Thank you again for completing our survey! As previously stated, this was part of a project for a class for first-year students at the University of Michigan. This seminar was in the field of linguistics with a focus on the topics of deafness and disability.

When discussing the deaf and hard of hearing community, many students in our class expressed the desire to take American Sign Language during their undergraduate education. While the reasons for this desire varied, we were soon informed of the long waitlist for this class. We found out there is only one professor currently teaching ASL, and the resources for the program are scarce. This makes it unavailable to many interested students.

Through learning about the communicative importance of ASL and its history, it was hard to ignore the impact of its inaccessibility. The University is very attentive to student advocacy, and there is great power in numbers!

The purpose of this petition is advocating for the expansion of the ASL program at the University of Michigan. This would include efforts such as the addition of sections available to students, hiring more professors, and the ability to use ASL to fulfill all language requirements.

The enlargement of the University Of Michigan's ASL program would help foster a more inclusive community and promote the appreciation of language diversity. If you support this cause at the University Of Michigan, please sign the petition below.