Only very recently did Penn State allow American Sign Language courses to be accepted as a credit for the language requirement. In Feb. of last year, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) voted unanimously so that ASL classes can fulfill language requirements, as many majors require some sort of language requirement in order to graduate.
ASL courses are offered under the communication sciences and disorders department, and there are four courses available at University Park. Shasta Dreese has been teaching ASL and Deaf culture courses on campus since 2020 — at the time that she started teaching here, ASL wasn’t recognized as a language by the university.
Dreese is also deaf, which brought an extra challenging aspect to teaching when the university had a mask mandate. It is still important that there is a professor who is deaf so that students can understand the nuances within Deaf culture, and you can really only obtain that from someone who is a part of the community. Dreese reiterates that she is excited and hopeful to see Penn State grow its resources toward ASL and the Deaf culture program. The opportunities available at Penn State are vast and expansive, and they have every potential to reach more programs.
Currently, the Deafness and Hearing Studies minor, under the College of Health and Human Development, is on hold and is not accepting new students. It has been on hold since Aug. of last year and there is no indication as of now on when it will come back. The university has not given any information why the minor is on hold, but it could be because of a lack of students participating in the program, not enough faculty or not enough courses offered. No matter the reason, it provides enough light to know that Penn State needs to put more effort into expanding programs within its departments.
Students at Penn State who are wanting to get their degree in communication science disorders should be allowed to explore the many ventures that the degree has to offer. It makes it difficult for students and professors when insufficient resources are provided. ASL becoming recognized as a language is one step forward, but there are so many other improvements waiting to happen.
On campus, students can join the Penn State Sign Language Organization, which is student-run and helps teach other students the principles of ASL and increases overall education of the Deaf culture community. The organization performed this past THON and did a rendition of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” entirely in sign language. Thanks to organizations like SLO, students are expanding the representation of both ASL and Deaf culture and spreading much-needed knowledge.
While students are doing their best, it is still up to the university to help expand resources and allocate a budget dedicated to Deaf studies. Hopefully, there will be improvement within the next few years.
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