I want to publicly refute the recent statement by USU when they announced the suspension of “the bilingual-bicultural (Bi-Bi) track of our master’s program in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education” where they stated that the ASL/English Bilingual/Bicultural program was not operationally sound, preventing them from offering the high-quality education expected at Utah State University.
As the Superintendent of the Deaf at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the main hiring body for these graduates, I can attest that the graduates from the ASL/English Bilingual/Bicultural program from Utah State University are some of the strongest educators of the deaf that we have had the pleasure of hiring. They are skilled at using the natural language of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students to teach all aspects of the curriculum. They have ensured that they met a high standard for communicating in American Sign Language and they are very knowledgeable in using that language to provide access to the Utah Core Curriculum. These graduates have also been very well prepared for the spectrum of employment opportunities available to educators of the deaf. We have placed these highly skilled educators in classrooms at our schools and in mainstreaming situations as itinerant teachers of the deaf and each has performed well.
Sadly, the “internal review” that was completed by USU was conducted by individuals who have actively worked to destroy the ASL/English bilingual/bicultural program. I think an external review would have been more appropriate. I would have appreciated an opportunity to answer any questions about the quality of graduates from Utah State University. It is sad that the only value that USU sees for ASL is for hearing people learning the language. Although we are grateful that more people have the opportunity to learn American Sign Language, that language has far greater worth to the deaf and hard of hearing children that need it to develop a strong language foundation. That is why we need a strong ASL/English program in Utah that develops educators of the deaf that know how to weave language into every aspect of a deaf child’s education.
Thank you Dr. Freeman King, Jan Kelley-King, and Dr. Curt Radford for creating these highly skilled graduates. I would like you to know that the recent statement by USU was INACCURATE. You have produced graduates to be proud of!!!
Michelle Tanner
Associate Superintendent
Utah Schools for the Deaf
Hello Bibi 