Valerie and list members. I am currently at the starting
gate to bring SW to KY's education system. In coming days,
I will very likely ask many things to help me formulate a
proposal and program to bring before the Dept. of Education
and coordination with Dr. Laurence Hayes. This is merely
the first step, following will be experts in SW comign to the state
to demonstarte, train, and perhaps get implemntion started.
To date, my interests in SW has been mainly to bring it to
programs that work with Deaf children. I am not insisting
that I am irrevocably correct, I am motivated by the
beliefs that:
1. English glossing actually confused Deaf kids trying to learn
English where ASL is "written" to provide contrast in grammar etc.
(but it better than nothing). Too many kids that "it isn't English
but it's English?" dumbfounded look for good reason.
2. As heaies go tot school to learn English formally to better understand
how their language works, so should Deaf kids learn ASL so they
have mastery, true mastery, in at least one language.
3. That ASL mastery opens the way to teach written and I do stress
written English as asecond language. SW, I believe allows a written
model to work in teaching "written" translation skills between the
two languags and that should be the primary focus in brining
competency in both; not with the minimal results obtaining speech
and audition as it true now.
4. The Deaf Community and Deaf professionals who teach ASL are
making a grave error in rejecting or ignoring SW, especially in this day
and age of high resistance from academic departments regarding respecting
it
as a language. Current acceptance is misleading. They still don't want
it as evident in shunting ASL into psychological, audiological (yep),
special education, and communicative disorders departments instead
of language departments where it belongs.
5. Pos-secondary programs need to offer he course alongside
regular ASL classes and integrate it into teacher training programs.
I can go further, but basically, I view SW as a door way wielded shut
by ignorance, paranoia, and lack of realization of what it offers both
the Deaf and language researchers. It appears I am now given an
opportunity
to have serious impact on a large education program where I can actually
bring SW to thefore here and I will call upon you fine people who know
so much more than I about actually applying it in practical environments.
Question one: May I havethe list and contact sources of all the USA
programs currently applying SW in Deaf schools and/or mainstream
programs?
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> o/ James Womack \o ,
> <| Don't mince words |> __o/
> / > Say what you really think! < \ __\__
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