Experts said learning American Sign Language is no different than learning Spanish or French or other foreign languages: interaction with fluent speakers is essential.

ASL students will get this opportunity Feb. 9 when the Ohio State ASL program will host the “Deaf and Diverse Panel.”

“You can’t learn a language without really having first-hand experience of seeing people who live and breath that language and that culture,” said Marla Berkowitz, an ASL teacher in the English department, with the aid of an interpreter who relayed questions and answers.

“We decided that all levels should be afforded the opportunity to meet individuals who are deaf from a very diverse educational experience,” she said.

The eight panelists selected for the event cover a broad spectrum of hearing impaired familiarity, including OSU for the deaf students, stay-at-home deaf mothers and hearing parents who have deaf children.

OSU students do not have the opportunity to meet many deaf individuals, so the primary goal of the event is to help raise awareness and provide exposure about the lives of deaf people, Berkowitz said.

“Last year we had a deaf panel as well, but it was only available for students within the ASL program to expose them to different cultural issues and diversity within deaf community,” Trena Shank, ASL professor and event coordinator said through an interpreter.

The demand for the event had been so high that the ASL program decided to open it to the public and conduct the panel twice.

Shank said the increased popularity is nothing new as ASL classes are completely full and 300 students are on the waiting list.

A graduate program in ASL education was established in the fall and ASL course levels three and four are now available in the hearing and speech department and college of education.

On March 5, OSU will host a 40-minute preview of a documentary film entitled, “Through Deaf Eyes,” which will air on PBS on March 21. The event will feature a panel comprised of two individuals from Gallaudet University, an OSU comparative studies professor and a deaf doctoral candidate.

“This is a very big event, which we are very excited about,” Shank said.

The “Deaf and Diverse Panel” will take place in room 131 of Hitchcock Hall at 10 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. The discussion will be conducted in ASL with interpreters provided for voice interpretation.

Andrew Kieta can be reached at [email protected].