A Profile of Professionals Teaching American Sign Language

Data on background variables of respondents collected as part of a large scale study of American Sign Language teaching is reported here and comparisons are made between the data collected in this study in 1993 and similar data collected in 1980 by Battison and Carter. This data shows significant changes in the profile of teachers of ASL over these 14 years. Of most significance are: (1) the increase in mean age of teachers and the length of their ASL teaching experience, (2) their emphasis on teaching ASL as opposed to “sign language,” and (3) the significant shift in ratio of “deaf” to “hearing” teachers of ASL. The profile of teachers of ASL in 1993 shows them as skilled professionals who pursue their continuing professional development and have grown in sophistication as their profession has grown towards professional status more like that of other foreign language and second language teachers. Areas where further growth is needed include: (1) development of college level programs of study leading to credentialization in the field of ASL instruction specifically, (2) stronger orientation among ASL teachers to their professional organization and professional certification, and (3) recruitment of minorities into the profession.