American Sign Language as a Foreign Language

During 1817 in the city of Hartford, Connecticut the first American School for the death was established. Of course sign language was being used long before 1817 all over the Globe. Now days there are only forty states in America that identify the status of American Sign Language as a foreign language. Each state has different laws. Some states the legislation affects elementary education through universities offering sign language. Or in other states boards of education or individual school districts have authority to approve credit for American Sign Language classes. The following list shows the forty states that recognize American Sign Language as a Foreign Language:….Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In West Virginia American Sign Language as a foreign language was proposed and passed during the Seventy First legislature in 1994, VA. Code 18-2-7. For more information on the other states laws visit this website: http://www.ncssfl.org/links/ASL.pdf. The closest college to West Virginia University that offers American Sign Language for academic credit is Fairmont State College. It would be nice to bring in American Sign Language as a foreign language to WVU. Finding a teacher should not be that difficult as finding one for a different foreign language. There are also a need for translators and interpreters so learning sign language would benefit the students as well. Plus speaking with ones hands is a beauty with in itself. American Sign Language is something for anyone to learn, its not just for the hearing impaired.