For background information on my efforts in getting ASL recognized as a language on the census form, please read: http://www.doncullen.net/?p=698
U.S. Census 2010Latest updates
I was not able to reach a solution with the U.S. Bureau of Census. They made it clear they do not intend to recognize American Sign Language (ASL) on the census form. Furthermore, they also stated it would require congressional action requiring data collection on ASL usage. The contact, however, went out of his way to explain why this was the case and while no results were achieved, he was quite cooperative and responsive. He tried his best to answer in the most detailed way possible. If and when you contact him, please be polite, friendly, and professional in your interaction. I also advise contacting your local senator/congressperson about the possibility of taking congressional action in order for the U.S. Bureau of Census to finally recognize ASL.
In summary, the U.S. Bureau of Census does not recognize ASL on the census form. If you check the "Other" language option on the census form and write "ASL" on the blank line, they do not count it as ASL; instead, they count it as English. For them, this is following the standard operating policy.
The email is pasted below:
Hi Don,As always, your feedback is welcome.
I would be the contact person for all disability content related questions, concerns, etc. for the ACS and other Census surveys.
Currently, when individuals write 'ASL' in the language box, it is coded to be English. As such, we don't report a separate estimate for ASL users. While we could try to get an ASL question on the survey, we would have to identify a federal requirement or the need to collect this information. Every question in the ACS has a statutory requirement for its collection. If one doesn't currently exist, (and I believe one does not), we would have to have Congress pass a law requiring data collection about ASL use. From what I've gathered from the 'language' subject matter experts, the current language question is directed at assessing the need to provide written government materials in other languages.
We could see about getting ASL into other surveys like the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which has a supplemental questionnaire on disability, or in the National Health Interview Survey.
The documented reasons for the Language question in the ACS (and any other ACS question) can be found at: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/questions_and_why_we_ask/.
The fact that "ASL" is coded as 'English' is done to serve the needs of the policymakers whose legislation requires the collection of this particular piece of data. Were any of the agencies that need language data to require 'ASL' as a separate option, the Census Bureau would be responsive to those requirements. It is typically not the place of the Census Bureau to unilaterally interpret how the statutory language should be translated into survey questions. We try to balance the needs of several agencies and stakeholder who use the data in a way that is operationally beneficial for as many groups as possible.
For the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) or National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), while [it may seem] an easier path towards getting the question on one of these surveys [as stated above], putting a question on any federal survey is not an easy task. When another Federal agency requires a new type of data collected, there is an assessment about which survey is the appropriate tool for measuring the desired topic. Then comes several rounds of testing in focus groups, content test surveys and other experiments. In additional, the sponsoring agency is usually responsible for funding any supplemental questionnaires or special surveys. For instance, the SIPP supplemental questionnaire on disability is sponsored by the Social Security Administration.
I'd be happy to discuss this further or answer any follow up questions you may have.
Best,
Matthew Brault
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Matthew Brault, Statistician
Health and Disability Statistics Branch
Social Economic and Housing Statistics Division
United States Census Bureau
matthew.w.brault@census.gov
I'm confused by this. Are there non-English languages that are explicitly listed on the form? Also, I'm not sure if I understand how ASL is equated to spoken English. Are there only certain languages that are counted? Like what if the household spoke only an African dialect?
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@Anonymous-
ReplyDeleteYes, there are non-English languages that are explicitly listed on the form. You're right in not understanding how ASL is equated to spoken English-- it simply doesn't equate to spoken English. The two are completely different languages. But the US Bureau of Census prefers to not make any distinction between the two.
You'd have to email Matt to ask what their reasoning is as to why they equate ASL to spoken English.
As far as I can determine, if one puts in a foreign language, it is counted as such if it's a known one. They don't do that for ASL though, they count it as English.
Why is the person assigned to disability issues responding to a *language* issue? What has disability got to do with language?
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You'd have to ask Matt that. His contact information is provided in the article.
ReplyDeleteIt was an issue in the UK, eventually you could put BSL down as language. However it wasn't universally approved as various deaf sectors felt the wording didn't allow for other communication forms to be included and priorities sign language against communication usage. There was also not the correct wording of "Is BSL your MAIN means of communication, or B preferred, or,C, other ?" In context it renders the whole inclusion pointless statistic-wise as anyone could write BSL in, and you didn't need to state fluency or beginner either and there is no 'norm' to relate to. I would have thought you had to be an member of the deaf community from birth and use BSL daily to validate. It was an fudge in the end.
ReplyDeleteSorry you feel sad for this kind of news to be happening, but, you all asked for it. The attitudes seen in the video blogs you see on this page, http://eyefirevlogs.com/eyefire2/?p=14783 , and are most likely the ones that influenced the folks who played roles in the decisions that made this kind of news. Dont forget the SummerSlam vlogs too.
ReplyDeleteRichard, you should make sure that the U.S. Bureau of Census never see "Jersey Shore", they'd remove English as a language option for sure!
ReplyDelete"From what I've gathered from the 'language' subject matter experts, the current language question is directed at assessing the need to provide written government materials in other languages."
ReplyDeletePassing a law to gather ASL data would provide the Census the opportunity to assess whether written government material should be accessible in ASL. If it is then required, this spells job opportunities for more deaf workers to become financially independent.
Perhaps someone should point out the fact that the IRS produces ASL videos for deaf tax payers? Wouldn't that give the census bureau an initiative to count the number of ASL users in the U.S.?
ReplyDeleteRichard, I can't hear anything, but I KNOW you sound like a broken record.....SMH
If they are going to be a****les about it, the obvious response is to lie to them. Check "other", then go online and choose some language, such as Urdu, Xhosa, or Pashto.
ReplyDeleteI've read that the language data is already suspect. Let's ruin it completely for them.
PO'ed
I read this article, this article very informative and interesting..I refer your blog to many of my friends as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing knowledge..
@Tayler, HOW would you validate ASL use ? By fluency degree ? By usage ? by preference ? What ? How would you validate someone putting "I am an ASL user" on a census form, would there be some check to see if it was true ? You would just take their word for it ? In the UK they had to provide interpreters for some deaf to fill in the form. It was suggested those deaf could have sign use validated by the interpreter by default. There was an attmept here by BSL using deaf to encourage everyone to put 'BSL' as an language on their forms to boost statistics ! Without an system of validation I can't see the census relevant.
ReplyDeleteIf they are going to trust Spanish speakers, and French Speakers and so on to mark what their language of choice is, then they should be able to do the same for deaf people. Why is it so difficult to believe that people that have functional brains may not have functional ears and that the two are not related! SMDH
DeleteOK, so they say Congressional action is required, then lets start contacting our representatives and requesting that ASL be included on the Census form. Even though I do not know ASL (being late in life to not hearing), I do support this aspect and it would greatly help in achieving other things.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty straightforward here on why the US Census doesn't includes ASL in the language and that is because it's not a written language.
ReplyDeleteAnd I quote "From what I've gathered from the 'language' subject matter experts, the current language question is directed at assessing the need to provide written government materials in other languages."
So there you have it - While you may use ASL to speak but you most certainly do not write in ASL rather you do write in English.
Without ado - I feel that now since the article/response made the topic a moot point here. Unless you want to codify ASL into a written language - be my guest, I'll stick with English.
What I am having a difficult time understanding here, is we are able to acknowledge and accept different cultures and customs whether you're French, Spanish, English, Italian, etc. (all orally spoken languages), but we have to treat ASL and the deaf community as the minority? We can't accept the deaf community the same way we accept different ethnic communities?
ReplyDeleteASL is only a language that is spoken visually and with gestures. ASL has more depth to it's language than just the sign for "cat" or "dog".ASL has it's own grammar and way of being presented that should be respected and not just simply categorized as English because it's easier for the ignorant or impatient.
That is exactly what the Census is being and the way the census excluded ASL is completely uncalled for.
They want data? We'll give them data. The Census and a lot of people do not realize in the slightest or have any comprehension of the deaf community, deaf culture, deaf history, conceptions of the ASL language, living the life style of a deaf American citizen compared to a hearing American citizen, none. There's more "data" then where that came from.
If one doesn't want to acknowledge this, then I'm sure it's minimal effort for the Census to try to recognize something about an ASL forum.
Why does language have to be spoken to be a language? I know there are spoken language that don't have a written form so written isn't it. It's denial that not all language is spoken. In fact, some ASL only folks can't even read English if they were not taught how to interpret it in their own language (asl)
ReplyDeleteDid you ask if there was an existing congressional action on any other language, including English? As far as I know, the United States does not recognize any official language. I see the discussion here focusing on ASL as being a not written language, but so is thousands other languages in this world. Let's not assume and get our facts straight before we start an action item on this one.
ReplyDeleteI would like to have a congress person sit in a room with a deaf person, and have the deaf person sign to them. I think they would understand quickly that ASL is a language. How can you deny it? If ASL had its own "written code" other than English, it would be recognized instantly as a language. Isn't it time to accept everyone's culture and language?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone seen the 2CARE petition online about how the Deaf are excluded from the Census? I understand how one may be concerned about ASL not being included on the Census. But how do u feel about the Deaf community being excluded from the outreach, education and information the Census Bureau spends millions of dollars on every ten years on what they refer to is "difficult to reach" communities.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Census Bureau officials, they had over 4,000 paid positions available for people from "difficult to reach communities" such as the homeless, Native Americans, and Asians, to go into their community and motivate, educate, inform and do outreach. When asked how many Deaf people were hired, I was told, not many!!Another question to ask is: How many people who work for the Census are skilled in ASL?
That is important because even though the 2010 census is over, the Census Bureau sends out more than 350,000 American Community Survey forms out randomly a month. If there is no one who knows sign language, then how do they retrieve the form out in the field from Deaf people who don't fill out their forms? The answer is, they don't.
I am told they're right now 7,000 people working for the Census Bureau who work out in the regional offices and in the field throughout the U.S. An important "talking Head" from the Census Bureau said they did a quick survey and they looked at only three states who employ census workers who are fluent in ASL. Boston had nine people, Kanas City has 0 and Seattle had O. Now I think it is safe to say, with over a million plus Deaf people througout the U.S., the Deaf community is not represented fairly wouldn't you agree?
What this means is that the Census Bureau is failing the Deaf community by not providing equal access as they provide other groups. As a result, most Deaf community member's go uncounted. That is one problem. The other issue is that the Deaf community are not allowed to self identify as a cultural linguistic community so therefore, it is impossible to know how many Deaf members are in the community. The problems for the Deaf community are endless when it comes to the the way the Deaf community are ingnored and discriminated by the Census Bureau. Please look beyond the ASL isssue.
I believe the reason ASL is marked down as English, as stated, is because the whole point of the question is to assess need for written materials. “One of the main purposes of collecting information on languages is for Voting Rights determination.” Things like SignWriting aside, ASL is not typically a written language; most Deaf people’s written communication is in one register of English or another.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do find this interesting as, AFAIK, the Census Bureau does collect information on different Chinese languages, even though, besides a few dialect novels, ads, etc., all literate Chinese speakers use Standard Written Chinese, regardless of whether or not they speak Cantonese, Fuzhou, Mandarin, etc.
The fact that "ASL" is coded as 'English' is done to serve the needs of the policymakers whose legislation requires the collection of this particular piece of data. Were any of the agencies that need language data to require 'ASL' as a separate option, the "Census Bureau would be responsive to those requirements. It is typically not the place of the Census Bureau to unilaterally interpret how the statutory language should be translated into survey questions. We try to balance the needs of several agencies and stakeholder who use the data in a way that is operationally beneficial for as many groups as possible." Sounds like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit to me.
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Taken from www.census.gov...
ReplyDelete*Does the Census Bureau provide the number of people who use American Sign Language (ASL)?*
The three questions used to capture languages spoken and English-speaking ability are not designed to identify those who use ASL. The design of the question is to gather the number of people speaking languages other than English at home, identify which languages are being spoken, and to get the number of people who have difficulty with English (see the FAQ question "Why is language information collected?" http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/about/faqs.html#collected). With that in mind, those who use ASL are presumed to know English. Those who report using American Sign Languages, ASL, or some variation of those words are coded as being English speakers.
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ASL users are 'presumed' to know English. Thus, are not considered a group of people that would have difficulty with English. There are a lot of things wrong with this presumption and narrow view of language, and language users. But, with that answer I feel there could be hope, in providing research and data to show congress that ASL users need to be separate from English and why.