LSA to add sign language class in fall

Rachel Arfa describes the past three years of her life as a journey.

In the pursuit of having an American Sign Language course added to the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts curriculum, the hearing-impaired LSA junior and others have focused their time on many meetings and countless inquiries - yet their goal of an ASL class has not materialized into the four-semester course they had originally hoped for.

"Everyone (at the University) tells us how much they love this project, but when it comes to commitment and the bottom line - those words mean next to nothing," said LSA senior Ryan Friedrichs, a former Michigan Student Assembly representative worked with Arfa during the past three years to propose the formation of an ASL class.

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Robert Owen said a pilot ASL class will be hosted by the linguistics department this fall.

"I am hopeful that it will grow into a four semester sequence of ASL plus a culture course, however, we need to gauge student interest based on what happens next fall," said Owen, who took on the associate dean position last fall.

With the new pilot course, Arfa said she hopes University students will gain a greater understanding of those with hearing impairments.

"Everyone thinks that every (hearing-impaired) person knows sign language," Arfa said.

In the fall of 1996, Arfa discovered the University did not offer an ASL course. She began talking with Friedrichs, who lived on her floor in East Quad Residence Hall, and together they decided to propose the addition of an ASL class to the current curriculum. The absence of an ASL course "amazed me and we began to find out how to make it happen," Friedrichs said.

A few months later, a proposal was created to house ASL within the Linguistics department, Friedrichs said.

But in the fall of 1997, Lincoln Faller - at that time an associate LSA dean - turned down the proposal. University officials told Friedrichs that Linguistics was the wrong department to host the program, later reporting the American Culture department would develop the program.

ASL, Faller told Friedrichs in 1997, would be part of a four-term curriculum that could be used to fulfill LSA's language requirement.

"We were ecstatic, thinking our work and pressure had finally paid off," Friedrichs said.

During the next year, Arfa worked with University officials to integrate the course into the curriculum, but, she said, the class did not develop.

"It's been a problem of bureaucracy more than anything," said Rory Diamond, an LSA representative in MSA.

Diamond said he is working with an MSA committee in an attempt to push the administration to introduce a four-semester course.

Last month, Owen informed Arfa, Friedrichs and others the class would not be part of the American Culture department. Instead, Owen said, a pilot course would be hosted by the Linguistics department this fall.

"It's a good start I guess but ... we need to have a full program," Diamond said.

Linda Eggert, an American Culture department administrative associate, said resource issues prevented her department from hosting the new program.

"We don't have the faculty to pursue this venture, and it is a new one," Eggert said, adding that funding was also a factor.

But Friedrichs said LSA guaranteed money for ASL which could be used for faculty funding.

Eggert told Friedrichs the American Culture faculty did not see ASL playing a role in the future of their department.

"Certainly a major obstacle has been finding an academic home for ASL," Owen said.

The person hired for this fall's pilot class will likely have an adjunct appointment in Linguistics, Owen said, adding that it is difficult to develop a program that has no history at the University.

"We cannot acquire expertise until we hire someone knowledgeable in ASL," Owen said.

Diamond said ASL should be part of Modern Languages because "it is a language."

Arfa, whose hearing impairment did not prevent her from attending regular public school in Chicago, is frustrated because the four-semester class has not been introduced after three years of campaigning. Arfa does not use sign language but can read lips to communicate.

"There is no place at the University where students can learn about disabilities," Arfa said.

Owen said he understands why Arfa and others may be upset with the delays of ASL's introduction into LSA's curriculum.

LSA dean Patricia Gurin "and I, as well as a number of others, have been working on this issue and have kept students informed about our progress," Owen said, adding he believes the pilot ASL class "will turn into something more permanent."

02-17-99