PEN International Consultants Patricia Mudgett-DeCaro and Yufang Liu conducted an intensive American Sign Language training workshop in Shanghai, China from Nov. 20 to Nov. 28, 2007. The Chinese government believes that with the opening of China to more International events, more deaf individuals from around the world will be coming to China. In addition they realize that American Sign Language is one of the sign languages used widely internationally as a second language, much as English is used. For these reasons the Shanghai Disabled Person's Federation, with the support of the CDPF and PEN-International, funded this workshop. The training was held at the Disabled Persons Sports Training School in Shanghai where students and faculty were housed, as well as where the training took place. This is a self-enclosed campus sports training facility. Technicians were available to help at all times and the entire training session was recorded. An individual was available at every class to attend to any details and make sure things went smoothly, and to make needed copies and the like. Snack breaks were also provided.
The participants were 16 hearing persons who were fluent in English (TOEFL scores of at least 6) and in Chinese Sign Language. They came from cities all around China as the CDPF wants people in large cities around China to be able and available to help with visiting deaf persons. Some were teachers at schools for the deaf. Classes were held from 8 to 4:30 each day with an hour break for lunch and every other evening from 7 to 9 was an open study session. Students were highly motivated and progressed at an extremely fast rate through the VISTA Signing Naturally, Level 1 curriculum (in 8 days almost all of Level 1 was covered). As a result of students' hard work and the general support, the workshop was very successful.
A meeting was held at the end of the workshop with Huang Wei of the CDPF to begin discussions on further steps to be taken. Possible alternatives are further training sessions in different cities, advanced continued training for those who finished the introductory workshop, and intensive advanced training at NTID for the best of the students from this class.
