Miss-Delectable

http://www.journalnet.com/articles/2...cal/news08.txt

POCATELLO - Letting go of one teacher means Bryan Han will have less people to talk to.

Han is an Idaho State University student, a 2003 graduate of Century High School and a product of School District 25.

He is also deaf.

As Han stood in the lobby outside the district's board room Tuesday evening, he signed he is worried cuts to the district's American Sign Language Program will negatively impact the deaf community.

"If they cut the American Sign Language program, where are the deaf people going to have interactions with people?" Han asked through interpreter Kimberly Swanson. "If we keep American Sign Language, then it will spread more in the community and deaf people will have more people to socialize with."

Han said he's met many of his friends through the district's sign language courses, which have given him an opportunity to socialize with more people, even after graduating high school.

"I socialize with those students because they know sign," he said. "(The cut to the American Sign Language program) upset them and it upset me."

When School District 25 Special Education Director Lynda Steenrod chose to eliminate Lori Warren's position as Pocatello High School's American Sign Language instructor and deaf educator, she essentially cut the program in half.

Currently, there are four American Sign Language classes in the district, two at Pocatello High School and two at Century High School.

Although small, it wasn't because of lack of interest.

The American Sign Language program at Pocatello High School turns away 75 to 100 students every year.

That number is about to increase.

Next year, any high school student in the district interested in learning American Sign Language will have to compete for one of 60 spots available at Pocatello High School.

Sarah Reynolds tried to get into Pocatello High School's American Sign Language class as a sophomore, but was turned away because of the limited space available.

She tried again as a junior, with no luck.

Finally as a senior she was able to take the course, and enjoyed it so much she ran for Sign Club president, and won. She even took the second year of Sign in her second semester as an accelerated pace independent study.

Reynolds said she wanted to take sign language since she was young because she grew up with a girl who is deaf.

"I always wanted to talk to her and be her friend, but I didn't know how to do it. I felt awkward because I didn't know her language," Reynolds said.

The sign language course introduced her to deaf culture and deaf people, she said. After learning to sign, Reynolds is now friends with people she otherwise wouldn't be able to communicate with.

"Everywhere you go you run into people who know American Sign Language," Swanson said, standing next to Han in the lobby of the district's main office and mirroring his concern about the district cutting the program.

American Sign Language is the third most commonly used language in the United States, she said. There is more of an opportunity to use it walking down the streets of Pocatello than French or German.

The cut could also negatively impact the Interpreter Training Program at ISU, Swanson said, who is employed as an interpreter at the university.

"Where we get our students at ISU is from their exposure in high school," she said. "The program at ISU will suffer because of this."

__________________

Deafness

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

rjr2006

ASL is just a foreign language like French. My hearing family does not understand ASL, and I understand both English and ASL. High schools should add ASL courses so that hearing people will speak ASL to deaf people.