immigrantscanada.com

Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

Email Interview: Asl and Anti-Oppressive Framework

email interview: Montpetit began Queer ASL as a drop-in club in Victoria in 2009, according to Georgia Asian. After she relocated to Vancouver in 2011, she continued to teach ASL and developed a curriculum in 2012 that has since been taught by a total of six teachers. After Montpetit started hosting an ASL American Sign Language club in her living room, she soon recognized a need for queer people to learn ASL in safe spaces. Montpetit explains, in an email interview, that their primary focus is to teach ASL with an anti-oppressive framework . She says they emphasize gender-neutral language, avoiding things like teaching the signs for man or woman by pointing to students. In Queer ASL, we only identify each other as a person, and introduce gendered signs using iconic images and characters, such as the Flintstones, instead of assuming how students identify. Mainstream ASL classes also tend to include activities where students go around assuming people's gender identities, which leads to misgendering, she says. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.