American Sign Language (ASL) is a system of communication using visual gestures and signs, used by deaf people. American Sign Language is seen as an legitimate language just as Spanish. It also has 5 different dialects such as Black American Sign Language, Bolivian Sign, Ghanaian Sign, Nigerian Sign Francophone African Sign. There are about 250,000 to 500,000 people in America that use American Sign Language as an day to day language and about 70 million people in the world. ASL has a large percentage of users that use sign language from day to day that are not even deaf.
In the 1700’s little people knew or even had any idea of what being deaf or sign language was. People who were born deaf were considered “dumb” …show more content…
His inspiration came from and deaf young woman named Alice Cogswell. Alice was deaf but she didn’t know any sign language or how to even communicate with other people. She wasn’t allowed to attend school with the other children and there were not schools for deaf children at the time. Alice inspired Hopkins to travel to Europe and learn how to communicate with deaf. All of his expenses to and from Europe were paid by Alice's’ father, Mason Cogswell. While in Europe he met people that were willing to help him in his journey of helping Alice and people who were just like her. When he returned to America he began working on ways for people who were deaf to learn and go to school. On April 15, 1817 in West Hartford, Connecticut the first American School for the Deaf was open. The very first person to become a teacher of the deaf in America was Laurent Clerc. They called him “ The Apostle of the Deaf in America”. He was from France, Thomas taught him English and he taught Thomas sign language. Clerc died in 1869 at the age of 84 in …show more content…
There are many careers that need sign language interpreters such as, health and social services, outreach programs, school personnel, motivational speakers, churches and etc. To began a career in sign language you have to go to school for two years to receive an associate's degree or four years to receive an bachelor’s degree. It is necessary that you are very fluent in speaking sign language before you go to apply at any job. It is okay to forget sometimes but not all of the time. This is because you do not want to interpret the wrong information to a client or even a child in school. Seeing that many misinformation or misunderstanding will be because of you, and it will be your responsibility to fix any situation that you messed up. If this does happen to you , you want to accept your mistake, fix your mistake, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some business only allow you to make one mistake before they terminate you from the