Can I ask a question; How do you translate "learning" in your mind? The reason I ask is because .. for instance, one might translate hearing propaganda from one or two or three seemingly authoritative sources without critically questioning it, as learning.
While given that ASL does have a history of it's own and a natural progression, evolution even, in its own ... the thing that I find unacceptable is that our education system in this day and age cannot continue teaching our deaf brothers and sisters, sons and daughters that ASL is a full language (How can it possibly be? It is a substitution of 1/3 (speaking-any language - the other two being reading and writing) of a language.). Please try to understand that it is only a visual communication tool. To know and use ASL as your primary communicating language is fine. But you cannot say that you know and understand fluent English. We cannot allow young adults to graduate under false pretenses. Be it them being ignorant of this. We must thoroughly educate and test their grammatical skills! Regardless of budget!
This is clearly a failing of our educational system. Not all though, I've found that if children are immersed with hearing peers in normal school&class settings the assimilation of the written/read English language with it's syntax, structure and grammatical rules is profoundly greater. Strictly deaf classes in were there is prolonged isolation in deaf groups is, my opinion only, where this problem is bred quickest.
There is pride in the deaf community to not consider their deafness as a disability yet it seems a majority chooses not to address their educational setbacks/disadvantages. Is that not a disability in it's self if you cannot communicate your thoughts on written paper on an intellectual level that the rest of the world.
I believe not only the deaf community but our society in general (in North America, I guess) needs to address this and completely revamp their educational system - at least starting in this province (I'm typing from Vancouver, BC).
