X Ash Sabinin Contributor Ss language is used amongst people in the deaf and hard of hearing community; however, it is less common in the hearing community. I believe American Sign Language (ASL) should be taught to everyone to ensure that there’s no limit to interactions or self-expression. The current lack of knowledge of sign language amongst the general public creates a divide between the hearing and hard of hearing communities. It is so important for hearing people to learn how to use sign language to talk with people who are hard of hearing or deaf; not only does it allow them to communicate with each other more effectively, but it also promotes understanding and compassion between the two groups. By teaching young people to sign, youre giving them the ability to converse and create life-long inter- community connections. My sister, who currently attends New Westminster Secondary School, had an interest in learning sign language and ended up taking a class through a Burnaby school district because there were no options available in her own district. She applied for an introductory course and was placed on a waitlist for months, so I asked for her thoughts on the experience. “I wanted to learn ASL because it's a really beautiful language, but also because I believe it has the ability to diversify my education and allow me to be able to communicate with a larger range of Ox Give communication a helping hand » Sign language should be an option for the mandatory language classes in public schools people.” She feels it's necessary for more people to learn ASL so everyone can better interact with sign language users who try to accommodate our language. “When I finally decided to take ASL as my language course, I was disappointed that it wasn't offered at my school, and Il ended up taking it through Burnaby online. Although I had a great teacher, I found that trying to learn a language by myself, especially one like ASL, discouraged me and consequently made it much more difficult.” We need to make learning sign language more accessible for everyone to prevent others from having this same experience. The lengthy process deters many people who have an interest in learning to sign and even if they do wait the months before joining the class, the environment is often isolating and not conducive to learning. Had sign language been offered at her school, the chances of her becoming discouraged would have been significantly lower. Most students were required to take language classes throughout high school and yet, most of them would struggle considerably to ask someone for help in the language they studied. A friend of mine took the required French classes, but when asked if she could ask for help or say there's an emergency, she laughed and said the only thing she remembers is “Une bibliothéque.” Obviously, students are not really learning the language, which I suspect is caused by both a lack of interest and a lack of practice. Sad clouds can still be nice » Raincouver, how I learned to love you so Emi Namoro Contributor ou know what marks a true Vancouverite? Beanies, soaked socks, and perpetually losing your umbrella. I grew up in the sunny Philippines until my family immigrated to Vancouver when I was nine years old. Growing up, I had initial thoughts and dreams of what it would be like to live in North America. Not once did I ever imagine living in “Raincouver” where nearly every day is as rainy as it possibly could be. As much as we all like to complain about the weather, I do need to admit that there’s something so profoundly deep about it. Let’s be honest, living in British Columbia is so great. We have beautiful mountains, rivers, and oceans. We have diverse cultures found in nearly every corner of the city. There is beauty that can be found wherever you may look. Not to mention, we also have great natural drinking water. Compared to the other places that I’ve visited in North America, that fact alone brings us and this city above the rest. So, the fact that our city may have one downside (one of many, although I won't go there) makes sense to me. In the same way that people aren't perfect, neither are cities. We all have our benefits and our downsides. Vancouver’s current downside is its perpetual rain, and all that comes along with it. As you can probably tell, | like the rain. It’s not everyone else’s cup of tea, but it calms me down. Something about the clouds having a good “cry” makes me feel that it’s okay if | have those moments too. It is as if the sky is giving me—and all of us—permission to feel the way we do. If the sky can do anything it wants to, why can’t we? According to the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, 1 in 10 Canadians experience hearing loss. So the chances of encountering someone who uses sign language are very high. Not only would it prepare students for the inevitable times they need to communicate with a sign language user, but it would also create a plethora of job opportunities for hearing- impaired individuals. In our current society, people who are deaf or hard of hearing face a multitude of challenges finding good, steady employment. There is a lack of stable, well-paying and appropriate jobs for sign language users. Making sign language classes available in public schools would create many new, consistent and well-suited jobs for those who struggle to get a job due to hearing loss. Not only would it create many new teaching positions but also curriculum creators and other opportunities. There really are no drawbacks to making sign language classes more accessible to people. It is difficult to find any logical reason to not offer sign language classes in public schools and there are so many benefits to making it more accessible for everyone. There is already great public / a LY keel Ph As the weather changes in this city, I hope that we can all find the comfort that rain provides. Having soaked socks, jackets, and clothes clearly isn’t ideal, but when youre inside while the rain immerses the city, it is quite the experience. What do] like to do when it’s raining outside and I’m warm inside? | like to have a cup of coffee or my trusty hot chocolate while reading a book. | absolutely love the experience that the rain provides when I'mat home relaxing. Of course, it isn’t the same when you're outside, but it’s one of the small joys in life that I enjoy. eye tet sae ieee Es e Sign language should be an option for the mandatory language classes in public schools e Sad clouds can still be nice ..and that's everything! Photo by Billy Bui interest in learning to sign, we just need to make it more readily available for people and implementing it into public schools will help increase the range of people being given the chance to learn. Overall, I think making sign language classes available in all public schools will only help strengthen communication within our society because hearing people can learn to sign but hearing-impaired people cannot learn to hear! Not everyone is going to like the rain, and that’s completely understandable. Everyone is free to have their opinions and I respect that. Personally, I have always loved the rain for the comfort that it provides me. It wasn’t what I expected when I first moved here, but I learned how to love it. The rain gives us permission to let go, to feel the emotions that we do, and the rare moment of solitude when youre warm inside while it pours on the city.