Contact: Maridith Geuder
A graduate student at the nation's only university for deaf and hard of hearing students is leading a series of Mississippi State University workshops over the next three weeks.
Tracy Bell, a master's degree candidate in social work at Washington, D.C.-based Gallaudet University, begins the American Sign Language mini-institutes Friday [July 23]. An ASL instructor for four years, she has served as president of the American Sign Language Club at Gallaudet.
Her visit is sponsored by Mississippi State's Division of Continuing Education and the campus Student Support Services Office, which provides a range of assistance programs for students with disabilities.
Janice Thompson, the office's deaf services coordinator, said the workshops are designed to increase awareness and appreciation for the language and culture of deaf individuals.
The classes, which will be held in Memorial Hall, include:
--"Facial Expressions and Gestures," 8 a.m.-2 p.m. July 23.
--"ASL Classifiers," 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the 24th.
--"Improving Fingerspelling, Loan Signs and Other ASL Features," 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the 31st.
The attendance fee is $35 for one class, $60 for two or $90 for all three. Continuing education credits are available.
Thompson said campus ASL/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocacy Group also is planning a series of silent dinners during the summer.
For more information about the courses, contact the Division of Continuing Education at (662) 325-2639 or Thompson at 325-8513.