School-age Nebraskans who are deaf or hard of hearing rely upon interpreters to give them access to the same education as their peers who are able to hear.
But access to interpreters fluent in American Sign Language or services aimed at helping young Nebraskans who experience hearing loss prepare to even enter school is not equal across the state.
“I grew up in Nebraska attending a public school and having an interpreter in class,†said Molly McEvoy, a senior at Ralston High School who also attends the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs.
“Just having access to the language made a difference, but I know some kids in western Nebraska who don’t have access to ASL because the schools don’t provide it," she added.
A pair of bills before the Legislature, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart and Omaha Sen. Mike McDonnell, are aimed at expanding access to ASL to those who need it.
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Wishart’s bill (LB839) would allow Nebraska schools to offer ASL classes to fulfill a language requirement, while McDonnell’s proposal (LB965) establishes a language assessment program for children between birth and age 5 who are deaf or hard of hearing to track their language development and ensure they are prepared to enter kindergarten.
Polk native and National Association of the Deaf board member Linsay Darnall Jr. told the Legislature’s Education Committee he grew up in a house with two deaf parents and a deaf sibling, which immersed him in sign language from a young age.
When he arrived at school, Darnall said many other students who were deaf did not share his experience, however.
“As I was growing up, I looked around to my peers, and often times I would see them arrive at school at the age of 5 and their language was delayed,†Darnall said.
The lack of exposure to regular ASL courses or to skilled interpreters can extend well into the school experience for deaf students as well. Teenagers who do not have the opportunity to take formal sign language classes often have trouble communicating efficiently and effectively, he added.
Recognizing American Sign Language and allowing Nebraska’s public schools to offer classes teaching it destigmatizes students who are deaf, said Carly Weyers, the deaf services coordinator at the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Right now, ASL is only taught at places such as the University of Nebraska, Metro Community College in Omaha, Concordia University in Seward and at some churches, Weyers said.
“We are looked at as being disabled, and a disability means something is interfering with you being able to do your duties and activities as a ‘normal’ person,†Weyers told the committee. “But, if we recognize ASL as a language, that will remove that negative stigma and look at us as communicating in a language.â€
Jonathan Scherling, president of the Nebraska Association for the Deaf, told the committee McDonnell's bill calling for better assessments to measure what language deaf or hard of hearing students possess before they arrive in kindergarten ensures they are entering school on a level playing field.
It also helps students develop the confidence and critical thinking skills necessary to become fully engaged citizens, Scherling said: “Language is key to have your human rights."
Senators took no action on either bill Tuesday, but the committee members voiced support for both proposals.
McEvoy, the president of the Nebowa Chapter of the Junior National Association of the Deaf who plans to study psychology and neuroscience at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York next year, said the bills could make a difference for hundreds of students with hearing loss.
“If it’s recognized as a language, then I think it would provide more opportunities for ASL learning and for interpreters,†she said.