American Deaf Culture Questionnaire

What is American Sign Language (ASL)? (click all that apply)

• a visual form of English

• a language that relies on mime

• a language capable of expressing abstract ideas

• a language using picture-like gestures to express ideas and concepts

• a language utilizing space and movement to convey meaning

Historically, American Sign Language is related to: (click all that apply)

• British Sign Language

• Swedish Sign Language

• French Sign Language

• German Sign language

American Sign Language is traditionally handed down from generation to generation through:

• Deaf family members

• Deaf adults in the community

• Residential schools for the Deaf

• Sign Language teachers

• classroom teachers

Among ASL signers, fingerspelling is mainly used in what ways? (click all that apply)

• interchangeably with any sign

• to specify brand names

• as an artistic form of signing

• to give names to people and places

American Sign Language makes use of the space in front of a signer’s body to: (click all that apply)

• convey distance

• contrast two people, places, things, or ideas

• express me concepts

• indicate sentence types

If your path is blocked by two signers conversing with each other, you should: (click all that apply)

• wait unDl they stop talking before you pass through

• bend down very low in order to avoid passing through their signing space

• go ahead and walk through

• find another path

Which of the following are considered rude by Deaf people: (click all that apply)

• moving a person aside so you can pass through

• watching a signed conversation

• describe a distinctive feature of a person to identify him/her

• talking (using voice) in the presence of Deaf people

Which of the following are valued in the Deaf community: (click all that apply)

• restoring one’s hearing

• to be self-­‐reliant (be your own person)

• to develop long term relationships

• for community to govern their own affairs

• being kept informed about the community and its members

American Sign Language is used by most Deaf people in which of the following countries? (click all that apply)

• Canada

• United States

• Mexico

• Brazil

• England

The role of facial expressions, head movements, and eye gaze in American Sign Language is primarily:

• grammatical

• stylistic

• emotive