��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor assists group working to standardize Chinese Sign Language education

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 15:00:56 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor traveled to China this summer on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to advise a group of hearing impaired Chinese professors who are working to standardize Chinese Sign Language and start interpreter education programs in Chinese universities. Dr. Linda Stauffer, professor and program coordinator for the bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language/English interpreter education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, traveled to China June 13 for a 10-day trip as both an interpreter and a representative of interpreter education. “In China, the country is so vast that the dialects of sign language vary drastically,” Stauffer said. “Deaf people from the North and the South cannot communicate easily.” The group of Chinese professors, led by Dr. Zheng Huan of Chongquing Normal University, spent the past seven years creating a standardized version of Chinese Sign Language that they hope will eventually be taught to hearing impaired students in all of China. The group also plans to create an interpreter education program at the university level. “Right now, there are no interpreter education programs in Chinese colleges,” Stauffer said. “Interpreters are grown out of the community, but there is no standard education or testing.” Stauffer spoke to the group about the history of sign language in the U.S., about bachelor degree programs in interpreter education, and about national certification standards for interpreters.

Dr. Linda Stauffer visits with a group of professors and students working to standardize Chinese Sign Language and develop interpreter education programs in China.

“I think they were very fascinated by my talk,” Stauffer said. “They see they have a long way to go, but they are very excited for the future,” Stauffer said. “My goal is to become a resource for the group as they may need me in the years ahead.” Stauffer hopes to return to China and help the group start interpreter education programs in local universities. Dr. Amy Knopf, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus who is now the chair of the St. Cloud State University Department of Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, asked Stauffer to go to China as an interpreter. The group met with the to discuss opportunities for education exchanges and cultural immersion between the university and the institute. Interpreting during the trip was an interesting experience for Stauffer as it included four languages. Speeches were often interpreted from Chinese to Chinese Sign Language to English to American Sign Language and vice versa. “Even though we didn’t speak each other’s language, we could share some deaf culture stories in a way that transcended language,” Stauffer said. “Sometimes, shared experiences trump languages.”

Anderson delivers commencement address at Gallaudet University

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 25 May 2017 17:03:56 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor and pioneer in deaf education delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2017 during May 12 ceremony. Located in Washington, D.C., Gallaudet is the world’s only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Dr. Glenn Anderson, associate professor in the American Sign Language and English Interpreter Education program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a 1968 graduate of Gallaudet University, also received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Gallaudet’s 147th commencement. “It’s not easy to put in words how it truly felt,” Anderson said. “No doubt, I was thrilled. It was especially significant and meaningful to me since the honor was from my alma mater.” In his address, “A Call to Serve,” Anderson urged graduates to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Andrew Foster, the first African American student to graduate from Gallaudet in 1954, and find ways to help their community. “A reason 2017 is special is because this year is the 60th anniversary that Dr. Andrew Foster traveled to Africa to establish more schools for the deaf than anyone in the history of education of deaf students,” Anderson said. “The Christian Mission for Deaf Africans was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1956, and the next year, 1957, Dr. Foster began the first of his many trips to Africa to open doors of opportunity for deaf Africans.” In acknowledging the obstacles that deaf and hard of hearing students often face, Anderson encouraged the graduates to stand strong in pursuing their dreams. “We will find doors of opportunity closed. But to overcome obstacles to your dreams, make sure you have a friend with you,” he said. “That friend’s name is persistence. When one door is closed, you and your friend, persistence, move on to another door. If that door is also closed, then you and your friend, persistence, keep moving from one door to another until you find an open door.”

Dr. Glenn Anderson (middle) receives an honorary degree during Gallaudet University’s May 12 commencement. Also pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Carol Erting, provost; Tiffany Williams, chair of the Gallaudet Board of Trustees; Gallaudet President Roberta Cordano; and Dr. Tom Humphries, member of the Board of Trustees. Photos by Zhee Chatmon of Gallaudet University.

Legacy of breaking barriers

Throughout Anderson’s career, his accomplishments have benefited many people. Anderson also lays claim to several pioneering roles. He is the first deaf person hired by Michigan Rehabilitation Services to work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor (1970), the first African American alumnus of Gallaudet to earn a doctoral degree (New York University, 1982), and the first African American deaf person to be appointed as a Gallaudet trustee (1989) and to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees (1994 to 2005). His career has included coordinating a referral and counseling center in New York City, and helping to establish a continuing education program to benefit deaf adults interested in returning to school and completing their college degrees. In 2008, he joined the Interpreter Education faculty within the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Adult Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From 1982 to 2008, he served as director of training at the University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. He was also a professor in the University of Arkansas’s Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders and served as coordinator of the master’s degree program in rehabilitation counseling with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. He published numerous articles in professional journals and books, including the 2006 book/DVD entitled, “Still I Rise! The Enduring Legacy of Black Deaf Arkansans Before & After Integration.” Anderson was appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the National Council on Disability from 2002 to 2005. Anderson served on the Board of Directors for the National Black Deaf Advocates. From 2012 to 2015, he served as a member of the National Council on Disability. Gallaudet named Anderson its February 2014 Visionary Leader as part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebration. In 2016, he was appointed to the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education, the national accrediting board for interpreter education programs.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock professor assists group working to standardize Chinese Sign Language education

Anderson delivers commencement address at Gallaudet University

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor assists group working to standardize Chinese Sign Language education