American Sign Language Program at Sioux Falls School Has Been Expanded

The Sioux Falls School District’s (SFSD’s) current move to expand its American Sign Language program addresses an integral aspect of the D/HoH lifestyle. Deaf educator Colleen Barber considers the move to be a considerable benefit to her community. Before the enactment of the new policy, she had been the sole teacher of ASL. But now there's one other American Sign Language instructor. Ms. Barber is optimistic about the future of ASL in her own community as she witnesses the 'development' of the program..

Throughout the previous years, high school students could only get just one year of language credits from studying ASL. Today, with the addition of American Sign Language level 3 and 4 classes, pupils can meet their second language requirements with ASL solely

The SFSD‘s Rebecca Wimmer states that responding to the community’s diverse needs is progressively significant as the city of Sioux Falls expands. These needs include the requirements of Deaf and Hard-of-hearing students. For that reason, the School District has expanded its ASL program to benefit these learners and hearing students. “For our high school students, we [need to] prepare them for that next phase of life, make sure that they’re getting access to college programs, that they have career readiness skills,” Ms. Wimmer adds.

The Advantages of Expanding American Sign Language Programs

1. Social Advantages
Offering hearing students the opportunity to take ASL courses encourages higher inclusivity inside the schools along with nearby local communities at the same time. Knowing ASL as a second language also widens the scope of hearing students’ social networks to involve members of the D/HoH populace. 

Furthermore, teaching American Sign Language in public schools presents D/HoH learners several additional chances to converse with their hearing classmates. 

2. Cognitive Benefits
Many studies have shown that learning a whole new language improves cognitive functions, which leads to higher academic achievement and greater probability for career accomplishment. 

- Abstract reasoning

- Creative thinking 

- Problem-solving ability

- Mental flexibility 

- Listening skills 

3. Bonus Benefits 
Conversing in a visual medium like signing boosts students’ spatial recognition, visual sensitivity, and ability to psychologically rotate an object and examine it from different angles. 

4. Career Opportunities
Acquiring ASL as a second language increases students’ employment opportunities. By sign language interpreting and educating to speech pathology and audiology, the range of careers involving American Sign Language is wide.

In addition to the many benefits that American Sign Language programs offer individual D/HoH and hearing students, they also help communities. Because of this, around 35 states now acknowledge ASL as being a modern language in their school systems. And more and more US colleges and universities offer ASL courses.