Key Differences: The Importance Of Communication In Deaf Culture

The key difference in the experience has been the ability to interact with the professor. Since our professor is deaf, I believe that it has allowed us to have an advantage while learning the language. In order to participate in class, ask questions, and converse, you must do it in sign language. There is simply no way around this, and while this is a large step out of the comfort zones for most, it is extremely beneficial. This environment makes a student keep up with their work, pay attention in class, and do their homework. In not doing so, the ability to communicate in class with your professor will suffer noticeably. The classroom experience with professor Woodel and Dr. Dove has made me confident when attending the Deaf Community Events
and preparing for tests. This kind of confidence could not have been developed from learning by way of textbook. While the textbook does prove useful in mastering signs and practicing ASL, it does not provide the influential classroom experience. However, the only benefit to learning from the textbook is the access to ASL videos at home. Since ASL cannot be simply sent through a translator in Google, this has been a treasured resource. Conclusively, a classroom experience with deaf professors and a collaborative environment has been far more beneficial than learning the language from the textbook.