ASL and School Interpreters

     Today, I'm sharing some quick information related to Deaf students, American Sign Language, and educational interpreters. 

1.  American Sign Language involves standardized signs and visual gestural signs. 

Standardized Signs

• There are around 10,000 standardized signs in ASL.
• Standardized signs have their own defined hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions are governed by ASL grammar and syntax. They are used consistently and have the meanings agreed upon by the Deaf community.

English Word ASL Sign Description
        Thank you            Flat hand touches chin and moves forward 
        Mother                 Open hand, thumb taps twice 

                                     on the lower cheek near the mouth. 

        Deaf                     Index finger touches mouth then the ear 

Visual-Gestural Signs 

• Visual-gestural signs aren’t standard ASL signs
• Used to convey or add meaning

Gesture                     Used to Indicate 

        Pointing to a chair                        “Sit there” 

Shrugging the shoulders              “I don't know”  "I'm not sure"

Facial expression of surprise        (Expresses emotion)

Fingerspelling is used to fill gaps

• About 4-9% of ASL communication involves fingerspelling.
• Used for names, places, brands, and for technical terms that don't have established signs

Speaking, Signing, and Fingerspelling

• Speaking
• A fluent English speaker communicates at a rate between 150-180 words per minute.
• Signing
• Involves the use of both standardized signs and visual-gestural signs,
• Conveys meaning directly and efficiently, but not a word-for-word translation of English.
• A fluent signer can communicate at a rate between 100-130 words per minute (measured using conceptual equivalents).
• Fingerspelling
• Unique hand signs for numbers and each letter of the English alphabet,
• Requires more and faster mental-physical effort than signing
• Much harder to receive (“read”) than signs
• A fluent finger speller can communicate at a rate between 40-60 words per minute.

Educational ASL Interpreters

• Must have passed a required certification examination and hold a current license from the Iowa Board of Interpreters and Transliterators
• May be hired to provide interpreting services to a Deaf student, and/or to interpret for a Deaf parent at an official school meeting about their child
• Interprets spoken language into ASL (or vice versa) during classroom instruction, school activities, meetings, and events
• Must adhere to the standards of Iowa Code 154E and Code of Professional Conduct for Interpreters and Transliterators; subject to discipline for violations
• Must serve as neutral and accurate conduits between the Deaf and English speakers
• Not trained or licensed as teachers; does not scaffold or provide instruction to Deaf students (does not adapt, modify, explain, or define content)
• Must keep pace with and accurately sign the speaker’s content, regardless of whether the Deaf student or Deaf parent knows the sign being used, knows the meaning of a word being signed or fingerspelled, knows the sign being used, or can receive (“read”) fingerspelled words at the rate the interpreter is fingerspelling them
• Permitted to provide ASL demonstrations and extracurricular instruction for students who are not Deaf,

Short YouTube Videos:

Kids Meet A Deaf Person - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrgqs4MmK3U 

25 Easiest Signs to Remember in ASL  -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6GOZu0qWaM

25 ASL Signs You Need to Know - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FcwzMq4iWg 

How To Communicate Better With Deaf People - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af-hdLgo4bU