I need help with a paper, please.

Hi All,
I was hoping that I could get a few comments on my last paper for the semester. I am obviously not a gifted writer. Punctuation and stupid spelling mistakes seem to always hurt me. It is very long to me but perhaps not to long for many.
Scott


To Whom This May Concern,
I’m writing to you because I have noticed, while setting up my upcoming classes, that the languages available to students are limited to say the least. In particular I would like you to change your stance on sign language. After talking to my adviser, I’m under the understanding that sign language will not be offered here in the near future. I’m hoping that after you read my proposal that you will be able to identify with the need of offering it and implement the availability of this language to all.
In order to explain to you the importance of this valuable language please consider the following scenario. I would like you to mentally place yourself in New York City. Now imagine walking into Chinatown. You go into a butcher shop to get your favorite cut of meat however your, English speaking, Chinese friend is not there today because he is sick. You notice that the person behind the counter is new here, you have no idea who he is and he likewise has no idea who you are. You try to explain what it is you want but he continually looks at you with a blank face. After a short time of listening to you he speaks, however it is not something you understand but most likely Chinese. For the next few minutes you try wholeheartedly to get your order across to him, to no avail. You tried everything that you could think of pointing, gesturing and even trying to draw a picture. You dejectedly resolve that you are just going to have to wait until your friend gets better. Fortunately though, since this is not an emergency, you are able to go somewhere else for the cut of meat. As you leave though you are disappointed, aggravated, and mumbling to yourself “that is ridiculous!” Ok what is the point of this fictional trip? To make you think and realize just how frustrating it is to not be able to communicate with someone properly even when you can speak. Now I would like you to think how much harder and how much more annoying it would be if you were unable to speak or hear at all. This truly would be rather trying. In today’s advanced society, where the ease of communication allows all to move forward, we would hope that colleges would be able to locate and provide the skills needed to properly acclimate their prodigies for success in their upcoming careers. One of those invaluable skills, that you do not offer and thus inhibits one’s ability, is sign language.
With the prevalence of disorders, where sign language is vital-like hearing impairments, autism, mental, and developmental disabilities-growing rapidly, I‘m curious as to why a language like this is not available. There are many fields that people work in where sign language would be a vital skill that would allow them to complete there job more effectively. A few of the fields that people would benefit immensely from being taught sign language are; Deaf Interpreter, Speech Pathology, Nursing, Linguistics, Communication Arts and Education. With the recent push to integrate children with special needs into typical classrooms, students trying to get their major in education are the obvious favorite for adding a course in sign language.
When I first decided to write you with my concerns I decided that I needed to search for the colleges that accepted it as the required foreign language. A few of the many that have broken through, what to some seems to be like the Berlin wall, and have been able to accommodate this linguistic art as a foreign language are as follows: Purdue University, Brigham Young University, The State University of New York, California State University, as well as The University of Florida (Canady).
After looking into this a little more I was amazed at the financial bonuses of offering this language. I realize that money isn’t everything but, it does impress the majority of people in charge. To prove this point I would like to draw your attention to Purdue University. In 1997 they offered “eight sections” for this course, but perhaps that was too little of a number, they could have filled many more (Purdue). The university was forced to turn down an “estimated four hundred students” who were eager to take this class (Purdue). Just out of curiosity I was wondering when was the last time that Penn State filled eight sections for a course and still had to turn down that many willing students? The percentage of students who want to take this language is sky-rocketing (Purdue). With tuition being well over ten thousand dollars a year, the financial gains for having the availability of such a highly sought after language is mind boggling.
Considering that Public School Districts are now teaching this to pre-college students, imagine the need for the continuation of this language in colleges. Even my five-year old son is being taught the basics for sign language. With colleges forcing their students to take, and get credits for, courses entitled Arts and Humanities, why not allow the students to take a course that truly would teach them an art. Why not let them take a course that would truly broaden there horizons and teach them the compassion and respect needed to excel in today’s world. If you, as well as other colleges, truly want to have well rounded, well adjusted individual like most claim, offer a course that can give them the means to do that.
I again would like you to put yourself into someone else’s shoes. Please imagine being a child who has been injured significantly in a car accident, you are confused, disoriented, and in obvious distress. You are not sure what has happened, but as you look around you see people grabbing this and using that while hovering around your parents abnormally still bodies. Now the doctor walks into the examining room where you are, being deaf you have a nature learned ability to read facial expressions, you can see that something just isn’t right. He starts talking to you, but you have no idea because you are not looking at him your eyes continue to search for your parents. When he finally gathers your attention you look at his lips, however they are moving to fast, you are unable to focus well through the tear-filled eyes. You try hard to read his lips, you squint to remove the excess tears, but you still can’t decipher the movements of his lips. Can you imagine how scared you would be? How helpless and alone you would feel sitting on the gurney? Ok, that is enough of being the child and I believe you get the point. Now let’s be the doctor or even the nurse who has to care for this child.
You walk into the room to find a child covered in blood, scared, confused, and in obvious pain and discomfort. You sit down next to him to ask the obvious questions: Where does it hurt the most? Do you now where you’re at? What is your name? How old are you? You then try to explain to him that his parents had died in the accident. Then it finally hits you, the reason he is not responding is that he can’t hear you. You were able to get his attention but with each breath out of your mouth you noticed that nothing changed, he still gave you no response. You notice that the fear in his eyes is becoming insurmountable, on his small weary body, the color of his skin is becoming cyanotic. What would you do? How would you feel? I have a feeling that you would probably become irritated with the communication gap. You would no-doubt try to find someone that could help close the gap so as to communicate readily. Though he would probably not die from not being able to communicate well with you, he could be injured further by you from things like administering a drug to him that he is allergic to. Well I’m glad that I wouldn’t be that doctor, would you agree?
Now let’s think about how much easier life could have been able to learn sign language in college. You could have asked him asked him the important questions, you could have told him about his parents, you could have done your job in a way that was a lot more productive. You truly could have saved his life, or if not to that large extent, you could have at least been able to comfort him and get him to relax, which in-turn could have saved his life. If his condition wasn’t life threatening or as serious as the illustration, you could have still at least lowered your stress level.
Ok, you probably would not come across a deaf child with a high need like that example everyday. But, it is very possible, that with the increasing numbers of people using sign language, that the students who graduate from this school will come across a hearing impaired person in their life-time. There ability to sign proficiently would be a great asset, a skill that would help provide them with the ever changing needs of society. I understand that trying to look into the future and decipher the skills that will be needed is hard and I don’t envy you. However, by now you should be able to look at the schools that are offering this and take the necessary steps needed to make this change that is overdue.
One of the reasons that some use to block sign languages promotion as a foreign language is that they are scared that people will not take the more “traditional foreign languages”(Wilcox). Though this maybe a valid reason to some, it is not to Mr. Wilcox an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. He stated that evidence shows this to be not only untrue but “precisely the opposite” (Wilcox). He states that more students who take sign language end up taking other more traditional languages also. Of the majors that people take, where they are entered into this program, like healthcare and education, more business majors are adding this to their list of classes. You may ask; why would they do that? It is actually a very easy answer when you consider that they have money and they need most of the things we do and a few others.
So I will again ask you why this is not allowed as a foreign language and beg you to allow the change. The need for this skill in society today is immense. There are a large number of individuals that would benefit from this invaluable skill in their selected field. As was explained earlier, the people with hearing impairments are growing everyday. Perhaps you will change your mind for the obvious financial benefits to the college, if I can’t convince you to allow it because of the practical and ever-growing need for it. If Penn State does note change their stance on this I am afraid that it will be left behind and have to struggle to return to its glory. The colleges that offer these programs as a foreign language will be the ones that will benefit the most because students may start attending other colleges that may be better able to equip them for the future. It would certainly be a shame if such an esteemed and valued learning institution like Penn State had to pick from the remnants of students. I would have to say that a great school like Penn State will always try to recruit the best and brightest prospects to represent them. My hopes are that they will always be able to attain and retain them.
Sincerely,
Scott