FActs

Source 1- Rod Butterworth
 * Deaf people have developed a visual language.
 * no formal sign language was in existence at that time
 * ASL is considered one of the most refined and complete sign system in the world
 * Dr. Mason Cogsewell studied more in depth how to communiate with the deaf
 * Cogsewell was interested because he had a deaf daughter name alice.
 * Alice was taught through experiment by a youth minister Dr. Thomas Hopkins Galladuet
 * The First permaneant school for the deaf students was established in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817.
 * Many years later, there were many schools created in US for the deaf students.
 * Signs usually represent ideas and not just single words
 * Learning sign language will help you cross communication barriers with deaf people.
 * Each country that has a manual alphabet uses its own version.
 * Most European countries require two hands.
 * Signs are still close to how they were first developed even though the origin no longer exist.
 * Fingerspelling is using your hands to represent an alphabet.
 * Most of the time the hand position resembles the alphabet for closely.

Source 2- Monica Everett-Haynes
 * In some areas sign language is popular between the hearing students as well.
 * When you are in a classroom, you can communicate with another student without speaking and interruptinyour teacher of the class.
 * Sign language is being considered as another language.
 * Skyline High School are taking ASL classes to know how to communicate with hard of hearing or deaf students.
 * Teachers realize that students cannot sit still in a whole class period without movement.
 * Sign language is visual and active.
 * ASL is becoming very popular and schools want to have ASL courses
 * There is not enough of educators to teach this language
 * Students said that they can use sign language for jobs, teaching, or even counseling
 * Wherever you go it may be one person that is deaf and the only way to communicate is by sign language.
 * Among teens ASL is becoming a way of entertainment.
 * Some colleges want to consider ASL for a minor, but not a major.
 * ASL courses may help students become more interactive with other students in the Deaf community.
 * Hearing students that learn sign language allow the deaf community to not feel left out.
 * ASL is not just memorizing a whole bunch of signs, but being able to communicate with the deaf community.

Source 3- "Oregon's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services"
 * People think of being deaf as a disability.
 * Deaf people in this country are a linguistic subculture.
 * Deaf people use sign language as their primary means of communication.
 * There are many different organizations that allow the deaf culture to feel normal.
 * Most members for the deaf community are deaf but other people also becomes informed of the signs and are also considered part of the deaf community.
 * Deaf people can still have fun by like doing jokes, riddles, and games through sign language.
 * One of the key points to signing is vision.
 * Deaf people gain a lot of information just through visual signs and images.
 * Deaf people do not prohibit staring because that's the only way of effective communication.
 * Deaf community consider themselves as a minority group.
 * Deaf community basically parallel with other minority groups in terms with unemployement, underemployed, and underachievement.
 * Deaf people thought process more on visual and logical concepts, not verbal and auditory concepts.
 * Deaf people who are fluent with English and ASL will have a higher reading and writing level.

Source 4- Christine Jones
 * In the last few years, baby signing for hearing children and children with developmental issue have grown.
 * Some benefits of sign language include enhanced bonding and communication, development of fine motor skills, and assistance with reading and comprehension skills well into the elementary school years
 * Sign language allows you to learn about the deaf culture.
 * You will be able to bridge the communication gap between hearing children and some children with hearing loss.
 * There should be no surprise that sign language is beneficial is numerous ways
 * Parents find that signing is the best way to be more responsive to their children.
 * Knowing alittle bit of ASL can help you a how lot.
 * Can be learned to foster understanding and respect.
 * Children may experience being friends with a hearing impaired individual and need to know a little ASL.
 * Take baby steps with ASL and learn Baby signs first.
 * Families that enjoy informal, hands-on demonstration will be able to incorporate ASL signs in their everyday lives.
 * The easiest way to get started with signing is learn the alphabets than learn a easy song.
 * Sign language isn't about creating smart kids.
 * Its a way of learning about the deaf culture.
 * 1,000 parents and children hearing and deaf prove that baby signing promotes understanding and compassion through education.

Source 5- "Babies and Sign Language"
 * Baby signing is when toddlers use certain handshapes and motions to convey what they want.
 * Most of the time the sign that baby uses to convey a word is close to that of the sign in ASL.
 * This type of communication most of the time reduces fustration.
 * Most babies can hear and know what you are saying but only have the ability to speak a few words.
 * Speech is formed by basic trainig of your vocal cords, so babies can only say basic words.
 * Communication can be difficult at first and is usually made up of words you cannot understand and hand motions.
 * Hearing babies can learn ASL from communicating with their deaf parents.
 * Baby signing is the easiest step to take before trying to learn ASL.
 * Baby signers have more advanced verbal skills.
 * Many people can benefit from learning baby signing and later ASL.

Source 6- Jenny Carrow
 * ASL has been the primary means of communication for deaf people since the 1800's.
 * Teaching ASL is popular nationwide.
 * Babies as young as 6 to 7 months can remember signs.
 * Children learn how to sign and imitate gestures by the time they are 8 months.
 * By the time they turn 2 yrs old, they know how to compound a sentence in sign.
 * The use of sign language have been proven beneficial to children in a wide variety of settings.
 * Parents are beginning to teach their preverbal children sign language which is proven to benefit them when they get older.
 * Sign language has also proven to be beneficial for children with special needs such as autism and down syndrome.
 * Sign language hastens speech development, increases parent-child bonding, reduce frustration by giving them a way to express themselves before they are able to talk, and allows babies to communicate vital information such as if they are hurting or hungry.
 * Children who learn sign language can speak sooner than other kids.
 * 90% of deaf parents have hearing children.
 * For those types or relationship learning one word can be the start of a long, complicated, and emotional communication process.
 * There are some organizations that allow hearing children share their experiences with their deaf parents.
 * Many people rather deal with hearing people then deaf people.
 * Throughout the years, many hearing children will continue to learn sign language.

Source 7- Thomas Weiss
 * ASL is a complete and complex language that employs signs made with hands and other movements such as facial expressions and postures of the body.
 * First language for the deaf in North America.
 * ASL is the 4th most commonly used language in the United States.
 * There is no universal form of sign language.
 * ASL contains most of the early American signing.
 * The earlier you learn sign language the quicker they can acqurie language and better the child's communication skills.
 * Many newborns need to be screened before leaving the hospital or 1 month into their lives to see if they have any problems hearing.
 * It will be easier and more fun if you learn it early in life.
 * You never know who you may come in contact with during your life so you should learn signing anyways.
 * Other communication models, based in spoken English, exist apart from ASL, including oral, auditory-verbal, and cued speech.
 * Different countries=Different signs
 * ASL was introduced to America in 1817.
 * They are still trying to figure out for sure exactly which system that ASL came from.
 * Deaf children who were born to deaf parents naturally know ASL just like hearing children know spoken words from their hearing parents.
 * Detecting a child's hearing loss early will allow you to see what other ways you will be able to communicate with them.

Source 8- Joanne Walker
 * The academic advantages of sign language are numerous.
 * Sign language can bring academic advantages for hearing or deaf persons.
 * People learning sign language are basically expanding their minds to another arena.
 * Plenty of research show that deaf people who learn sign language early, are more academically inclined as well.
 * This shows that they are partly able to communicate with those around them.
 * Sign language is not just a system of using hand gestures and motions to represent words, but a sophisicated and complicated language system.
 * Children who learn sign language have already learned how language is made up of.
 * A deaf person will still feel apart of the world because they have their own language just like different countries.
 * Learning sign language as a hearing person will allow you to be able to community with a whole other community.
 * Learning this type of language will give you a better feeling of confidence.
 * Signing is very academically beneficial.
 * Some people don't have access to sign language for various reasons.
 * People tend to be more understanding when they learn sign language too
 * Learning sign language allows you to learn about another culture other than yours.
 * There is no doubt that sign language is helpful for everyone.

Source 9- Sharon Gretz
 * Most of time you think of sign language to be connected to only the deaf people.
 * Children can start signing long before they speak.
 * Sign language will help children communicate until they can speak clearly.
 * Signing has proven to assist children when learning how to verbally communicate.
 * Sign language help children develop language skills.
 * You may want to consider sign language with your kids to reduce frustration.
 * It may be the only way to clearly understand what your children want.
 * They can learn how to produce speech or clearly know how to communicate.
 * Signing also help kids develop their speaking skills.
 * The rate of children's speech will increase.
 * Visual abiltity is key for sign language.
 * Signing helps with the verbal communication as well.
 * Deaf people sometimes feel like failures because they can't communicate by talking.

Source 10- Lottie Riekehof
 * Facial expression and body language is everything.
 * People need to convey their emotions correctly so they can get their intended meaning across.
 * Lipreading is another huge part of the deaf culture.
 * Many people that are hard of hearing can understand a person by reading their lips.
 * When signing your hand positions are in the front of your chest and are comfortable.
 * The importance of signing is that many hard of hearing and deaf people depend on sign language for their means of communication.
 * The usefulnesses of sign language extends beyond the deaf, to people with speech loss due to accidents.
 * In recent years, teachers have found that sign language is beneficial to those who are special ed.
 * Fingerspelling is an important part of the communication system of deaf persons.
 * Fingerspelling is a vital and historical element of manual communication.
 * Signs usually represent ideas and not just single words.
 * Formal learning of sign language is strongly encouraged.
 * It takes 1-2 years of serious training before understanding ASL.
 * Signs are different all around the world.
 * It is important to realize that every sign system is different and realize that no one system is better than the other.