Sign Language for All

What is Sign Language? Sign Language is the use of facial expressions, fingerspelling, and gestures that represent whole phrases or words used to communicate with deaf or hard-of-hearing people. It is a language that brings together communities and cultures.  Sign Language should be taught to all students because it would make it easier for all people to communicate with hard-of-hearing people and it is extremely versatile.

Learning sign language would not only expand someone’s communication skills but would also help them understand people who are deaf.  According to studies, parents who are both hearing can still have deaf children. Between the ages of 9 months and 2 years of a child’s life, they develop fine motor skills that allow them to coordinate their tongue, teeth, vocal cords, and breathing, in order to talk and converse. As sign language is becoming more popular today,  more and more deaf and hard-of-hearing students are attending school with hearing students.

If a deaf or hard of hearing person is admitted into the hospital, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires hospitals to provide appropriate means to aid in communication between the patient, the doctor, and family members. If the patient needs immediate care, just a few signs can help the Doctor know what is going on until the interpreter arrives. Having knowledge of sign language can be very beneficial in the workplace industry. Sign language is an important and helpful skill to have in many areas of day-to-day life for the deaf and hearing community alike.