My mom sent me a link to this article from my hometown newspaper, which is about the possibility of the school system adopting ASL as a foreign language. Currently there’s only one high school that offers a sign language class, and it’s only given as an elective credit. Here’s what I wrote to the editor, cc’d to the article’s author and the teacher mentioned in the article.

As a sign language professional and a graduate of Howard County Public Schools, I am delighted to hear of the push for inclusion of American Sign Language in the school system’s foreign language program. Although sign language was not available when I graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1997, I hope that its presence at Howard High will encourage the principals of other county schools to offer ASL classes as an activity, elective, or language credit.

Students in Howard County are uniquely positioned to develop outstanding skills in sign language. Because Washington DC is home to the world’s only liberal arts university for the deaf, the metro area has an exceptionally large and diverse deaf population. Many deaf adults come to the region to attend Gallaudet University, and many stay in the area long-term. Additionally, the Maryland School for the Deaf, which has campuses in Frederick and Columbia, is well-known as an outstanding educational institution. Finally, McDaniel College in Westminster offers a deaf education graduate program that is recognized as one of the best in existence. All of these schools provide opportunity for Howard County’s high schoolers to socialize, volunteer, and interact with the deaf community on a regular basis.

I disagree strongly with Dixie Stack’s claim that qualified teachers of ASL will be difficult to find. As with any language, the best teachers are native speakers: the deaf Americans who live right here in the national capital area. Additionally, the 25 colleges and universities that offer Bachelor’s programs are supplemented by many outstanding Associate’s and non-degree programs that provide excellent education in American Sign Language. I am certain the Howard County Public Schools would find plenty of well-qualified teachers to make sign language a viable course for students to earn foreign language credit.