Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Workshop to promote deaf awareness at USU - Campus News
The Deaf Education Student Association (DESA) is putting on their winter movie and workshops this weekend to promote deaf awareness and exposure to the deaf culture.
The movie, playing Friday at 7 p.m. in the TSC auditorium is called "VP Man" or video phone man. Saturday there are workshops in Old Main from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help educate people about topics relevant to deaf education.
DESA will make sure the video and the workshops have interpreters so those people not fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) can understand, as well as the deaf people, said Jan Kelly-King, deaf education advisor at USU.
DESA is an association belonging to the deaf education program at USU that gives students a place to practice ASL, interact with deaf people and be involved in deaf culture said Amy Montuoro, DESA publicity officer.
The association meets together every Wednesday night in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education building to socialize and play games "voice off" (without speaking), to give the students a chance to be fully immersed in the ASL language Montuoro said.
"You don't have to be deaf or going into deaf education to participate, anyone interested in learning about ASL and deaf culture, can join the association," Montuoro said.
The deaf education program tries to implement a Bilingual Bicultural (Bi-Bi) system, teaching both English and ASL and learning about both cultures, Montuoro said. She said ASL is the natural language of the deaf because they have full accessibility to it but since most students at USU aren't deaf, sign language is used as the language of instruction to them.
The Bi-Bi system was used completely at the Sequoia School for the Deaf in Mesa, Ariz., said Curt Radford, deaf education professor at USU, concerning his experience as principal of the school there. They combined English and ASL and exposed the children to everything, making it non-exclusive, Radford said. Both deaf and non-deaf students were involved in athletics and many other activities, and the deaf students performed equally well he said.
"Self-esteem was built there; the students were proud to be deaf and realized that they could be very successful," Radford said.
The deaf education department and DESA are trying to expand their resources to the Cache Valley community and provide help and support for parents and children who have deafness in their lives by teaching them how to communicate, Kelly-King said.
Radford said there are deaf people everywhere and it's good for hearing people to know about the deaf and how to interact and communicate with them without being afraid.
"Many times hearing people think of deaf people as having something wrong with them, but they are as normal as anyone," Radford said. "Being deaf is part of them but it shouldn't determine who they are."
The goal of the deaf education department is to teach hearing people and deaf people alike to how to interact successfully and to respect and understand each other's differences, Kelly-King said.
The Deaf Education Student Association (DESA) is putting on their winter movie and workshops this weekend to promote deaf awareness and exposure to the deaf culture.
The movie, playing Friday at 7 p.m. in the TSC auditorium is called "VP Man" or video phone man. Saturday there are workshops in Old Main from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help educate people about topics relevant to deaf education.
DESA will make sure the video and the workshops have interpreters so those people not fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) can understand, as well as the deaf people, said Jan Kelly-King, deaf education advisor at USU.
DESA is an association belonging to the deaf education program at USU that gives students a place to practice ASL, interact with deaf people and be involved in deaf culture said Amy Montuoro, DESA publicity officer.
The association meets together every Wednesday night in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education building to socialize and play games "voice off" (without speaking), to give the students a chance to be fully immersed in the ASL language Montuoro said.
"You don't have to be deaf or going into deaf education to participate, anyone interested in learning about ASL and deaf culture, can join the association," Montuoro said.
The deaf education program tries to implement a Bilingual Bicultural (Bi-Bi) system, teaching both English and ASL and learning about both cultures, Montuoro said. She said ASL is the natural language of the deaf because they have full accessibility to it but since most students at USU aren't deaf, sign language is used as the language of instruction to them.
The Bi-Bi system was used completely at the Sequoia School for the Deaf in Mesa, Ariz., said Curt Radford, deaf education professor at USU, concerning his experience as principal of the school there. They combined English and ASL and exposed the children to everything, making it non-exclusive, Radford said. Both deaf and non-deaf students were involved in athletics and many other activities, and the deaf students performed equally well he said.
"Self-esteem was built there; the students were proud to be deaf and realized that they could be very successful," Radford said.
The deaf education department and DESA are trying to expand their resources to the Cache Valley community and provide help and support for parents and children who have deafness in their lives by teaching them how to communicate, Kelly-King said.
Radford said there are deaf people everywhere and it's good for hearing people to know about the deaf and how to interact and communicate with them without being afraid.
"Many times hearing people think of deaf people as having something wrong with them, but they are as normal as anyone," Radford said. "Being deaf is part of them but it shouldn't determine who they are."
The goal of the deaf education department is to teach hearing people and deaf people alike to how to interact successfully and to respect and understand each other's differences, Kelly-King said.