Hiding ASL Is Being Dishonest

This blog examines the implications of current trends in American Sign Language (ASL). I will attempt to discuss what I learned from Hawai'i.

While I lived on Maui in Hawai'i, I learned a lot about hiding the Native Hawai'ian language and culture. Hiding an issue regarding a teacher's proficiency in Hawai'ian, for example, is being dishonest. Hawai'i is the land of aloha, the most important word that must be experienced and understood. It's ineffable, indescribable, and undefinable.

In 1978 Hawai'i adopted both English and Native Hawaii as its official languages--official bilingualism. To what extent can our American society hide the Hawai'ian language and culture? Why would we? What do we gain or lose from abandoning the Native Hawai'ian language and culture?

During this summer, we will discover how our American society allows such a powerful organization like the Alexander Graham Bell Association hide ASL and be dishonest about our being Deaf--our condition that makes our life human, our language human, and our leisure human. ASL, above everything else, is human.

ASL is a particularly powerful political instrument, a vital tool in communication, and a vital part of educational success. ASL politics is therefore an art, and much like any art, ASL politics requires practice and exercise.

The question remains the same: Why do we allow our free society to hide and oppress our language and culture, ASL? Hiding ASL is not healthy...not honest...not very aloha!