Deaf Boy can’t sign his name?
August 29, 2012
A 3 year old in the Grand Island School District in Nebraska was told he is not allowed to sign his name because, “the sign language symbol too closely resembles a gun.” I found this article to be newsworthy because it shows just how sensitive and over the top our school systems have become. I think it can be agreed upon that gun violence should not be encouraged in schools, however, to tell a three year old that he is not allowed to use the sign language he was taught to sign his name seems a bit ridiculous. This article also seemed unique to me because it was more of a story about a story. A lot of the article was devoted to how the story had been picked up nationally and it seemed like the focus of this article was more aimed towards the national recognition instead of on the story.
August 29th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
You’re exactly right, Matthew. This story is unique in that it attempts to trace how the story evolved, and where the confusion is. If you look at the official statement, the school is not asking that the parent’s change the kid’s name, just the language in which it is signed. One language, I assume, uses a gun-like sign and the other does not. Unfortunately, the father does not want to use the alternative sign. It seems to me he is the one who has created the problem, and the media has now piled on.
Very interesting.