Loading presentation...

Present Remotely

Send the link below via email or IM


Present to your audience

Start remote presentation

  • Invited audience members will follow you as you navigate and present
  • People invited to a presentation do not need a Prezi account
  • This link expires 10 minutes after you close the presentation
  • A maximum of 30 users can follow your presentation
  • Learn more about this feature in our knowledge base article

Do you really want to delete this prezi?



American Sign Language

My Personal Passion Project

wabagee goulash

on 7 October 2013

Comments (0)

Please log in to add your comment.

Report abuse

Transcript of American Sign Language

American Sign Language
Being Deaf
Successful Deaf People
Helen Keller: 1880 - 1962
Learning ASL
History of Sign Language
Deafness is the total or partial inability to hear.
Exposure to loud noises
Chemicals / Drugs
Neurological disorders
Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, an American minister, wanted to find a way for deaf people to communicate, so he travelled to Europe in 1816.
In 1975, Public Law 94-142 was passed, saying that all handicapped American children require free and appropriate eduction in public schools.
Sign language is recognized as an official language.
In ancient times, it was thought that you could only learn through a spoken language, and because of this deaf people were shunned by society.
Abbe Charles Michel de L'Eppe, a French priest, founded the first free public school for the deaf in 1771
(Le Institut National des Juene Sourds-Meuts)
During the Renaissance period, people finally started trying to educate the deaf. Geronimo Cardano, Ponce de Leon and Juan Pablo de Bonet all tried to come up with methods, including a signed alphabet.
He started modifying the old French Sign Language into what is now known as Old Signed French
Abbe de L'Eppe established 21 schools for the deaf.
He met Laurent Clerc, who taught him about sign Language. Thomas convinced him to come back to America with him
Together, they founded the American Asylum for Deaf-Mutes, in Hartford Connecticut, where they developed OFSL into a language that Americans would understand called Old Signed English.
After Thomas died in 1851, his sons continued his work. In 1857, a wealthy man named Amos Kendall donated land to help them start a college for the deaf.
Laurent and Thomas continued to modify OSE with the help of the students until it evolved into what is now known as ASL
Abraham Lincoln signed a legislation that allowed the National Deaf-Mute College to give out college degrees in 1864.
3 most common language in the USA
Sign language is used every where!
ASL and our Religion
In 1997, an article from a Catholic newsletter claimed that ASL was not a "Liturgical Language" and should be re-considered.
ASL interpreters have become a big part of Mass, but not everyone thinks it should be
Interesting Fact:
The National Deaf-Mute College (now known as the Gallaudet University) is the worlds first and only arts university for the deaf.
Being Deaf can be hard , but their are many new technologies to help Deaf people live a normal life:
Closed Captioned TV
Hearing dogs
Cochlear implants
Specialized mobile phones
Speech therapy / Lip reading
Not all Deaf children learn ASL or another sign language right away, especially if they are born to hearing parents.
Some children are encouraged to learn to speak and lipread first.
Since they can't actually hear, they put their hands on their teacher's throat and mimic the vibrations.
This is done in front of a mirror so that the child can see their teacher's lips moving.
Learning to Speak
Sue Thomas: 1950 -
Contracted a fever a 19 months that left her deaf and blind
Spent the rest of her life helping deaf and blind people
Attended Radcliffe College with her tutor, and got her bachelor’s degree
Got a tutor and learned to speak by age 10
Sudden total loss of hearing at 18 months
Had a TV series made about her
First deaf person to work as an undercover investigator for the FBI
Started working for the FBI as a fingerprint agent, then eventually a lipreader for undercover surveillance (1979-1983)
The Deaf in your community
Sing Language has become a major part of day-to-day life for many people. You can learn sign language too:
The End
Full transcript