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Original article: https://theconversation.com/saskatchewan-recognized-asl-and-indigenous-sign-languages-as-official-languages-and-resources-are-needed-for-services-220366
Saskatchewan recently became one of four Canadian provinces that recognize sign languages as official languages with the passing of the Accessible Saskatchewan Act or Bill 103 in December.
The bill states, “Sign languages are recognized as the primary languages for communication by deaf persons in Saskatchewan,” including American Sign Language (ASL) and Indigenous sign languages.
Nationally, the Accessible Canada Act was passed in 2019 also recognizing ASL, Langue des signes du Québec and Indigenous sign languages in Canada.
All “public sector bodies” must comply with Saskatchewan’s new act and will be required to “develop and publicly post their own accessibility plans by December 3, 2025.”
Regulations accompanying the act define these bodies as including school divisions within The Education Act, 1995, and post-secondary education institutions defined under section 3 of The Post-secondary Education and Skills Training Regulations, 2022 (other than Lakeland College).
As a researcher who has examined how empowering community and autonomy intersects with modes of educational instruction, I have been following the passing of Bill 103.
While it is a positive step forward in response to systemic failings in addressing the needs of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners, adherence to and respect for Bill 103 can only happen with ongoing political and financial support from the provincial government.
Access to services, opportunities
Exacerbated by the closure of the R.J. Williams School for the Deaf in 1991 in Saskatchewan, the DHH community has suffered from a lack of services, resources, ASL interpreters and instruction in ASL. A historic polarization between adherents of sign language and of auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) has hindered provision of educational services for DHH children.
AVT can be traced back to the work of Alexander Graham Bell who felt that the ability to speak was paramount for becoming a fully integrated and contributing member to society. He advanced the view that deafness was a curse and harmful to society.
Under the belief that sign language would hinder oral development, many DHH individuals were forbidden to learn sign language — an attitude which still lingers among some today.
Human Rights Commission findings
Even before children begin school, language deprivation often begins at home. Research finds that 90 to 95 per cent of DHH children are from hearing families who might have little if any knowledge of how to communicate with a deaf child.
In a 2016 report, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) documented that some health professionals were telling parents to avoid sign language in favour of cochlear implants, lip reading and AVT to achieve spoken competence.
Adherents of sign languages argue in favour of giving children sign language instruction as early as possible. Many DHH children who lack full access to language services become linguistically deprived.
The lack of language during critical periods of development, some argue, can lead to language deprivation syndrome, isolation and mental health issues. There can also be long-ranging detrimental effects on academic achievement and future employment.
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Parents need full range of options
Regardless of good intentions on either side of the AVT versus ASL argument, the real need is to ensure DHH children can reach their developmental milestones.
In an interview, Robyn Holmes, president of the Saskatchewan Deaf Association, who is also an early childhood and family services specialist for Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, said that rather than an either-AVT-or-ASL approach, parents should have a full range of options and that “sign language as the ‘last’ option is not acceptable.”
The SHRC also notes parents of DHH children should be provided with a full list of options.
Compounded systemic failings
In 2016, a case documented by the office of Saskatchewan’s Advocate for Children and Youth demonstrated how systemic failings in educational services are compounded for DHH Indigenous children and youth whose communities are drastically under-resourced.
A 2016 report, “The Silent World of Jordan,” recounts a case in which a 16-year-old Indigenous youth died while incarcerated at the Prince Albert Youth Residence in Saskatchewan in 2013. The youth had significant hearing loss and limited ability to sign or communicate through speech.
The report details cascading failures at multiple levels including the lack of access to language, barriers to health services and other systemic, procedural and policy issues. Among the recommendations is the acknowledgement of the duty to accommodate.
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Resources for Deaf learners
It remains to be seen how K-12 school divisions will respond to making public plans to accommodate deaf students in light of the Accessibility Act.
Some resources for DHH learners in Saskatchewan are appearing. For example:
Accessibility plans needed
Ideally, Bill 103 compels all public schools, colleges and universities to recognize ASL and Indigenous sign languages. Over the next two years, they must develop an accessibility plan that identifies, removes and prevents barriers.
Public sector bodies must consult with persons with disabilities to ensure inclusion, adaptability, diversity, collaboration, self-determination and universal design.
The bill currently offers no guidelines for the kinds of services or level of accommodations that need to go into the accessibility plans.
Classroom considerations, technologies
In classrooms, learners should have interpreters if the teacher lacks the ability to sign. Therefore, all teachers should have access to training in how to communicate with DHH students through both the ASL alphabet and basic conversational and classroom-related signs.
In my own efforts to learn ASL, I have been using various mobile apps such as Fingerspelling along with various other apps such as ASL dictionaries and more conversational-language learning apps. The Manitoba School for the Deaf lists different apps for various levels. I have used FaceTime and the Video Relay Services (VRS) to communicate with deaf friends, colleagues and fellow learners.
Money, time and effort needed
Teacher training, as well as reviewing, selecting and preparing both digital and non-digital resources for classrooms and for school-DHH community communication will take money, time and effort.
Educational institutions will require support and resources to ensure our publicly funded educational institutions can provide the appropriate services and learning technologies.