Sheryl B. Cooper
Dissertation 

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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to identify important characteristics of sign language programs in institutions of higher education (IHE) in the United States. Data were collected regarding (a) the institutions offering the programs, (b) the individuals administrating the programs, (c) the instructors teaching in the programs, (d) the structure of the programs within their institutions, (e) the administrative aspects of course content, and (f) the recommendations of the administrators for the development of standards in the field of post-secondary sign language program administration. A national study, using an investigator-developed questionnaire, was mailed to approximately one thousand IHEs known or expected to teach sign language. The mailing list was developed from lists of post-secondary programs in deaf education, interpreter training, speech pathology and audiology, other programs training professionals to work with deaf individuals, and institutions with specific programs for deaf students. Of the 371 responses, 301 responses indicated that sign language was taught during the 1994-1995 academic year. Non-respondents were polled to determine reasons for non-response and the results suggested that half of those who did not respond made that decision because their institution offered one or two sign language classes, not a program. Another 18% of the non-respondents indicated that sign language was not taught at their institution. The 301 responses included in the analysis represented two-year institutions (47.2%) and four-year/graduate institutions (52.8%). Results of the data analyses indicated that the status of sign language programs at institutions of higher education has improved over the past few decades. This point is most clearly manifest in the increased availability of sign language at IHEs, its status as a credit-bearing class, and its acceptance in fulfillment of institutional requirements. The data suggested that there were dichotomies among sign language program administrators regarding their primary duties as teachers or administrators, and regarding their investment in the teaching of sign language as measured by their level of personal involvement with deaf people and their signing skills. Administrators with less signing skill had a greater likelihood of holding full-time positions than those with more signing skill. The biggest issues facing most sign language program administrators were lack of support, funding for program expansion, and lack of qualified instructors. The status of sign language instructors has not improved as markedly as the status of their classes. These professionals continue to be mostly part-time and hold lesser degrees than one might expect of IHE faculty. Additionally, no graduate programs offer degrees in the teaching of sign language to provide desired credentials. Instructors receive minimal supervision and minimal institutional support for professional development. ASL was the most commonly-taught form of sign language, although 20% of the responding IHEs indicated that multiple forms of sign language were taught. Sign language was identified as a requirement of degree programs at many institutions, and many respondents anticipated changes in this area. Program content, within multisection programs and across institutions, was not highly standardized. Across and within institutions, different topics were covered and student progress was measured in different ways. Special programming and resources were often arranged to accommodate individual students. On certain issues, differences were found between the perspectives of those administrators who were primarily teachers and those who were primarily administrators. Differences were also found between the responses of those administrators who were skilled signers and those who were not signers and not involved in the deaf community. The issues affected by these dichotomies were the position of sign language within the institutional structure, the acceptance of ASL as a foreign language, qualifications for sign language instructors, signing skill required for program administrators, and how administrators’ time should be spent. Overall, the results of this study indicate that sign language is clearly an emerging academic discipline. As a requirement for an increasing number of academic programs and a viable way to fulfill general education and modern language requirements, sign language as a “service course” is becoming entrenched in many institutions of higher education.