American Sign Language

3Qs: Keeping ASL at center of deaf culture

Recent budget cuts in parts of the U.S. have threatened the future of state schools for the deaf, creating worry that deaf children children will be pushed into mainstream schools where American Sign Language (ASL) takes a back seat to new “speaking and listening” technologies. Distinguished Professor of Psychology Harlan Lane, who founded the ASL program at Northeastern and recently wrote a book about deaf culture and deaf ethnicity in the U.S., addresses the debate between specialized vs. mainstream schools for the deaf.