ASL Family Day During the AGBAD Research Conference??

That would be really nice to have the "ASL Family Event" on Friday, July 27th near the research conference for medical and speech therapy professionals in Crystal City area (Arlington, VA).

Concerned Deaf individuals and opponents of limited educational methods option for deaf youngsters, ought to bring their own families including vibrant deaf children, especially signers. Our presence with deaf children signers will be surely upstage the medical and speech therapy professionals with the lively language usage of American Sign Language.

Deaf signers among deaf youngsters would ask the medical and speech therapy professionals a simple question - "What's wrong with me?", "I don't see why you want to fix me","I am really doing fine in my school and excel in many subjects", "I fully use American Sign Language" and "Do you still want to deprieve my own rich cultural and linguistic upbringing or what?"

The "ASL Family Day" at the Virginia Highlands Park would be a perfect opporunity for attracting the families and individuals of the deaf to get together and make our presence clearly visible to the attendees of medical community and speech therapy professionals and make them feel little uncomfortable. Deaf individuals could just patronize the nearby eateries and coffeehouses and stores within the proximity of the hotel where the research conference on the AVT therapy and other methods held.

We could have the fundraising event at the Virginia Highlands Park like serving burgers and other foods to support the fund directly into the Deaf Bilingual Education Coaltion. We could have our own fun at the same time. Our presence surely will make the research conference attendees totally uncomfortable. Just two blocks from the Crystal City Gateway hotel. The street address is 1600 S. Hayes Street a block from the Pentagon City Fashion Centre (mall/shopping center), too.

Few of us could dress up like Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) with the rear head side of wolf in sheep's clothings. We could have the ASL skits and meetings at very same place. That is much better than going all the way to Gallaudet University's Student Activity Center (SAC). Raising $$, Making Our Presence in Non-Threatening Manner, Hold Meetings and Expressing Our Concerns in Very Visible Way. AGB impersonators and street theatres, ASL skits, fun activity for families of the deaf and clothing wears with our own messages. So we don't have to apply for the permit within public demonstration or deal with the local police.

We surely could waltz into the Crystal City Gateway Hotel on the way to the Underground City (shopping venue) and Metrorail station. The attendees of this research conference and hotel management could not do anything about it.

The media people would dig us pretty much for our own approach and creativity without going thru much hassles and troubles.

Let's have the "ASL Family Event" during the mid-day and whole evening time for the deaf protestors and deaf locals of Metropolitian Washington area to unload ourselves for the full blastin' time. More and more numbers of deaf presence will make ourselves like real formidable opponents to the medical community and speech therapy professionals.

Virginia Highlands Park, 1600 S. Hayes Street

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog

Sign Language Under Protected Status For Cultural and Linguistic Minority

World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) leadership of 2005-7 unveiled their ad hoc report on the partnership of the WFD and the United Nation on the development of formal recongnizance of sign language, ex. American Sign Language (ASL) to be under the protected status for cultural and linguistic minority, ex. deaf signers.

Before the WFD membership body and country represenatives convenued in Madrid (Spain) this week. Estimated 32 countries across the globe already had sign language of their countryperson under protected status for cultural and linguistic minority, ex. Australia.

Hopefully the United Nation finally approve the formal recognizance of sign language to be placed under protected status for cultural and linguistic minority in timely manner.

The remaining question about the United States's response to the United Nation's approval for placing the sign language including American Sign Language under protected status. We know how our own country under the Republican leadership's usual defiance of the United Nation's postiton on various issues.

When our native and acquired language like the American Sign Language (ASL) to be formally recognized under the protected status for cultural and linguistic minority. What will be the real impact of ASL under the protected status? Will there be any controvesty within the political, social and economic landscape in the United States regarding ASL under the protected status.

That will be a real victory for us, the deaf American community at large to be finally embraced with true appreciation and respect for the visual-spatial language from ASL to LSF.

The latest impact of sign language under the protected status already occurred in the "Down Under" (Australia) which the use of Signed English no longer possible implented in several Australian classrooms of the deaf. See that??

We have to await for the incoming reports from the NAD and deaf United States representatives after their World Federation of the Deaf conference. *Waving hands to real hardworking WFD ad hoc committee and chairperson*

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog