GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

S	1 

SENATE BILL 889

Short Title:  American Sign Language.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Martin of Guilford and Cooper.

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Referred to:  Children & Human Resources.

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April 16, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL) AS THE MODERN LANGUAGE OF CHOICE FOR MANY DEAF, HARD-OF-HEARING AND HEARING NORTH CAROLINA CITIZENS.
Whereas, American Sign Language (ASL) is one of the top four widely used languages in the United States and Canada; and
Whereas, North Carolina has over 50,000 deaf citizens, most of whom use ASL as their primary language; and
Whereas, ASL has met the accepted linguistic criteria to qualify it as a legitimate language in that it has a system of arbitrary symbols, grammatical signals, and syntax, it has a community of users, and it has undergone historical changes; and
Whereas, more than one-half of the state legislatures in the United States have recognized and accepted American Sign Language as a language; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  A new Chapter is added to the General Statutes to read as follows:
"Chapter 103A.
"Recognition of American Sign Language.
"§ 103A-1. Definitions.
The following definitions shall apply in this Chapter:
(1)	'American Sign Language (ASL)' means a visual language that is a separate and distinct language involving the hands, arms, facial markers, and body movements to convey grammatical information.
(2)	'Deaf people' refers to people who use American Sign Language as their primary language to communicate in their respective cultural groups.
(3)	'Deaf' means the inability to hear and/or understand oral communications, with or without assistance of amplification devices.