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South Salem High school junior Hannah Lichter recently put two years of taking American Sign Language to the test for the first time translating for this interview.
"I'm nervous but excited and I just hope I get everything right," she said while translating for the school's American Sign Language teacher, Fred Farrior, who explains how he has both struggled and excelled as a deaf person. "I have been deaf since birth. It was not always as easy as it is for deaf people today. In 1976, doors finally started to open. In the beginning, the only means for communication with hearing people was through writing. Now interpreters are more available and there are more resources for deaf people. The biggest advancement though has been technology," Farrior said. Pagers, video phones, instant messaging, text messaging, closed captions and phone relay systems, and American Sign Language interpreters are among the most common forms of communication for deaf people. "I have many friends who are deaf so I use signing to communicate with them often. But after 30 minutes my hands get sore. You are only supposed to sign for 30 minutes then rest 30 minutes, so I usually communicate with them through instant messaging or text (messaging)," Lichter said. At Salem Heights there are 50 deaf and hard-of-hearing students in preschool through fifth grades. Crossler Middle School and Sprague High School each have 12 students. With support services, these students are in regular education classes. Services available
Since there are so many students in need, Willamette Education Service District employee Eleni Boston makes sure children and their families have resources available. "When a child is first identified as being deaf, which is usually when they are born, we (WESD) come out and help the families," Boston said. "They learn about sign language, resources within the deaf community such as education options, translators and deaf culture. We provide support to the families for as long as they need it, which is usually through grade school, but we can provide assistance through age 21." Since there are so many deaf students attending South Salem schools, WESD has opened a satellite office at Sprague High School for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The resource center is there to help the students and provide support to staff and the community. Raising awareness
Having a deaf student in a regular education classroom adds diversity, raises awareness and helps the deaf student be treated like any other student. Hearing students do not know what it is like to be deaf and what obstacles deaf students face, but one way hearing students can learn about deaf culture is by taking American Sign Language as a foreign language. Farrior has been an activist in the deaf community for years. He was instrumental in convincing the Oregon Board of Education to accept ASL as a second language in Oregon's public schools and in working with the Oregon Legislature when it passed legislation supporting ASL in 1995. "In the early '90s a friend and I were talking about how ASL should be offered as high school and college credit. We went to the Department of Education and asked if we could add ASL to college curriculum, but we were denied. So we formed a committee, drafted a bill, gathered testimony and community support and took it to the Oregon Legislature. We asked to allow ASL curriculum to be added to high schools and colleges, the bill passed in 1995. The entire community celebrated," Farrior said. Now ASL and deaf culture can be taught in classrooms across Oregon as any other foreign language would. West, South, Sprague, McKay, Western Oregon University, Chemeketa Community College and Portland Community College all offer sign language curriculum. Using ASL
After 20 years of teaching, Farrior has many students lined up to take his class for many reasons. Tiffany Miller-Qualls, a senior at South Salem High School, became interested in signing by watching deaf people in the community. Although she is not sure if it will translate into a profession, she knows how valuable ASL can be. "My dad manages a bowling facility and there is an all-deaf bowling team. Last year, I translated for them during league games. It was so much fun. The deaf people were so thankful there was someone there who was hearing that could help them" Miller-Qualls said. "I first got interested in ASL by watching a neighbor sign and I thought it was beautiful," said Lichter, who wants to be an interpreter. Sign language interpreting has become a highly desired career since the legislation passed. Both Western Oregon University and Portland Community College offer sign language interpreting as degree options. WOU's program includes a bachelor's of arts in interpreting and ASL Studies, plus a master of arts in deaf counseling. Boston is excited to see students who are enthusiastic about becoming interpreters. "Generally, all ASL interpreters must be trained and certified from a four year college. The interpreter programs cover linguistics, ethics and terminology, so it is very intense. … To code ASL into English or any other language, you must be a skilled and experienced interpreter. It really takes someone who is willing to throw themselves into the culture to really make a good interpreter." Lichter and Farrior conclude the interview by explaining one thing they want everyone to know: "Deaf people do not think of their disability as a disability. They are regular people like you and me, we just can't hear anything." (by statesmanjournal.com)
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