SASLJ Unveiled Cripps
• Dr . Jody Cripps ( Towson University )
• Mr . Ronald Fenicle ( Towson University )
• Dr . Russell Rosen ( CUNY - Staten Island )
• Mr . Harvey Nathanson ( Austin Community College )
• Dr . Deirdre Schlehofer ( Rochester Institute of Technology )
• Dr . Samuel Supalla ( University of Arizona )
At this meeting , Dr . Supalla was voted President , myself as Vice President , Dr . Byrne as Secretary , and Mr . Nathanson as Treasurer .
Later in the afternoon , six scholars from the EC presented , beginning with Dr . Boudreault who discussed language preservation regarding Langue des signes québécoise ( LSQ , also known as Quebec Sign Language , a signed language used in Quebec , Canada ). He talked about LSQ and other signed languages which are declining in use among deaf people ( see Dr . Boudreault ’ s article covering a similar topic in SASL ’ s newsletter ( Fall 2016 - issue 3 )). The second presenter was Dr . Rosen who presented on the rapid growth of ASL classes in high schools , college and universities across the country ( which is now published in this first issue of SASLJ ). Dr . Supalla talked about a new perspective on reading development issues with deaf children who sign , and he is also published in this SASLJ .
The last three presenters focused on revisiting the performing arts . Dr . Byrne spoke on the importance of original literary works in ASL ( also published in this issue ). On the topic of ASL poetry analysis , Dr . Schlehofer investigated the interpretation of Clayton Valli ’ s poem Snowflake and found that there have been misinterpretations from well-meaning scholars . As the final presenter of the evening , I talked about how music performances made by deaf signers are real and worthy of attention ( published in this issue ).
After the presentations , Dr . Boudreault led a town hall meeting with the panel and symposium participants . Participants had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the new SASL organization . At this time , the names of SASL ’ s elected officers , EC members , and the date that SASL was recognized as an organization were announced . The EC is now called the Board of Directors . The SASL mission statement was also revealed at the town hall as follows :
The Society for American Sign Language ( SASL ) is a professional association with the credentials dedicated to basic and applied research about American Sign Language . SASL ’ s goal is to validate and expand linguistic accessibility . Linguistic principles are emphasized for understanding the signed language along with its aesthetics and role in literacy development and learning . SASL ’ s scope and forum includes theory , policy , and practice considerations , as well as addressing how an alternative language modality fulfills the needs and well-being of all citizens in society .
Creating a Journal
A few months after the symposium , I resigned my position as Vice President of SASL and accepted the role of Editor-in-Chief for SASLJ . Dr . Schlehofer is now the Vice President for SASL . In order to create this journal , I reached out to six symposium presenters , inviting them to write manuscripts for the first issue . Four presenters ( including myself ) were able to complete and submit manuscripts for review and publication . One of the symposium participants was
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