Minnesota students push for Deaf studies minor and it happens

From the Duluth, Minn., News Tribune Sept. 16:

For those who think college students sometimes lack initiative, ponder this: A new deaf studies minor is offered at UMD this fall, and a student group was the driving force behind it.

Wait-lists for the small number of American Sign Language classes at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) were deterring students from taking them, say members of Access for All.

When they felt last year their message wasn’t getting through, group members decided to do more than petition and preside over an information table. They held a forum on the need for a deaf studies minor and invited legislators, community members, advocates, students and administrators.

“The chancellor heard the message and said: ‘We’re going to fund this,’ ” said Paul Deputy, dean of the College of Education and Human Service Professions. “I hold these students up as a model for how the political system can work with dialogue.”

For a long time, he said, there wasn’t enough money in his budget to hire full-time faculty despite the popularity of the classes.

The forum helped bring to light that popularity. About 100 students were enrolled in ASL classes last year. This year the number rose to 185.

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved the minor last spring, and two instructors — one deaf, one hearing — were hired.

“It’s a really big accomplishment,” said sophomore Kristy Seaver. “Seriously, what other organizations work that hard and get a minor put in place on campus?”

Marilyn Simerson-Wallfred, a junior and member of Access for All, has signed up for the new minor. It’s gratifying to know her work last year was successful, she said.

“To have it accessible and to not have to go to a different school is really nice,” she said.

The group was given the outstanding student organization award for 2008.

Nancy Diener taught UMD ASL classes before the minor was added and has since been hired as an instructor and contact person. She said UMD is the only school north of the Twin Cities to have consistently offered ASL classes. With the minor, she hopes more students, deaf and hearing, will come for the formal program. About 20 deaf and hard of hearing students attend UMD, and there are between 425,000 and 450,000 deaf and hard of hearing residents in Minnesota.

“It’s a really useful minor,” Diener said. “It’s applicable to so many majors,” including business, education, human services and medicine, and it helps with job placement.

“It’s a really amazing campuswide acknowledgment of the language and culture of deaf people, and a step up in improving diversity on campus,” she said.