Helen Keller once said, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.”
Let the hands do the talking to make the connection. Coconino Community College offers degrees and certificates in American Sign Language.
Sarah Benton, CCC’s ASL program coordinator, said that Sign Language is the third most common language.
“Reardless of your career, having the knowledge of sign language in the community is more marketable and useful,” Benton said, adding that ASL proficiency is especially beneficial to education and speech pathology majors.
Why should people consider taking ASL?
“Deaf people are a part of our community and are a part of who we are,” Benton said. “It is important to communicate with and understand this part of the population.”
ASL student Geoff Smith said, “I learned not only a language, but also different viewpoints and perspectives of the Deaf culture and community.”