This page is for the NIU FLSL (Foreign Language American Sign Language) ASL Program. Estimates range from 500,000 to 2,000,000 speakers in the U.S.
American Sign Language (ASL) is a unique language since it is spoken through the hands and not through the mouth. ASL is a complex and dynamic language, ever changing through the meanings of signed words through moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. As students’ progress through our FLSL program which includes grammar, literature, conversation, and a historica
l background of American Sign Language, they will also improve their fluency and accuracy as well as gaining a larger vocabulary and understanding of the language. ASL is the leading minority language in the United States after the “Big Four”, Spanish, Italian, German and French. alone; there are also many speakers in Canada*, and slowly increasing in numbers every year. Students are encouraged to take their knowledge of ASL and apply it to the deaf community and with friends outside of class. Some of these include Deaf coffee chats, broadway performances, Deaf Pride Student Organization, Silent Weekend retreats, and Deaf Expo. Students are also encouraged to sign and not speak from the first day of class, to be able to fully understand the language. The Deaf Rehabilitation Minor is offered through Allied Health and Communication Disorders. This includes FLSL 101, 102, 201, 202 (ASL 1-4), AHRS 200 (Disabilities in Society), AHRS 327 (Introduction to Rehabilitation Services), and COMD 300 (Introduction to Audiology). Currently the program is looking into developing a Deaf Studies minor.
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