American Sign Language Program at Sioux Falls School Has Been Expanded

 

By expanding its American Sign Language program, the Sioux Falls School District (SFSD) has taken a vital step towards addressing an essential part of the D/HoH lifestyle. Deaf teacher Colleen Barber sees the initiative as a considerable boon to her community. Before the implementation of the new policy, she had been the only teacher of ASL. But this time there's one other American Sign Language teacher. And seeing the program expand, Ms. Barber is hopeful with regards to ASL’s future in her own community.

Within previous years, high school students could get only one year of language credits from studying ASL. At this moment, with the addition of American Sign Language level 3 and 4 classes, pupils can fulfill their second language requirements with ASL solely

The SFSD‘s Rebecca Wimmer says that addressing the community’s diverse needs is progressively important as the city of Sioux Falls develops. A majority of these needs include the necessities of Deaf and Hard-of-hearing students. For that reason, the School District has expanded its ASL program to benefit these learners and hearing students. “For our high school students, we [need to] prepare them for that next phase of life, make sure that they’re getting access to college programs, that they have career readiness skills,” adds Ms. Wimmer.

The Key Advantage of Expanding American Sign Language Programs

1. Social Advantages

Giving hearing pupils the option to consider ASL courses endorses greater inclusivity within the schools along with nearby local communities as well. Knowing ASL as a secondary language also broadens the scope of hearing students’ social networks to include individuals of the D/HoH populace. 

Likewise, educating American Sign Language in public schools gives D/HoH learners several additional possibilities to interact with their hearing classmates. 

2. Intellectual Benefits

Many studies have shown that learning a new language enhances cognitive functions, which results in greater academic achievement and greater probability for career accomplishment. 

- Creative thinking 

- Mental flexibility 

- Problem-solving ability

- Listening skills

- Abstract reasoning 

3. Bonus Benefits 

Conversing in a visual way like signing increases students’ spatial recognition, visual sensitivity, and ability to mentally rotate an object and examine it from different perspectives. 

4. Employment Opportunities

Mastering ASL as a second language broadens students’ employment opportunities. By sign language interpreting and teaching to speech audiology and pathology, the plethora of careers involving American Sign Language is wide.

Besides the many benefits that American Sign Language programs offer individual D/HoH and hearing students, they additionally benefit communities. For that reason, at least 35 states now recognize ASL as a contemporary language in their school systems. And increasing numbers of US colleges and universities offer ASL classes.