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Inside Gallaudet - Gallaudet University
Gallaudet took the opportunity to celebrate the deaf community’s rich linguistic legacy during International Week of the Deaf, also known as Deaf Awareness Week, recognized September 24-30.
In observance of the International Day of Sign Languages, a World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) initiative, Gallaudet’s Department of ASL and Deaf Studies and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) teamed up to host an event called Celebrate ASL! On the afternoon of September 28, community leaders mounted the historic steps of Chapel Hall to talk about linguistic struggles and triumphs.
Celebrants who watched and cheered represented the diversity of the international deaf community. Members of the audience included undergraduate and graduate students, prospective students, Model Secondary School for the Deaf students, teachers, faculty, and staff as well as visitors. They originated from places near and far, including all corners of the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Vietnam, and Nigeria.
Dr. Yerker Andersson, a retired Gallaudet professor, a former president of WFD who currently serves as an expert on human rights for the organization, and a member of the NAD Board of Directors, said that Deaf Awareness Week has a long history. The International Week of the Deaf has been held in most countries since the 1950s, he explained, with national organizations of the deaf engaging in demonstrations, meetings with government officials, festivals, and educational programs about sign language and deaf culture. The WFD General Assembly voted last July to add the International Day of Sign Languages to the International Week of the Deaf.
“The WFD believed that the recognition of sign language should be the first step to more human rights,” he said.
The awareness is certainly working. About 40 countries have recognized their sign languages, and the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had been signed by 117 countries, including sign language for accessibility reasons.
Along with NAD Chief Executive Officer Nancy Bloch and NAD board member Thuan Nguyen, Dr. Andersson introduced the afternoon's speakers, which included Provost Steve Weiner; ASL and Deaf Studies Chair MJ Bienvenu; undergraduate student and actor Russell Harvard; graduate student and WFD Youth Section Secretary Melissa Malzkuhn; Student Body Government president Robert McConnell; Graduate Student Association President Christen Szymanski; National Literary Society of the Deaf President Ricardo Lopez; Maryland Association of the Deaf President Lee Smith; District of Columbia Association of the Deaf board member Janie Golightly; and Virginia Association of the Deaf representative Gary Viall.
World renowned actor Bernard Bragg, who is on tour to benefit the NAD and WDF, presented a piece called “Anthem to ASL.”
* Visit the NAD website for information on the event, video highlights, and more.
Gallaudet took the opportunity to celebrate the deaf community’s rich linguistic legacy during International Week of the Deaf, also known as Deaf Awareness Week, recognized September 24-30.
In observance of the International Day of Sign Languages, a World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) initiative, Gallaudet’s Department of ASL and Deaf Studies and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) teamed up to host an event called Celebrate ASL! On the afternoon of September 28, community leaders mounted the historic steps of Chapel Hall to talk about linguistic struggles and triumphs.
Celebrants who watched and cheered represented the diversity of the international deaf community. Members of the audience included undergraduate and graduate students, prospective students, Model Secondary School for the Deaf students, teachers, faculty, and staff as well as visitors. They originated from places near and far, including all corners of the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Vietnam, and Nigeria.
Dr. Yerker Andersson, a retired Gallaudet professor, a former president of WFD who currently serves as an expert on human rights for the organization, and a member of the NAD Board of Directors, said that Deaf Awareness Week has a long history. The International Week of the Deaf has been held in most countries since the 1950s, he explained, with national organizations of the deaf engaging in demonstrations, meetings with government officials, festivals, and educational programs about sign language and deaf culture. The WFD General Assembly voted last July to add the International Day of Sign Languages to the International Week of the Deaf.
“The WFD believed that the recognition of sign language should be the first step to more human rights,” he said.
The awareness is certainly working. About 40 countries have recognized their sign languages, and the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had been signed by 117 countries, including sign language for accessibility reasons.
Along with NAD Chief Executive Officer Nancy Bloch and NAD board member Thuan Nguyen, Dr. Andersson introduced the afternoon's speakers, which included Provost Steve Weiner; ASL and Deaf Studies Chair MJ Bienvenu; undergraduate student and actor Russell Harvard; graduate student and WFD Youth Section Secretary Melissa Malzkuhn; Student Body Government president Robert McConnell; Graduate Student Association President Christen Szymanski; National Literary Society of the Deaf President Ricardo Lopez; Maryland Association of the Deaf President Lee Smith; District of Columbia Association of the Deaf board member Janie Golightly; and Virginia Association of the Deaf representative Gary Viall.
World renowned actor Bernard Bragg, who is on tour to benefit the NAD and WDF, presented a piece called “Anthem to ASL.”
* Visit the NAD website for information on the event, video highlights, and more.