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Students raise awareness of Deaf culture on campus - Focus
Imagine a world with no sound.
Silence.
Those who are Deaf or hard of hearing have a world all their own, and SRU students are learning how to communicate with them through American Sign Language.
The American Sign Language Club began in 2003 by Deaf student Andrew Cohen and Dr. Myra Balok, an associate professor or English, in order to spread awareness about Deaf culture on campus.
"He wanted to get something going, so he sent out a general email," Balok said. "I have a Deaf granddaughter so [Andrew and I] got together, got a constitution approved and were recognized."
Balok has been the adviser from the beginning.
With the existence of a sign language club on campus, students learn not only how to sign but also about Deaf culture.
"To an extent when talking about sign language, you have to talk about Deaf culture," Balok said. "We want to make more people sensitive. [Deaf culture is] not scary."
Lisa Swain, 21, a senior elementary education and early childhood major, has learned a lot about Deaf culture since joining the club her freshman year.
"A lot of times hearing people feel [Deaf people] are broken and they need to be fixed," she said.
Balok stressed that there's an important difference between American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed English.
"ASL is not English with sign language," she said. "The syntax is different. ASL is the culture's language [and] the word order is different. It's a visual language with facial expressions. We use motion and directions, even your eyebrows. Your eyebrows move up in 'yes' or 'no' questions. In "wh" questions [such as what, who or when], your eyebrows are down."
Swain has learned that in Deaf culture, Deaf people know when a hearing person is using signed English, she said.
Junior psychology major, Angie Hemphill, 21, serves as the club's president.
Hemphill joined her freshman year as well after seeing the club on a list of club activities to get involved with.
Having previous experience with sign language before joining, Hemphill's still deciding whether or not to work sign language into her career upon graduation.
"As a psychology major," she said, "I could go into counseling with Deaf people, but that's a narrow field."
Another option is to become a school counselor in areas where Deaf people are found, Hemphill said.
Swain will also try to incorporate her experience with sign language into her career, she said.
"I want to be a teacher, so I'll probably incorporate it in to my classroom," she said.
The ASL club has a regular attendance between 18 to 24 students, Balok said. The club does performances, but that's not the primary function. The students learn signs, practice signing, show movies and talk about different aspects of Deaf culture.
"The important thing is [that] we are a club," Balok said. "We have fun and do club stuff. We get T-shirts and do homecoming floats."
The club is different from others on campus.
"We have a mission: to share sign language and culture of Deaf and hard of hearing on-campus. It's not signed English. It's the preferred language of Deaf communication."
Imagine a world with no sound.
Silence.
Those who are Deaf or hard of hearing have a world all their own, and SRU students are learning how to communicate with them through American Sign Language.
The American Sign Language Club began in 2003 by Deaf student Andrew Cohen and Dr. Myra Balok, an associate professor or English, in order to spread awareness about Deaf culture on campus.
"He wanted to get something going, so he sent out a general email," Balok said. "I have a Deaf granddaughter so [Andrew and I] got together, got a constitution approved and were recognized."
Balok has been the adviser from the beginning.
With the existence of a sign language club on campus, students learn not only how to sign but also about Deaf culture.
"To an extent when talking about sign language, you have to talk about Deaf culture," Balok said. "We want to make more people sensitive. [Deaf culture is] not scary."
Lisa Swain, 21, a senior elementary education and early childhood major, has learned a lot about Deaf culture since joining the club her freshman year.
"A lot of times hearing people feel [Deaf people] are broken and they need to be fixed," she said.
Balok stressed that there's an important difference between American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed English.
"ASL is not English with sign language," she said. "The syntax is different. ASL is the culture's language [and] the word order is different. It's a visual language with facial expressions. We use motion and directions, even your eyebrows. Your eyebrows move up in 'yes' or 'no' questions. In "wh" questions [such as what, who or when], your eyebrows are down."
Swain has learned that in Deaf culture, Deaf people know when a hearing person is using signed English, she said.
Junior psychology major, Angie Hemphill, 21, serves as the club's president.
Hemphill joined her freshman year as well after seeing the club on a list of club activities to get involved with.
Having previous experience with sign language before joining, Hemphill's still deciding whether or not to work sign language into her career upon graduation.
"As a psychology major," she said, "I could go into counseling with Deaf people, but that's a narrow field."
Another option is to become a school counselor in areas where Deaf people are found, Hemphill said.
Swain will also try to incorporate her experience with sign language into her career, she said.
"I want to be a teacher, so I'll probably incorporate it in to my classroom," she said.
The ASL club has a regular attendance between 18 to 24 students, Balok said. The club does performances, but that's not the primary function. The students learn signs, practice signing, show movies and talk about different aspects of Deaf culture.
"The important thing is [that] we are a club," Balok said. "We have fun and do club stuff. We get T-shirts and do homecoming floats."
The club is different from others on campus.
"We have a mission: to share sign language and culture of Deaf and hard of hearing on-campus. It's not signed English. It's the preferred language of Deaf communication."