SASL Newsletter - Winter 2018 Issue Issue 12 - Winter 2018 | Page 6

A Note from the President By Samuel J. Supalla I begin this President's Note with the artwork shown here. What is so special about this? The slogan, ASL First has a very clear and socially impactful meaning. I believe ASL First represents a long-awaited social awareness about deaf people's language. Let me expand. The slogan came from the deaf community that responded to a recent dispute related to LEAD-K. LEAD-K is a campaign group that provides leadership in the introduction and passing of state bills for the language assessment with deaf children around the country, but its focus on ASL seems to have been diluted. This situation inspired a deaf artist by the name of Nancy Rourke to produce the artwork. Please see the following links for more information regarding the dispute: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyMoth/videos/2244057662332317/ https://www.facebook.com/deafpeopleunited/photos/pcb.22153062820452 35/2215305865378610/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/168758442874/videos/357520798339731/ The ASL First slogan represents a voice for the American deaf community as it defines its “Reproduced with permission from Nancy Rourke” relationship between ASL and English as two ____ languages. Prior to ASL First, ASL and English had been described as 'equal'. As the primary stakeholders of ASL, deaf people seem to have begun to understand that there is more to the equation and note the significance of ASL being a signed language whereas English is not. ASL First reinforces the concept of linguistic accessibility, which is central to SASL's mission. Deaf Americans must have access to learning and using ASL. Deaf people cannot hear English; thus they rely on vision for learning and using language. This also impacts the issue of English literacy. For example, learning English literacy must be made viable via ASL and a reading methodology must be considered as part of this picture. With ASL First, research and scholarship can follow through the development of a socially beneficial agenda. By this, I mean that scientific inquiry with ASL at the forefront is critical, and researchers and scholars have a social responsibility to see that the welfare of deaf people's lives improves as well. The ASL First framework can contribute towards creating stronger, more productive deaf American citizens. This new focus takes the discussion to a whole new level, where deaf people's identity can be enhanced by emphasizing ASL. The Power of ASL 6 Winter 2018 – Issue 12