History of American Sign Language

1. History Of American Sign Language How did American Sign Language begin? Let’s find out ….. In 1817, the American School for the Deaf is founded But there isn’t a universal American Sign Language Many students use French Sign Language (LSF) and Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) So……. LSF and MVSL combine to make American Sign Language 1864 Gallaudet College is founded in Washington DC - it is the first college for the Deaf in the world It is named after one of the American School for the Deaf’s founders - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet In 1880 American Sign Language is under threat The Second International Congress on Education for the Deaf in Milan meets and endorses oralism - where students are taught to read lips and speak Sign language is forbidden in Deaf schools Imagine being told you can’t speak your first language Out of the 164 delegates at that Milan Conference, how many were Deaf? Only one! Oralism dominates Deaf education for around 100 years Why do umpires in baseball use hand signals like Out, Safe and Strike? Thank Deaf Major League Baseball player, William Hoy, for this Hoy played in the Major Leagues from 1888 to 1902 Umpires had to use their hands so Hoy could understand their call

2. These signals are now a standard part of umpiring Deaf people fight for their language In 1880, The National Association of the Deaf @nad1880 is set up to protect their rights and preserve ASL Do you know how the huddle started in American football? In 1892 Gallaudet University @gallaudetu football team are up against two other Deaf teams If they use ASL out in the open, their opponents will see They could steal their tactics What can they do? Gallaudet quarterback Paul Hubbard gathers his players in a tight circle And the huddle is born Things continue to look up for ASL In 1960, Gallaudet University linguist William Stokoe ​publishes a paper proving ASL is a true language Five years, later, Stokoe​ publishes the first ASL dictionary In 1967, the National Theater of the Deaf is set up This is America's first company of Deaf actors 1971 - Deaf actor Linda Bove ​@linda_bove​ appears on iconic TV show Sesame Street She plays a librarian. While her assistant Micki reads stories to the children, Linda communicates in sign language She stays with the show until 2002 In 1986 G​allaudet College becomes ​G​allaudet University @gallaudetu It is the only university in the world designed to be barrier-free for Deaf and hard of hearing students 1986 is a vintage year for ASL because …. Marlee Matlin @themarleematlin is the first Deaf actress to get an Oscar

3. She wins the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sarah in Children Of A Lesser God in 1986 She is still the only Deaf performer to have won an Academy Award In 2012, 37,133 people sign a petition to the federal government to officially recognize ASL​: ● as a community language and ● a language of instruction in school The White House responses to this petition, saying: "there should not be any stigma about American Sign Language" ASL for America sees this as a positive step But it says there is still a long way to go to protect the ASL language On March 4, 2013, ABC Family's Switched at Birth ​@switchedatbirthtv ​makes history It broadcasts its first all-ASL episode in the history on mainstream TV And things get better still…. In September 2015, Nyle DiMarco @nyledimarco is the first Deaf contestant on America’s Next Top Model - and he wins He also proves to be a pretty nifty dancer…. The following year Di Marco is invited to join Dancing with the Stars' competition in April He wins that too - with his professional dance partner Peta Murgatroyd On December 19, 2017, the United Nations declares September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages Today, around 500,000 people have ASL as their first language. 2 million use ASL as a second language You can learn ASL sign language too by signing up for ​ASL1 ​and ​ASL2 ​at International Open Academy​. The courses are online and you can start immediately. However it is not easy for users of ASL. According to Communication Services for the Deaf*: ● 98% of Deaf people do not receive education in sign language

4. 72% of families do not sign with their Deaf children 70% of Deaf people don't work or are underemployed *Newsweek report ● ●