Sign Languages Commons^™

Deaf Accessibility In The Christian Church, Madison Finley

Honors Projects

Around the globe, only two percent of Deaf people have had the opportunity to be introduced to the Gospel. Religious accessibility is limited for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. This paper begins to investigate:

• How can Christian churches increase accessibility to religion, worship, and other programs for Deaf individuals?

My Honors Project activity is preparing research and materials for a physical guide booklet for Christian churches that do not currently offer any Deaf ministries or American Sign Language interpretation or that may be seeking to increase accessibility for Deaf individuals. The primary purpose of this project is to create …

Lived Experiences Of Mixed-Race Children Of Deaf Adults, Marissa Rivera

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative exploratory study was to examine the impact of Deaf culture upbringing on mixed-race children raised in the United States. The data was obtained through virtual semi structured focus groups with ten mixed-race children of Deaf adults (Codas) over the age of eighteen years old, and an anonymous survey with the phenomenological analysis of participants’ experiences growing up as a mixed-race child of a Deaf adult. Growing up mixed-race as a Coda revealed four overarching themes of lived experiences such as: intersectionality of a mixed-race Coda, parental culture transmission, hearing family members, and managing intersecting …

Adjusting To Change: Learning American Sign Language Online During A Global Pandemic, Kara Gournaris

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Second language acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) requires opportunities for engagement with native language models (Krashen, 1988). The shift to online instruction due to the impact of COVID-19 presented unique challenges for ASL programs across the United States. With little time to redesign courses, instructors and students had to navigate the experience of online learning together. The students who participated in this 2020 study at Western Oregon University (WOU) shared their raw experiences related to this transition, and unfortunately, one year later, many of the same barriers reported by students persist. The purpose of this article is to share …