The Communication Arts Center on campus is host to a myriad of classes and activities, like UNITheatre, the communication disorders program and even a branch of Iowa Public Radio. It’s also home to the American Sign Language (ASL) courses taught by Professor Katie O’Brien, who teaches different levels of ASL in both the fall and spring semesters. O’Brien also hosts the Deaf Cultural Experience (DCE) club on campus as an effort to connect students with the Deaf community of the Cedar Valley.
O’Brien has taught ASL at UNI for 11 years, and is now the sole professor teaching ASL. Over the course of her eleven years at UNI, she’s seen many changes within DCE in an effort to let students know why they’re on campus. “When I first started at UNI, they (DCE) were actually called the ASL club, and students voted to change the name. We would often have people come in and be like, ‘Hi, I’m here to learn ASL as well.’ Do students do that to the Spanish club? No, but for some reason ASL is not given the same equal footing as spoken languages often,” said O’Brien. “So, the officers decided to change the name because their goal is not to teach ASL, but their goal is to spread Deaf culture awareness on campus.”
One of DCE’s biggest goals is to create an artificial Deaf-like environment, so students aren’t taking over Deaf spaces, but also have a space to practice ASL with the Deaf community. Renee Gram, a junior at UNI and a student who’s experienced hearing loss, expressed just how important having DCE on campus has been for her. “Being a part of DCE has affected my time for the greater at UNI … getting in contact with Katie O’Brien several years ago and being a valuable person throughout my college career, it has helped me to feel more accepted, feel more like home, a place where I belong and can be authentically myself without the fear of being misunderstood,” said Gram. “Everyone is at all ranges of ASL, just learning to be patient with those that actually want to dedicate their time to deepening their knowledge and practicing ASL, and practice makes perfect. Being involved with DCE has allowed me to be more open-minded with the people who ACTUALLY want to learn ASL, and not just for fun.”
O’Brien has worked to integrate DCE into her curriculum as well, making sure that ASL students are interacting with Deaf culture while they learn to sign. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know that it’s necessarily important for people to know a little bit of ASL. I think it’s more important that they know how to interact with Deaf people,” said O’Brien. “The first thing I usually tell people is Deaf people have been interacting with hearing people their entire lives, so even if this is your first encounter with a Deaf person, they know what to do. Let them take the lead on communication.” O’Brien also noted the importance of the burden of communication and how important it is to share the burden equally. While hearing people are able to voice to text what they want to say, Deaf people would still have to read and type back what they want to say. “Finding ways where the burden of communication is equal is often what I teach people about interacting with Deaf people,” said O’Brien.
DCE works to allow students to learn more about the Deaf community and creates a space for students to practice and experience Deaf culture first hand. “It is also a community that tries to establish a boundary between the hearing community and the Deaf community. The hearing community is constantly learning more about the Deaf community; their culture, their values, how connected they are to other people who share the same beliefs,” said Gram. For Gram, this space is more than just interactions between the hearing and Deaf communities, it’s an opportunity to create connections. She says that it looks like “interacting with other students who are trying to expand their knowledge of ASL and creating lifelong friendships that will last a lifetime!” Gram also says that she’s already made lifelong friends through DCE, “I have asked them permission to use their name in this edition, so I will list some of my friends that I have met from DCE! Abby Poortinga, Lee Beauchamp, and Lily Buchholz, they have been involved with UNI DCE, and are able to communicate in ASL!”
Even for those who aren’t familiar with ASL or DCE, both O’Brien and Gram note that there are ways to advocate for the Deaf community. “Even when I’m just at Buffalo Wild Wings, where they have all the TVs, just asking them to turn the closed captions on –– that’s a small piece of advocacy,” said O’Brien. “Spreading awareness (is important) for everyone. People who can hear might take them more seriously over a Deaf person because there is no language barrier between the two. More spread of advocacy to people who can hear and hearing people allows the community to expand and the culture to be understood by all. Many members of the Deaf community are often subject to injustice. They need the hearing community to be the bridge, so everyone gets a fair chance to be heard,” said Gram.
For those who may be interested in taking ASL, ASL I is offered every semester with O’Brien. To attend a DCE event, Gram recommends knowing ABCs in ASL or taking a class with O’Brien first. “Just beforehand, know the ABC’s letter spelling as it can help you dramatically to engage more in conversations! If you also take a class with O’B, she will mention UNI DCE … Anyone, regardless of whatever major they go into, may find ASL to be incredibly helpful.”
