Local sign language class speaks volumes

Signing is no foreign
language
to some students
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn SIGN LANGUAGE-Beth Finders, 15, signs the letter "K" while posing for a photo at her home in Agoura Hills. Beth is taking sign language classes in high school and worked as volunteer assistant over the summer. Taking the course satisfies the foreign language requirement in public schools.

More than 24 million people in the United States are deaf or hard of hearing, and according to the Hearing Alliance of America, about 2 million are under the age of 18.

For those with a significant hearing loss, sign language is an excellent portal for communication, but it should be learned at an early age, according to the experts.

Many young people who aren’t deaf are learning how to use sign language as well, opening the doors of communication even further.

Beth Finders, a 16-year-old student from Agoura Hills, is taking sign language classes because she wants to work with children when she gets older and doesn’t want to exclude those who might be deaf.

Beth is taking advantage of a new program at Agoura High School that allows students to take American Sign Language as a foreign language requirement. The classes are taught Tuesday and Thursday nights at the high school in conjunction with Pierce College. Beth took ASL I last year. This fall she’s planning to take ASL II.

"It’s probably the one class she took last year at Agoura High where she’s applying it and watching it work," said Terilyn Finders, president of the Las Virgenes school board—and Beth’s mom.

Over the summer, Beth put skills to work as a sign language volunteer assistant at Chime Charter Elementary School in Woodland Hills.

"She works with students who are deaf, so sign language skills are integral to her participation there," said Julie Fabrocini, Chime’s principal.

Beth isn’t an expert, but in a short while she still learned how to effectively communicate with the children, Fabrocini said.

Beth worked five days a week at the elementary school for the past month and Aug. 1 was her last day.

About 80 percent of Beth’s students weren’t only deaf or hard of hearing, but also had other disabilities such as autism or Down syndrome.

"These are kids with special needs, so it’s not easy for them to learn," Beth said. "It’s slow-paced, but the kids do pick it up faster than adults or teenagers would."

Children who use sign language with other children have their own special chemistry, Fabrocini said. "The children are excited to learn a language that’s different that does not involve voice.

"Instruction in any second language is really beneficial for literacy skills," Fabrocini added. "The great thing about it is any time you’re teaching language or language structure, syntax or grammar, understanding those components that belong in all language is a good thing."

All children at the Chime School—not just the disabled—are required to take sign language classes, Fabrocini said.

But learning sign language takes time, experts warn. To pick up enough signs for basic communication and use them comfortably can take at least a year.

Sign language isn’t a universal language. Each country has its own version, much like the thousands of spoken tongues heard all over the world. Certain signs represent letters of the alphabet.

The students who take the Agoura High sign language class come from high schools across Conejo Valley and Las Virgenes. The class is still new, but it’s popularity is expected to grow.

"The fact that they’re giving kids the opportunity to learn sign language as part of their foreign language is so useful in the sense that they can go out and start making a difference," said Sandi Pope, a Las Virgenes elementary school teacher.

Students take their first year of sign language classes at the high school, but for the second year, they must attend night school at Pierce.

Offering sign language to the local students will open new doors and create new opportunities, Pope said.

"Education is not just about learning how to make a million dollars," she said. "Part of a good education process is to make you a participating member of the community. That’s what this program is all about."

Beth agreed.

"I want to work with kids when I’m older and if I take sign language, that way I can work with deaf kids also," she said.