A new club at the University of South Carolina Aiken is making a way for all students to feel included on campus, including those with impaired hearing.
With more than 70 million people around the world using sign language to communicate, the American Sign Language Organization (ASL) wants to teach students and community members how to sign.
With the help of Dr. Tim Lintner, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs and Carolina Trustee Professor of Education at USC Aiken, the organization is making a remarkable impact on campus. "Several years ago, there was a thriving ASL Club on campus. Very active. Very well attended," Lintner explained. "This past summer, I had a student in one of my classes who happens to be an interpreter. I asked if she might be interested in resurrecting the ASL Club. She said 'yes' and, alas, here we are."
During a meeting on Oct. 9, students got a chance to play bingo using hand gestures and learned how to sign their numbers.
Gracie Roland is a sophomore transfer student majoring in special education. This is her first year at USC Aiken and already she's making her mark on campus by serving as the club's vice president. "There's a lot of people in the deaf community that cannot communicate with other people," she said. "ASL is something that needs to be known on campus because being able to communicate with everyone is important."
Jessica Lawson is a freshman secondary math education major and serves as a student leader in the organization. "You may have students who are deaf, or they can't hear you," she said. "So obviously I will need these skills if I want to be a teacher someday."
Nyckele Gardner, a special education major, also aspires to be a teacher and believes ASL will help her to better understand students with disabilities.
Lintner said ASL is particularly imperative for educators. "They will clearly be working with students who are deaf or hearing impaired. We need to be responsive to the needs of all our students. This is one small but important way in which we can do this," he said.
While there are no campus activities planned for ASL, Roland says she hopes to fix that one day so that everyone can understand the importance of sign language. "I want to take ASL to a different level and I want it to keep growing," she said. "I want to have events so that other people can learn and grow."
The club meets bi-weekly at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays in the Business & Education Building, Room 143. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 23.
For more information, contact Angela Saxon, angela.saxon@usca.edu