Series to educate students on deaf culture
Jessica Darland/Iowa State Daily
Court Mac Gregor, then-sophomore in kinesiology, and Joey Foss, then-senior in aerospace science, handed out free hot chocolate in front of the library March 2, 2015, to promote Deaf Awareness Week. They were also selling bracelets and buttons to get the word out. Other events that happened that week included learning basic American Sign Language vocabulary, a pizza fundraiser and a showing of the movie “The Hammer.”
October 2, 2019
The department of world languages and cultures is hosting a series called “Brown Bag American Sign Language: Deaf Culture and Language,” with training in basic signs and important information about deaf culture.
The series begins with an event 11 a.m. to noon Friday in the Gallery of the Memorial Union. It is free and open to faculty, staff and the public.
American Sign Language (ASL) is used by the majority of the deaf community and is highly beneficial in a variety of jobs and careers. There are, however, common misconceptions about ASL that can hinder its prevalence in education. The Brown Bag series intends to help people understand why it is vital to learn more about deaf culture and basic ASL.
“I’ve heard that people think ASL is not a language — it is,” said Dina Toulan, lecturer of ASL with the department of world lLanguages and cultures. “And I think people have different perspectives about deaf people and culture and I think this training will help clarify a lot of things. Not every deaf person can lipread or talk. I think people are assuming that we all are the exact same — we aren’t. There is so much to cover, honestly, but I think starting somewhere is good.”
Student support and interest is absolutely necessary for ASL courses to continue their outreach and education. Iowa is desperately in need of interpreters, as according to Toulan, there are only 16 interpreters within a 50-mile radius of Iowa State. Toulan said she hopes the Brown Bag sessions stimulate enthusiasm for ASL and make attendees feel better informed about the language and culture.
“I’ve had several students telling me that they want to learn more ASL when they are completed with their foreign language requirements,” Toulan said. “Most of them say they learn so much after taking our classes, and they want to pursue interpreting but Iowa does not offer an interpreting program anywhere except for one community college. Basically I’ve heard nothing but positive comments from students, and they really enjoy taking our classes.”
Students and staff are encouraged to bring their lunch and an open mind to this informative ASL series session.
