The Universal Language Is In Our Minds

VIDEO [ASL/CC] - Dr. Patrick Boudreault: The universal language is in our minds.



Dr. Patrick Boudreault, who is Deaf, grew up in a quadrilingual and bilingual community in Quebec, Canada. He is a native signer of Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ) and American Sign Language (ASL), and is fluent in written French and English.



The University of California Berkeley linguistics lecturer Dr. Boudreault, explains that language is a fluid thing that's not just spoken. It's something universal that happens in our minds, whether it's communicated with our hands or our voice.

To see more stories, visit http://www.onwardcalifornia.com/#stories



Dr. Boudreault is currently a visiting professor with Graduate Studies and Research at Gallaudet University. He serves as co-principal investigator with Dr. Christina Palmer of the University of California, Los Angeles on a grant from the National Cancer Institute on implementing online cancer genetics education in ASL to increase the Deaf community's access to culturally and linguistically appropriate materials.



Follow Patrick Boudreault:

Gallaudet - http://gallaudet.edu/tedx/presenters/boudreault.html

Linkedin - https://linkedin.com/patrick-boudreault/

Rate My Professors - http://ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings/PatrickBoudreault

http://gallaudet.edu/tedx/presenters/boudreault.html

Joshua Beckman: No More Deaf Schools ?

VIDEO: [ASL/CC] - Do you care about Deaf Schools?



The video producer by Joshua Beckman also known as vlogger posted on YouTube social networking for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. This vlog in ASL storytelling of the Deaf Schools and education the community.



You care about Deaf schools right? Well I too, care about the Deaf schools.



Did you know that many of those schools endure hardship? What struggles are there, you might ask? Lack of moral support from the government, community, staff, administration, teachers, parents. Support is naught and hard to find. There are funding constraints as well.



Now you are watching me in disbelief. Worrying, disappointed; feeling angry, frustrated, heart-wrenched. Me too, I am in the exact same boat as you are.

Turn "Closed Captioned" On.

What can the Deaf community do to help? There is a solution… but it is not an imminent fix. They are as following:



1) All Deaf schools must have at least 75% Deaf people working there. What I meant by 75% is, for instance: chefs, landscape maintenance workers, custodians, teachers, education assistants, staff, support staff, administration et cetera. All positions available must be at least 75% employed by Deaf people.



With that being said, the system itself must change first. How? We, the Deaf people take initiative with the due process.



2) The names of the Deaf schools themselves must change.



It all boils down to the word ‘for’ inside the name of the school. It bears a negative connotation. Essentially it means a population for you [hearing people] to serve, and to provide support. The word ‘for’ is archaic. Why don't we use Deaf schools instead? More positive. That term is a direct reflection of the Deaf community



3) Deaf E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N, we must take back what belongs to us.



We decide. We control. We govern and modify policies accordingly. Not them, hearing people. The government workers must no longer be in such position with power. Again, we decide. Doing so, we all must collaborate together, collectively.



The people who worked on this VLOG.

Joshua Beckman: ASL Knight

Ryan Parkinson: English Translation



Follow Joshua Beckman:

Subscribe - https://youtube.com/MrJoshuaBeckman

Facebook - https://facebook.com/joshua.beckman1

Twitter - https://twitter.com/joshuabeckman87