American Sign Language at BHS

Olivia Berler, Staff Writer

Having the ability to communicate with others is a very important and necessary quality to possess. In such a large high school like Barnstable, the population is a melting pot of many people who may speak different languages, or come from different ethnic backgrounds. One language that may not always come to mind at first is American Sign Language. However, a new teacher at Barnstable High School, Dina Toulan, is working to change that.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “American Sign Language is a complete, complex language that employs signs made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body.” In short, American Sign Language offers people who cannot hear an opportunity to communicate visually.

There has always been vast amounts of options and opportunities in terms of foreign language classes at BHS. This year, however, an American Sign Language class has made its debut. World language department head, Grace Lytle explained “Adding a beautiful communication mode like American Sign Language just made sense as the next step. It is the most used language after English and Spanish in the U.S.”

Being deaf, the newly-hired teacher Dina Toulan has communicated with ASL for nearly her whole life. Toulan’s older sister is deaf as well, and due to this, their parents moved to the United States for her sister to be able to attend a deaf school.

Toulan grew up in Washington D.C., where her parents also sent her to Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for the Deaf. From past experience, they knew this type of school was the best option and would provide a valuable education. Toulan went on to graduate from Gallaudet University, which was on the same campus as her elementary school and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (a high school). She earned her B.A. (Bachelor of Arts Degree), and in 2018, she will complete her schooling and obtain a Masters in Sign Language Education.

In an email interview with Insight, Toulan, said she has always wanted to pursue a career involving children. At first, she was an American Sign Language teacher in Texas. However, Toulan explained, “What really motivated me to come to Barnstable was the family feeling of BHS.” She immediately sensed the eagerness of people who were interested in learning ASL, and from the second she stepped into her interview, Toulan felt the “warm welcome,” of everyone around her, along with the appreciation towards what she was wishing to contribute to the school’s community.

These first encounters caused Toulan’s primary concern of being “accepted” into or “rejected” from her new environment to disappear. Lytle has also enrolled in an ASL class at a community college which Toulan explained made her realize how valued she is in the “BHS family.”

As far as a typical day in Toulan’s class, it surely varies from a day in a different foreign language class in the sense that it does not involve speaking. Often, the students begin the block with warm-up assignments and review the content that they have been introduced to so far. Toulan frequently touches base on how well her students are grasping the material while also “empowering them to learn at their own pace.”  If there is a test, it will involve writing combined with some more visual or interactive activities. There are many “hands-on” activities that take place every day, as well. For example, a popular game in Toulan’s class is charades, which she says, “forces students to explore their facial expressions, hand movements, and body movements.”  Games like these allow the students to gain further experience and knowledge of ASL in a real-world setting.

Lytle also mentioned the many benefits that come with possessing an understanding of more than one language. “It literally stretches your brain, enhances cognitive abilities, problem solving, creativity, flexibility. There is even talk that it forestalls dementia, and of course it increases cultural awareness.”

“American Sign Language is a beautiful, yet complex language. People assume it’s easy to learn. It’s not, just like how you learn Spanish, French, Latin, and the list goes on,” Toulan said. She enforces the understanding that the language has its own unique rules and grammar system, and that “If you put your mind to it, it will eventually come naturally.” Just like learning any new language, you can’t master ASL overnight; time, patience, and dedication       are crucial virtues needed to conquer it.

Toulan said that American Sign Language and Signing Exact English are two completely different languages. This is often a misconception from people who aren’t familiar with any form of signing. “I feel as my duty as an ASL teacher, and as well as a deaf person, to make sure that the accurate information is out there for people to understand,” she said.