To the Administrators of Emory University:

Emory University prides itself in its ability to accommodate individuals from diverse backgrounds with a variety of resources and programs. Valuing differences and achieving academic excellence are two major points in Emory’s statement on diversity, but Emory currently seems to be disregarding a course that is in demand by the students of the University: an accredited course for American Sign Language (ASL). Such courses are available at comparable institutions. Twenty-four out of US News and World Report’s Top 50 ranked schools in the United States have ASL programs. Schools such as Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Notre Dame University have incorporated ASL into their accredited academic curriculum in a variety of ways. As reported by the Modern Language Association, ASL is currently the third most popular language offered at colleges and universities in the United States. In order to maintain competitiveness and diversity, Emory needs to offer American Sign Language as a for-credit course option.  

At the moment, Emory offers nineteen languages through its Language Center. While the writers of this petition understand that the SILS Structured Independent Language Study (SILS) program has been developed in conjunction with the Linguistics Department and the Language Department, we do not believe this to be an efficient program for all members of the Emory community. Students are often focused on completing classes for credit in order to fulfill their general education requirements and their major requirements and often do not have room in their schedules to take additional classes that are not for academic credit. In addition, these classes are often self-directed sessions and may not always be the most efficient way for students to learn a new language.

Around the world approximately 70 million people use some form of sign language, many of whom have been deaf from birth or early childhood and consider themselves to be part of a vibrant Deaf cultural and linguistic minority. Aside from its own merits, using ASL can have positive benefits in a variety of settings; students who have the ability to communicate in such a way also benefit Emory University as a whole. Emory students encounter deaf individuals (and their ASL interpreters) in fields such as medicine, business, law, government, academia, and many other spheres. From the recent success of the ASL/English musical Spring Awakening on Broadway to high-ranking deaf professionals such as lawyers Claudia Gordon and Haben Girma, deaf individuals and communities are impacting our world in high-profile ways. In fact, Emory connections already expand into these important spaces and beyond: for instance, Emory alumna Maria Town is the current Disability Liaison to the White House under the Obama Administration.

Emory's annual undergraduate student tuition is $46,314. Currently, students who desire to take ASL are left with two options: 1. Paying for classes outside of Emory at another university or class program; 2. Taking ASL for no credit.  Some students do take advantage of learning ASL through these avenues; however, Emory is a world-class institution with exceptional faculty and resources and a for-credit ASL course should be offered at such an institution. 

This petition to bring ASL for credit to Emory’s campus is sponsored by the Undergraduate Disability Studies Initiative (uDSI) and Emory’s emerging American Sign Language group. 

We, the students of Emory University and members of the Emory community writ large, address the administration of Emory University for the opportunity to offer American Sign Language as an accredited course in our school curriculum. As representatives of the student body, the uDSI desires to discuss the idea of creating courses about American Sign Language and Deaf culture. By signing this petition, you are participating to open a discussion between students and administration. The signatures of the following members of the Emory community represent those interested in seeing American Sign Language offered for credit on our campus in any capacity.