Data from the job Analysis of Teaching American Sign Language (ASL) survey, which surveyed practicing ASL teachers, was used to compare group perceptions regarding skills and knowledge important to teaching ASL. Results show strong consensus regarding the skills and knowledge important to teaching ASL and support the use of the survey results to…

Focuses on the literacy problems of deaf people who are seeking employment. The article argues for the provision of adequate English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy skills training, makes programming recommendations, and suggests employment strategies that deaf people need. (12 references) (Author/CK)

Nationwide, there are some 1,055,000 young people under the age of 18 who have hearing loss according to statistics from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov). Reported rates of psychiatric disorders for children who have hearing loss range from 15.4% to 54% (Hindley, 1997). Selected…

Until the 1960s, people who were Deaf and mentally ill lacked access to psychological treatment. Few mental hospitals and clinics had interpreters available, and few psychologists and mental health professionals had knowledge of sign language. Major court decisions and federal laws have effected change, culminating with the Americans With…

In this article, the authors investigate visual and tactile ASL-English interpreters' influences on interactive discourse through an interactional sociolinguistic analysis of videotaped, interpreted interactions. They examine the participation framework of each of the interactions to determine whether the interpreters' utterances influence the…

This article describes the translation goals, challenges, strategies, and solutions employed in the development of a computer-based, self administered, psychiatric diagnostic instrument, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for the Deaf (D-DIS-IV) in American Sign Language (ASL) with English captions. The article analyzes the impact of the…

This study examined the possible sources of variability in sign language mastery in two deaf children of hearing parents. The study considered the interaction of environmental and innate factors within the framework of the "Nativization" hypothesis, which suggests that all language learners initially construct a linguistic system which…

This paper explains how the hearing loss of deaf persons affects communication, describes methods deaf individuals use to communicate, and addresses the role of interpreters in the communication process. The volume covers: communication methods such as speechreading or lipreading, written notes, gestures, or sign language (American Sign Language,…

This paper argues that current practices in total communication classrooms have basically assigned the responsibility of communication to hearing-impaired students who must adapt to the variation in communication behaviors displayed by each of their teachers. The paper advocates use of a model communication and language policy designed to…

The document contains over 900 entries with information on resources relating to American Sign Language. Entries, grouped into four major categories (linguistics, pedagogy, sign language with deaf populations, and general), are listed alphabetically by author under the following 23 chapter headings: attitudes toward sign language,…

Examines the educational purposes of foreign-language requirements and asserts that the study of American Sign Language meets these goals in ways in which other "languages" (English dialects, computer languages) do not. (CB)

Examines the social rejection and acceptance of American Sign Language (ASL) since its introduction in schools for the deaf in 1817. Concludes that the evolutionary nature of ASL binds its use to the deaf community. (Author/FMW)

Many educational institutions have already determined that American Sign Language (ASL) is indeed a language, that it has a culture, and it is sufficiently foreign to fulfill a foreign language requirement. Consequently, schools and universities struggle to place ASL in the context of academic foreign language programs. The challenge is to develop…

This article addresses a number of common confusions that characterize much of the debate about the status of American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language option. The article begins with a broad overview of the nature and characteristics of different kinds of signing as they are used in the deaf culture and between the deaf and hearing…

This thesis investigated the effects of adding the learning of American Sign Language (ASL) signs (as part of the Applied Behavior Analysis) on the negative behaviors of seven developmentally disabled children (aged 8-13 years). The children were measured on the following: overall disruptive behavior; aggressive behavior; tantrums; and the use of…