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052 - American Sign Language curriculum, Carleton University, Canada
CONTACT
School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton University
Ms. Kristin Snoddon
Canada
OVERALL GOAL /MISSION
Currently no formal curriculum exists for teaching American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language to parents of deaf
children in Canada. The existing initiatives have consisted mainly of informal teaching and discussions via home visits.
However, the group of learners is in need of more comprehensive, research-based support. The Ontario Ministry of
Children and Youth Services estimates that four in 1000 newborns are deaf or hard of hearing. Without access to a Sign
Language from an early age, many deaf children may be negatively affected in terms of their social and emotional
development and may have incomplete knowledge of any language. Therefore, parents´ learning of Sign Language plays
a critical role in these children´s development. The mission of the project is to generate a Canadian parent American
Sign Language curriculum that is aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
THE SOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED
The project developed curriculum materials, which include teacher and student workbooks, Sign Language videos and
assessment tasks. The program is conducted in the course of 14 weeks for the parents of deaf children aged between 0-
8. So far, the learning focused largely on communication within everyday family contexts and on supporting parent-child
communication during play. Typically presented contents in Sign Language classes for adult second language learners
were left out. With the new curriculum, parents will be able to act as efficient communicators with their deaf children.
COUNTRY IN WHICH IT WAS DEVELOPED: Canada
COUNTRY/ COUNTRIES IN WHICH IT IS OPERATING: Canada
FACTS ABOUT SIZE AND SCOPE
 Two Dutch practitioners facilitated a one-week curriculum development workshop for four ASL instructors in August
2014 and for two instructors in May 2015.
 17 parents of deaf children attended the first parent ASL course in Toronto from November 2014 until March 2015.
The course met for 2.5 hours each week for 14 weeks. Parent participants represent a wide range of ethnic, cultural,
and linguistic backgrounds. The classes and learning materials are provided free of charge to parents.