In fall 2019, Citrus College started offering an American Sign Language, ASL course. Getting a spot in one of the ASL courses depends on the registration date as well as filling a seat in the class, first come first serve.
“Students seem to respond well to the overall experience of learning ASL and Deaf culture,” Christopher Pinto, an ASL professor at Citrus College, said via email on May 8. “In our classes, students are introduced to new ways of interpreting their world, prepare to interact with native users of the language and explore the value of human connection, all while learning ASL.”
Dean of Language Arts and the Library Gina Hogan said students take the ASL course as an option for fulfilling their foreign language requirements.
“ASL is another subject in our Foreign Languages program alongside Chinese, Japanese, French, German, and Spanish,” Hogan said in an email.
Pinto said he observed a considerable increase in enrollment from the fall to spring semester.
“I have noticed students particularly enjoy the language-building games we play, as well as the deaf culture lessons.”
There is an ASL class, but a program has not been developed at Citrus.
“The Foreign Languages faculty are exploring the requirements and feasibility for such a program at Citrus College,” Hogan said. “No future direction has been determined yet.”
Hogan said ASL classes are a way for students to become more aware of the deaf culture.
“Generally, students become more aware of the Deaf culture and how best to communicate with others,” Hogan said. “Specifically, in ASL courses, students get an introduction to the use of visual-gestural richness within the Deaf culture, apply vocabulary in an expressive manner, and demonstrate appropriate behaviors to show awareness of and respect for the Deaf culture.”
Crafton Hills College offers more variety of ASL courses than Citrus.
Victoria Norgren, a student at Crafton Hills College, took ASL 101 and 102.
“I learned the beginning steps of ASL,” Norgren said. “It impacted my education because it taught me that I’m a visual learner, and I could be successful learning sign language as a foreign language.”
Norgren said what impacted her most was learning about the Deaf Community and Culture.
“Since both of my ASL professors were deaf, I got to ask questions and learn how their lives worked differently,” Norgren said.
Norgren said she was required to go to Deaf Events and meet up with the deaf and hard-of-hearing at conventions and hang outs.
“I thought it was fascinating, and it let me be more aware of the deaf community around me in my city,” Norgren said,
Martin Cervantes enrolled in the class at Citrus, but had to drop it due to lack of space.
“That class had so many students that we didn’t have enough desks or chairs,” Cervantes said through the Citrus Mobile App on May 6.
Cervantes said although he wasn’t able to take the class, he believes people in the special education field should take ASL classes.
“SPED (Preparing to Teach Special Education) is about inculcation and signing is used by many nonverbal children as one of their forms of communication,” Cervantes said.
Rebekah Torres, kinesiology major at Citrus College said she took ASL during her junior and senior year of high school. She took ASL 1, 2, and 3.
“I had a great experience with them, learning how to communicate better, fingerspelling, playing fun games to flex our skills and even watched special movies,” Torres said through Citrus Mobile on May 6.
Pinto said he recommends taking advantage of the ASL 101 and intro to ASL classes at Citrus for anyone who has ever wanted to learn ASL.
“Beyond acquiring the fundamentals of a new language, this class will provide you the opportunity to build friendships with your classmates and members of the deaf community,” Pinto said. “All are welcome!”
