Black ASL in Deaf Education – Historical and Modern Contexts

April 3, 2027 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. CST Register Today

The 0.4 CEU presentation will provide an overview of a historical and linguistic study of Black ASL in the southern US states and discuss how institutional practices, policies, and language attitudes affect the language. The discussion of the timeline reveals the historical context of the systematic approach to maintaining racial separation that is responsible for differences in sign language varieties in the United States. Based on publications on Black ASL from 2011 to 2022, racial separation and discrimination, language policies, and language contact play a role in the development, maintenance, and structural change of Black ASL in educational and private settings. The phonological, discourse, and stylistic features of Black ASL are to be described with examples from two different generations of Black Deaf signing participants who have significantly different educational and language experiences, particularly in terms of racial demographics in educational settings. Black ASL in the original form before the 1960s existed among the aging population of Black Deaf people who attended segregated schools prior to desegregation. However, for younger generations, language experiences vary based on their exposure to communication and access to language varieties, including American Sign Language, Signed English, and African American Language (AAL). The differences are associated with language ideology (people's beliefs about spoken and sign languages) and language attitudes (people's judgments about languages), which affect language status, as explored in the study of Black ASL.

Registration Cost: $75.00

Cancellation & Accommodations: You may cancel your registration up to five days prior to a workshop and receive a full refund. Cancellations made less than five days prior to the workshop are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. Boys Town reserves the right to cancel a workshop for any reason at least 10 business days prior to the training. Registrants unable to attend on the day of their scheduled workshop will be charged with the full fee. However, a six-month voucher will be issued for use at a future workshop. If any participants need accommodations, please email us at eipa@boystown.org.