February 26, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n\n\n\n
American Sign Language has a rich and profound history across the country \u2014 but is a rare program to encounter in higher education. Few colleges along the West Coast offer American Sign Language courses beyond the beginning levels \u2014 Western, however, offers two degree paths, a minor and a master\u2019s program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American Sign Language studies program at Western, on average, carries 15 students per class through 60 required credits of classes, beginning with the basic models of ASL and leading into a variety of additional classes, such as Deaf history, mental health in the Deaf community and deafblind studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For roughly half a century, Western has been serving the Deaf community in Monmouth, Oregon. Some current staff of Western in the ASL department, with examples such as Brent Redpath, LeShonDre Brown and Elisa Maroney, attended Western in prior years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historically, Western showcases success in instructing the future interpreters of America. Western was the first base for a national ASL assessment service in the West as of 2020 \u2014 a testament to Western\u2019s dedication to American Sign Language proficiency testing for anyone interested in their fluency level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two Bachelor of Arts programs \u2014 American Sign Language studies and interpreting studies: theory \u2014 differ, despite common misconceptions about the programs. American Sign Language studies, according to Western\u2019s website, helps foster knowledge of ASL in a way that promotes respect for Deaf culture, history and community. \u201cYou will not only continue to hone your ASL skills, but you will also study areas such as linguistics, language acquisition, cultural competency and mental health and learn how this information can serve the (Deaf) population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other higher education institutions may refer to their version of ASL studies as Deaf studies or, potentially, be known as simply American Sign Language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elisa Maroney, current program co-coordinator of the ASL branch of the interpreting program and certified interpreter, helped construct the ASL studies program curriculum at Western in its prime, alongside Debi Duren. The program originated from the interpreting program, which found its footing first at Western.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur program is a study of the language, the culture, the history. For ASL studies, we\u2019re often a more foundational program \u2014 students have that skill in ASL that they can use for the next step in their lives, which might be a graduate program, or it could be related to their career that requires an ASL background,\u201d said Brent Redpath, American Sign Language studies program coordinator. Redpath has been working diligently at Western since 2012 and has become a well-respected professor \u2014 often harboring full classes with a waitlist each term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Redpath, as program coordinator, schedules classes, makesing sure each class is properly staffed with instructors, balancesing course loads for faculty, addressesing student concerns and assistsing in conflict management amongst students. Redpath wholeheartedly represents the ASL program \u2014 his face and name are well-known in the Richard Woodcock Education Center \u2014 RWEC \u2014 where the majority of ASL classes take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Predominantly, classes in ASL are taught by deaf professors. ASL language classes \u2014 101 through 303 \u2014 follow this model earnestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very nice to have native users of a language who are instructing in their native language,\u201d said Redpath. \u201cAnd to receive language and culture directly from a deaf person. Nothing against hearing people, don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 but their experiences will be different than a person who grew up as a Deaf individual. They\u2019re going to have a different background, and they won\u2019t be able to speak to that perspective in the same way a Deaf person can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this in mind, ASL classes are regarded as \u201cDeaf classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou might notice as you come into class that we have our tables set up in a U-shape, which is different from other classes. That\u2019s how we always teach so that every student in the class can see each other. It\u2019s a visual language,\u201d said Redpath. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we can all see each other, that I can see the students and they can see me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The RWEC boasts glass panels in the wall, allowing professors to see what\u2019s happening in the hallways and beyond \u2014 a common Deaf-friendly window style. Redpath personally acted in the committee that assisted with designing the RWEC. \u201cI was able to offer some tips and ideas for how to make this building a more Deaf-friendly space,\u201d said Redpath. Additionally, the topic of what makes a Deaf-friendly space is discussed in class to teach on Deaf culture and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deaf classrooms are also deadly quiet to the average hearing person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is dead silent \u2026 The way you can just hear a pin drop \u2014 the way people can hear you swallow wrong,\u201d laughed junior Abby Money. \u201cAnd then the two people on your left hear it and you have to say, \u2018sorry, I\u2019m hungry today.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ASL studies program; staff has been reduced, as have extra class options. As of 2025, Western has two full-time ASL studies staff members, alongside five part-time employees. Ideally, the program will be able to restore more staff members, in-person classes and more classes and class times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Functionally, ASL classes utilize Canvas and GoReact for exams, homework and lessons. GoReact is a video-based system, allowing students to upload videos of their exams and receive direct feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ASL students, if struggling, may resort to the tutoring center for additional assistance with their signing fluency. Ideally, students will continue to participate in the Deaf community. \u201cI always encourage students to be involved,\u201d said Redpath. \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to just go to ASL classes and be done. You can\u2019t thrive that way \u2026 There is actually an ASL hall in the dorms, where you can have extra opportunities to socialize outside of class time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ASL club on campus is a good resource for students to gain signing experience and practice with their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Redpath\u2019s classes involve three exams per term and weekly assignments. Students meet in small groups to practice for a grade on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on the instructor\u2019s choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ASL studies program is one of the biggest language programs that we offer on campus, and administration at Western has recognized us for that. We appreciate their support for our program,\u201d said Redpath. \u201cWe felt their involvement in making our program successful \u2026 We hope (the program) will continue to grow even larger in the future. Of course, things are different now in post-COVID days, but we really hope to be back to what we were before. It\u2019s a really important program \u2014 to me and to the university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for Redpath \u2014 \u201cMy favorite part of this job is definitely working with the students. I teach a variety of classes, I work with diverse students from diverse backgrounds. And they\u2019re not just learning from me \u2014 I\u2019m learning from them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For junior Dylan Meader, Redpath stands out as a professor. \u201cHis teaching style is really effective for me,\u201d explained Meader. \u201cI\u2019ve had good experiences with all the professors here, but I feel I respond best to his methods of teaching \u2014 he\u2019s just a really nice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meader gravitated to American Sign Language in high school, needing to fulfill a language requirement and finding it fulfilling beyond his initial expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not a single school in Washington that has the interpreting program, and that was something I really wanted to pursue,\u201d said Meader. \u201cI decided to look out of state, and the closest to my home in Bellingham, Washington, was Western. So I applied and I toured. It was something that I liked \u2014 so I decided to go for it \u2026 it\u2019s been really great so far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maroney attests that somewhere between one-third to one-half of ASL interpreting students in any given year are from out of state \u2014 such as juniors Abby Money and Meader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Money, like Meader, hails from another state. Money grew up in Templeton, California, and Monmouth has been her first taste of life somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was really scary for me moving here because I had, genuinely, never lived anywhere else on my own,\u201d said Money. \u201cBeing fully immersed in the classes, I was so scared starting college. It was a nice surprise \u2014 it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, Redpath or LeShonDre Brown are the first faces students see when entering the program at 101.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI went in, freaking out,\u201d said Money, describing her first term with Redpath in ASL 201. \u201cI was so scared. I was like, \u2018he\u2019s deaf. What if he doesn\u2019t understand a word I\u2019m saying?\u2019 Spoiler alert \u2014 he did. He understood me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western\u2019s interpreting program hopes to help fulfill the country\u2019s growing need for ASL interpreters. At Western, the program is available entirely online to support that goal, so more students from other states can pursue interpreting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interpreting, as a class subject, requires focus and drive. Students learn that professional interpreting requires no distracting clothing or accessories, and that hair must be out of the face. Recorded videos must be in good quality and against a blank backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Videos and exams follow any number of subjects. Often, they rely on translating English into ASL and then signing that statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maroney has been working at Western since 1993 but previously received a certificate in interpreting from the college in prior years. Maroney even found herself at Gallaudet for her master\u2019s \u2014 an iconic, and vastly important, college, leading the charge in Deaf education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, Western\u2019s undergraduate program will re-incorporate a crucial internship \u2014 \u201cOur hope was that by having a graduate program, we could sort of guide students and provide them with supervision opportunities to, then, be more ready to work. The problem is that not everyone chooses to go on to (get their master\u2019s) and they aren\u2019t ready to work if they don\u2019t have that internship piece,\u201d said Maroney. \u201cIt is a lifelong learning process. You can\u2019t get your bachelor\u2019s degree and be one-and-done. You have to keep working on your language, on your interpreting, on your cultural experiences and knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chances are the ASL program, in any branch, will continue to evolve. \u201cEverything is in flux,\u201d said Maroney. \u201cWe try things, and if it doesn\u2019t work, we try something else. I think it\u2019s an exciting time right now \u2014 a little bit unnerving at the moment \u2014 but we have searches going on. We\u2019re looking for two ASL studies faculty and one interpreting studies faculty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Maroney recommends students look into scholarships. The interpreting program is, typically, six years long \u2014 meaning the cost can be heavy alongside already taxing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for student-to-student advice, Meader has his own: \u201c(Don\u2019t be) intimidated, especially if you\u2019re brand new to learning ASL and interacting with the Deaf community. Trust yourself. And have fun, it\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt gets easier,\u201d said Money. \u201cYour receptive skills get better. And when someone\u2019s signing to you and you catch on, you\u2019re like, \u2018oh, wait, I\u2019m actually getting this now.\u2019 It\u2019s not something that you\u2019re panicking over, cause I remember panicking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some staff in the program teach truly because they just enjoy the program, often working other jobs \u2014 Alethea Boyer-Mularski teaches full-time at Oregon School for the Deaf, showing up for her 5 p.m. 300-level ASL instruction classes after a full day of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI teach at WOU because it\u2019s where my teaching journey began nearly 18 years ago. Deb Duren, who was then the ASL Studies Program Coordinator, hired me despite my lack of teaching experience at the time, recognizing potential in me. Over time, my love for teaching grew, and I developed a desire to share my knowledge of ASL, Deaf culture and the Deaf community,\u201d said Boyer-Mularski. \u201cDuring the day, I work at Oregon School for the Deaf, and in the evenings, I teach hearing students at WOU. It\u2019s a rewarding contrast \u2014 teaching Deaf students their true language while introducing ASL to hearing students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western\u2019s launch of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Program \u2014 2015-2021 \u2014 had Boyer-Mularski in one of the first cohorts. After a six-year hiatus starting in 2017, Boyer-Mularski has since returned to the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was amazing. I love Alethea. She definitely helped my receptive skills a lot (because) she\u2019s a much quicker signer. That was a lot of fun, being thrown into that,\u201d said Money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Money regards the language with a lot of love. \u201cIt\u2019s important to me because it kind of reminds me of where I come from a little bit. I took it originally for my friend, for her and her brother, because she was going to teach it to him. And then I just fell in love with it \u2014 it\u2019s a beautiful language.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cASL is more than just a language \u2014 it\u2019s the heart of Deaf identity and culture. I encourage students (and) faculty to appreciate its true beauty and respect its vital role in the Deaf community,\u201d said Boyer-Mularski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meader has appreciated Western\u2019s program so much that he\u2019s opting to pursue his master\u2019s at Western in interpreting. \u201cThe staff and the professors in the ASL and interpreting programs have been so supportive and encouraging \u2026 and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s made me want to continue, as opposed to (an) experience I had in high school where I almost quit learning ASL because my first teacher said something very harsh and awful to me about my signing, but I\u2019ve just had really good experiences with the professors here,\u201d he said. \u201cRegarding the interpreting program, I think the professors do a really great job at preparing you and setting you up for success. It feels like they really care about you and think about you as more than just a student. Like they really want to set you up for future success as an interpreter or whatever you decide to do with ASL.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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