ASL Rose Newsletter
Vol. 2 No. 7
August 2008

Most schools for the Deaf start in the month of August. Students and teachers alike are geared hoping for a great school year. Many of them feel that their cycle of the year begins with the first day of school rather than the calendar year where January 1st represents the first day of a year. Students, both Hearing and Deaf, look forward with excitement to learning new things in school. In an age of globalization, it is important that learners know what happens around the world.

Many thanks to Tamara Davidson for her beautiful illustration of the picture that shows three schools for the Deaf in three different countries, yet they are connected. It is an imaginative scenario and may look futuristic to you, but it is definitely not a utopian display. With the advance of technology and the gaining strength of global forces, it could become a possibility sooner than most people think. The business world is already globalized and education is not far from being globalized.

ASL Rose randomly chose three different schools for the Deaf around the world to serve as a possible example of Deaf global education. A group of Deaf students at the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, can see, through a big video screen, two different groups of Deaf students at the Doncaster School for the Deaf in Doncaster, England and the Osaka City School for the Deaf in Osaka, Japan. Such a technology makes possible for Deaf Japanese students on their screen to see both Deaf American students and Deaf British students. Likewise, Deaf British students can see both Deaf American students and Deaf Japanese students.

Those three schools for the Deaf agree to focus on Deaf studies as part of Deaf global education. The students in each school are asked to propose two assignments for the other two schools. They are to be connected at least six times throughout the school year [twice in the fall, twice during winter, and twice in the spring]. In addition, they must learn the basics of two other signed languages in order to develop direct communication with each other rather than communication only through international signs and gestures.

The Japanese Deaf students propose the following assignments:

1. To name five Deaf heroes in each country and explain their contributions


2. To select three Deaf-related artworks and analyze the meaning behind each artwork

The British Deaf students propose the following assignments:

1. To highlight five important events in Deaf history and explain the impact of each event


2. To identify three major Deaf organizations in each country and describe their ongoing projects

1. To select three short stories in their signed languages and develop literary criticism


2. To draw five pictures in the best of their abilities to represent the Deaf experience with a narrative behind to explain each drawing. "Have You Ever Seen...?: An American Sign Language Handshape DVD/Book" (HYES DVD/Book) is used as a model book for their creative endeavors. By the way, the HYES DVD/Book contains colorful, masterful drawings from cover to cover that easily capture readers' attention on many pieces of Deaf cultural information. Included in the DVD/book is a valuable piece of information on the founding of the American School for the Deaf by Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. A drawing shows that they sailed together for a good number of weeks on the boat named Mary Augusta before they established the first school for the Deaf in America.

All in all, Deaf students are all over the world. Like Hearing students, they deserve exposure to global education. With this kind of program available to Deaf students, opportunities for interaction with Deaf peers in other countries could emerge to benefit them more through video pen pals, exchange students, joint projects, and planned trips to Deaf scenes. As an expected outcome, Deaf students gain appreciation for human diversity among Deaf peoples all over the world. From there, they understand better about the existence of Deaf cultures. As a Deaf cultural group, they see it more clearly that sharing the same language and common experiences lead to a formation of their own culture. Even within the same Deaf culture, they learn that there is still much diversity among Deaf individuals. Deaf global education nurtures Deaf students' human potentialities to new heights. Needless to say, schools for the Deaf play an important role in nurturing Deaf students for Deaf global education. Let's hope that Deaf global education for Deaf students will become widespread within the next ten years.