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Protesters balk at threat to American Sign Language
Many members of Indiana's deaf and hearing-impaired community are scared that the way they communicate will be tossed aside - so scared that they took to the Statehouse lawn Tuesday, to let Gov. Mitch Daniels know they want changes now.
It all started with the appointment of four new board members to the Indiana School For the Deaf. Only one of the new members is deaf. And plenty of people don't like that.
Signs and Sign Language showed the level of anger among protesters Tuesday at the Statehouse.
Isabela Paulone is a seventh grade student at the Indiana School for the Deaf. She signed Tuesday and an interpreter translated: "I'm here because the governor is going to change the program at our school. I use Sign Language. I don't want to be a normal student."
A mom who has two deaf children explained the concern of the protestors in Sign Language.
"The governor appointed four new board members,” signed Kim Bianco Majeri. “One is deaf, and that's great. The other three people, two of them don't support [American Sign Language] at all, and we think that really conflicts with the educational philosophy of at least the ISD."
Those at the protest Tuesday said they fear American Sign Language will be phased out at the Indiana School for The Deaf. They want 51 percent of the board to be hearing-impaired.
A spokesperson for Gov. Mitch Daniels told 24-Hour News 8 that the administration has been working with the School for the Deaf for seven years and has never taken action to stop the teaching of Sign Language.
And not everyone is at odds with Daniels’ appointments. As Chrissy Sears sat in her home teaching her 3-year-old son, Oliver, to read, she explained to 24-Hour News 8 why she supports the move.
Oliver is totally deaf in one ear and has severe loss of hearing in the other. But Sign Language didn't work for Oliver, Sears said.
"And I wanted to communicate openly with my son and have him be able to communicate with this world, whether it be Sign or spoken language. For us, it's spoken language," she said, noting that each decision comes down to what each child needs.
She said she sees the governor's appointments as needed and forward-thinking.
"I think he's diversifiying something that's been very specialized for a long time,” she said. “And I think these are the beginning steps to catch up with the technology we have today."
This issue goes beyond Indiana. It's national in scope. In fact, the chief executive of the National Association of the Deaf was at Tuesday’s protest at the Indiana Statehouse.
He said his organization is in favor of a bi-lingual approach, meaning English and Sign Language. But he said there's an effort under way to remove American Sign Language from the Indiana School For the Deaf, and schools like it nationwide. And that, he said, has to stop.
Many members of Indiana's deaf and hearing-impaired community are scared that the way they communicate will be tossed aside - so scared that they took to the Statehouse lawn Tuesday, to let Gov. Mitch Daniels know they want changes now.
It all started with the appointment of four new board members to the Indiana School For the Deaf. Only one of the new members is deaf. And plenty of people don't like that.
Signs and Sign Language showed the level of anger among protesters Tuesday at the Statehouse.
Isabela Paulone is a seventh grade student at the Indiana School for the Deaf. She signed Tuesday and an interpreter translated: "I'm here because the governor is going to change the program at our school. I use Sign Language. I don't want to be a normal student."
A mom who has two deaf children explained the concern of the protestors in Sign Language.
"The governor appointed four new board members,” signed Kim Bianco Majeri. “One is deaf, and that's great. The other three people, two of them don't support [American Sign Language] at all, and we think that really conflicts with the educational philosophy of at least the ISD."
Those at the protest Tuesday said they fear American Sign Language will be phased out at the Indiana School for The Deaf. They want 51 percent of the board to be hearing-impaired.
A spokesperson for Gov. Mitch Daniels told 24-Hour News 8 that the administration has been working with the School for the Deaf for seven years and has never taken action to stop the teaching of Sign Language.
And not everyone is at odds with Daniels’ appointments. As Chrissy Sears sat in her home teaching her 3-year-old son, Oliver, to read, she explained to 24-Hour News 8 why she supports the move.
Oliver is totally deaf in one ear and has severe loss of hearing in the other. But Sign Language didn't work for Oliver, Sears said.
"And I wanted to communicate openly with my son and have him be able to communicate with this world, whether it be Sign or spoken language. For us, it's spoken language," she said, noting that each decision comes down to what each child needs.
She said she sees the governor's appointments as needed and forward-thinking.
"I think he's diversifiying something that's been very specialized for a long time,” she said. “And I think these are the beginning steps to catch up with the technology we have today."
This issue goes beyond Indiana. It's national in scope. In fact, the chief executive of the National Association of the Deaf was at Tuesday’s protest at the Indiana Statehouse.
He said his organization is in favor of a bi-lingual approach, meaning English and Sign Language. But he said there's an effort under way to remove American Sign Language from the Indiana School For the Deaf, and schools like it nationwide. And that, he said, has to stop.
