LAMP Celebrates One Year With American Sign Language (ASL)

            In a world as lush and experiential as ours, many believe that to be born with a loss of the senses, such as blindness or deafness, is a detriment, but those individuals could not be further from the truth. Individuals with limitations in one sensory area usually accommodate for these impediments by excelling at another sensory area and utilizing it as their predominant method of survival. These individuals do so with an indomitable spirit. This phenomenon is best articulated by Ishmael Balfour, who states, “I might be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't hear, I might be deaf, but that doesn't mean I can't read lips, I might be both, but that doesn't mean I should stop believing”. By making this declaration, he is directly affirming that he should stop at nothing to live a fruitful life, despite any reservations he or the rest of society has about his abilities to do so. With such a forceful authority in making this assertion, Balfour raises multiple questions about society’s ability to accommodate and cherish those with physical limitations in every day aspects of life. One key area concerning accommodation is the communication between deaf/blind individuals, and their English speaking non-deaf and non-blind societal counterparts. This issue, which has always been existent in humanity, was brought forth and made a priority by LAMP’s American Sign Language (ASL) Coordinator, James Frost. Exactly one year ago, Frost brought his life’s work in deaf advocacy to the forefront of LAMP’s attention, officially making it one of LAMP’s provided interpretive languages.

               LAMP’s mission, which is to bridge the gap between Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals and the English speaking majority of society, does not limit the status of LEP to oral language only, and therefore saw the need for ASL to be added to its roster. The necessity for ASL interpretative services was so great and well received that it led to the development of the American Sign Language Program, which strives to enable effective communication between medical providers and deaf or hard of hearing patients. By providing high-quality sign language interpretation services, LAMP is enabling these deaf and hard of hearing patients to be in a position to participate in their health care decisions with their health care providers, thereby increasing patient satisfaction and empowerment.  LAMP also hopes that its efforts will decrease health care costs related to medical errors resulting from miscommunications between provider and patient, and therefore ensure that like all other LEP individuals that LAMP works with, deaf or hard of hearing individuals will have the opportunity to fight for their rights in all aspects of everyday life.

                When asked about his experience in creating the American Sign Language Program at LAMP, Frost spoke very highly of the work his colleagues did, when he stated, “The LAMP sign language program is a result of outstanding teamwork between LAMP staff and the sign language interpreters working for LAMP.  We would not have a high-quality health care interpreting program for the deaf and hard of hearing if it was not for the exceptional team effort by everyone involved.”

                We at LAMP would like to take this opportunity to formally thank James Frost for his inspiring and revolutionary work with ASL, and for bringing it to the forefront of our efforts as an organization. This article is in celebration of his hard work and determination, and to mark just how deeply these efforts have impacted the St. Louis community over the course of a busy year. Cheers!

For more information on our American Sign Language (ASL) services, contact LAMP at:
(314) 842-0062

Author: Andrea L., Portuguese Interpreter and Intern at LAMP