Venado is home to 30 Deaf and Hard of hearing (DHH) students who live all over Orange County. Although the program is housed on the Venado campus, it is funded and supported by the Orange County Department of Education. Students come from as far north as La Habra or as far south as Laguna Niguel and everywhere else in between, which can make for some very long bus rides. Each month, this portion of Venado’s newsletter will inform you about things happening within the DHH program, and give some fun facts about Deaf Culture or American Sign Language. American Sign Language (ASL) is offered as an elective course for hearing students as a way to foster interaction among the hearing and Deaf students on campus.
Fun Fact #1: American Sign Language is NOT based on English. It is a completely separate and UNIQUE language, with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. ASL is the 3rd most widely used language in the United States, after English and Spanish.
~ Janet Dicker, DHH Teacher and Site Liaison