

(2007). Enhancing early communication through infant sign training. Journal of applied

behavior analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1868823/.