Midland Valley High School is piloting an American Sign Language course this academic year, the first of its kind in Aiken County.
Leading the class is Dora Brooks, who has a nine-year background in deaf education, having taught students who are hard of hearing in grades K-12. Now, she’s sharing her knowledge with students who want to learn the visual language.
The course counts as a one-credit foreign language class.
According to information from ASL Deafined, there has historically been some debate over whether ASL should be considered a true language. As of 2020, only 45 states recognize ASL as a world language.
Brooks said she spent the first three weeks of the new school year exploring deaf culture — the shared social beliefs, history and values of the hard of hearing — with her students.
“I feel like for someone to learn a language, they have to really know the background, where it came from, where it was established,” she said.
The new course is getting students thinking deeper about the significance of accessibility. “[Students] need to realize this language is very precious to that group of people,” said Brooks. “That’s why I really hone in on the deaf culture.”
To read the full article, please visit Aiken Standard's website.
Erin Weeks/Aiken Standard