ASL Summer Intensive Scholarship Campaign

Who We Are:

We are a group of current UCLA students who have experienced just a fraction of the positive impact of American Sign Language (ASL) and have begun to learn about the incredible culture of the Deaf community. We are passionate about bringing greater access to––and knowledge of––ASL and Deaf culture to the UCLA community. To do that, we need your help.

The ASL Program at UCLA:

ASL class 2015

UCLA currently offers American Sign Language levels 1-6 and one course in Deaf culture. However, each year there are roughly only 45 spots available to entry-level learners despite a much larger demand. For many students, the only opportunity to take ASL at UCLA is to enroll in the summer intensive. 

The American Sign Language Summer Intensive provides students with the foundation of ASL (levels 1-3) and a superior awareness of both the Deaf community and its culture. This eight-week course costs approximately $5,000 per student. Those unable to enroll from Fall through Spring need this Summer Intensive, but are then faced with an additional financial barrier. 

ASL zoom class 2021 

Why UCLA Students Should Have the Opportunity to Engage with ASL:

By increasing ASL on the UCLA campus, we promote cultural awareness, competency, allyship, and greater accessibility to UCLA’s Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, families, and friends. In addition, ASL opens up an entire range of new and challenging careers for students’ futures. Students from UCLA’s ASL courses have gone on to work with the National Association of the Deaf, become full-time ASL interpreters and advocates that work directly with the Deaf community. ASL, put simply, can help bridge the gap between the Deaf and hearing worlds. Language and culture very naturally have a symbiotic relationship, as without language you cannot learn the culture and without culture, language has no reference. The significance of what these scholarships can do for students and the greater UCLA community does not end here.

ASL class 2016 

UCLA students are currently working with the Dean of Humanities and UCLA professors and administrators. Their shared goal is to expand the ASL program into a fully-fledged American Sign Language Major. Consistent enrollment rates in ASL courses and a ten-day student survey by ASL students in March 2021 offer proof of a demand for an ASL Major. 

ASL major survey data 2021

According to UCLA’s mission for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, “UCLA's primary purpose as a public research university is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society.” In order for UCLA to make strides toward this mission, there needs to be an opportunity for the ASL program to grow.

ASL art

How You Can Help:

The American Sign Language Summer Intensive Scholarship is the first step in giving additional UCLA students an opportunity to engage with ASL and learn about Deaf culture. With your support, students who are driven and passionate about learning ASL will have the opportunity to do so without the added financial burden. Additionally their scholarship funds will go toward fueling the growth of the ASL program. Thus, your contribution has double the power and impact!

Thank you for your support!

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