by Stephen Riter

Created on: July 11, 2009

How to Become a Sign Language Tutor

My first job associated with the hearing-impaired was at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California as a class interpreter for hearing-impaired students. I listened to what the instructor was saying and simultaneously interpreted it into Ameslan, or ASL (American Sign Language). This article will assume your students are all hearing capable.

Tutoring in any subject, American Sign Language included, requires that the tutor know more than the student. Assuming this is the case, the tutor should have a planned curriculum for the class. Since hearing people learn sign language for many different reasons under many different circumstances, the curriculum should be well planned in advance, be relatively logical in its progression and be fun. The key to becoming an ASL tutor is mustering students.

Prospective students need a reason to learn Ameslan. They may have their own, but adding to that would aid in their rationale for learning in the first place. At the moment, Taiwan is preparing for the 21st Annual Summer Deaflympics, so recruiting students has been relatively easy.

When approached, their first objection is quite often, "But it looks so difficult." My response is, "So does anything if you don't know how to do it." Then I demonstrate two basic signs. The sign for who, which is your right index finger circling your pursed lips, and the sign for that, which is simply pointing at the subject. They have learned an entire sentence; "Who is that?" Now they are curious. "Is sign language that easy?" Basically, it is. There is no grammar to speak of and many of the signs are intuitive. A short explanation of the Rochester method, which is spelling everything, and a quick ABC in ASL, and they are intrigued.

At this point, I guarantee they can learn the Rochester method of sign language in 20 minutes. If you, as tutor, can give them a visual along with the signed alphabet, they will grasp it in no time. Show them how the signed letter A resembles the lower case a in writing; ASL B resembles the upper case B and so on. The entire alphabet can be done this way with just a little imagination. Allowing the prospective student to experience signing immediately will pique their interest and their desire to delve into it more deeply.

Once you have two or more interested students, arrange a set day and time to meet for them to learn more signs and for them to practice. Remind them to spell every billboard, every menu and every other word they see - including car license plates! It will take a while, but their fingers will become limber and the stiffness will subside - reassure them. To give them impetus, arrange an outing to a place where you know hearing-impaired people go. Perhaps it's a local tavern or coffee shop. The place doesn't matter - their participation does.

It's virtually guaranteed that the first time they actually meet and converse with a hearing-impaired person in sign language, they will want to become fluent. You have opened a door for them into a world they would otherwise have been unaware of. Knowing sign language is their invitation to break the language barrier and their passport into the (not so) silent realm of our hearing-impaired sisters and brothers.

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