1
00:00:00,033 --> 00:00:04,435
[ This video has no audio, in honor of 'No Audio Day' ... ]
2
00:00:04,435 --> 00:00:07,477
[ ... and a good No Audio Day to you! ]
3
00:00:07,477 --> 00:00:08,958
Hello ASL Community!
4
00:00:08,958 --> 00:00:12,234
I usually post my vlogs on the 1st and 15th of each month,
5
00:00:12,234 --> 00:00:14,206
but one viewer
6
00:00:14,206 --> 00:00:16,412
notified me of something; when I looked into it,
7
00:00:16,412 --> 00:00:21,006
I was so disturbed that I just had to let you know about it.
8
00:00:21,006 --> 00:00:24,335
If someone were to tell you that ASL wasn't a true language,
9
00:00:24,335 --> 00:00:26,607
that it was all just a bunch of rudimentary
10
00:00:26,607 --> 00:00:29,652
miming and gesturing, how would you feel?
11
00:00:29,652 --> 00:00:32,016
Sad to say, that's precisely what's happening here in Italy.
12
00:00:32,016 --> 00:00:35,966
For years now, the Italian signing community,
13
00:00:35,966 --> 00:00:39,208
comprised of both Deaf and hearing signers,
14
00:00:39,208 --> 00:00:42,751
have been striving to convince their government
15
00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:46,486
to recognize their signed language: LIS.
16
00:00:46,486 --> 00:00:50,596
They've submitted a document regarding LIS to the government,
17
00:00:50,596 --> 00:00:53,615
which the government is ready to officially recognize
18
00:00:53,615 --> 00:00:57,894
however they want to replace the acronym 'LIS' with 'LMG',
19
00:00:57,894 --> 00:01:00,976
essentially meaning 'Language of Miming and Gesturing'
20
00:01:00,976 --> 00:01:01,858
21
00:01:01,858 --> 00:01:03,609
… 'Miming and Gesturing'???
22
00:01:03,609 --> 00:01:07,059
Hey, I've got an idea: Maybe we should start referring to
23
00:01:07,059 --> 00:01:11,263
spoken Italian as 'LMG' - Language of Moans and Grunts!
24
00:01:11,263 --> 00:01:17,028
[ terrible imitation of spoken Italian… but you get the point ]
25
00:01:17,028 --> 00:01:18,551
26
00:01:18,551 --> 00:01:22,294
If you'd like more information, check out the links below.
27
00:01:22,294 --> 00:01:25,904
Click on them for more videos and articles on the topic.
28
00:01:25,904 --> 00:01:28,277
Anyway, I didn't make this video simply because I wanted
29
00:01:28,277 --> 00:01:31,286
to share this information with you and have that be it.
30
00:01:31,286 --> 00:01:33,693
No, this is a call to ACTION.
31
00:01:33,693 --> 00:01:36,641
These are our Italian brothers and sisters! Though they have
32
00:01:36,641 --> 00:01:39,033
a different signed language, they are a part of the
33
00:01:39,033 --> 00:01:42,145
global signing community, and as such, share our interests.
34
00:01:42,145 --> 00:01:44,079
… but how can we lend our support?
35
00:01:44,079 --> 00:01:49,000
Well, I'm glad you asked. You can do three things.
36
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,038
Here's the first, and most significant way
37
00:01:51,038 --> 00:01:52,064
to lend your support:
38
00:01:52,064 --> 00:01:55,553
The Italian signing - LIS - community has set up an
39
00:01:55,553 --> 00:01:58,817
online petition; you can show your support
40
00:01:58,817 --> 00:02:01,626
by logging on to that petition and signing it.
41
00:02:01,626 --> 00:02:04,134
The petition's link is below, the first one listed.
42
00:02:04,134 --> 00:02:09,057
Since the petition is in Italian, you may feel a bit lost,
43
00:02:09,057 --> 00:02:13,057
unsure of how to fill it out. No worries, simply click here.
44
00:02:13,057 --> 00:02:16,208
You'll see a video explaining and demonstrating
45
00:02:16,208 --> 00:02:18,948
the process, it's really easy, so simple.
46
00:02:18,948 --> 00:02:21,826
One thing to keep in mind, though: Unless you confirm
47
00:02:21,826 --> 00:02:24,869
your email address, your signature is not valid.
48
00:02:24,869 --> 00:02:27,676
Some have signed the petition thinking all is well,
49
00:02:27,676 --> 00:02:29,351
when in fact, they've missed one step,
50
00:02:29,351 --> 00:02:30,717
thereby invalidating their signature!
51
00:02:30,717 --> 00:02:32,095
How so? Click on that there video.
52
00:02:32,095 --> 00:02:35,295
The second way to lend your support? If you have
53
00:02:35,295 --> 00:02:38,941
a Facebook account, log in, enter the name
54
00:02:38,941 --> 00:02:41,313
of this group, and join 'em. That way you can keep
55
00:02:41,313 --> 00:02:43,051
updated on any developments.
56
00:02:43,051 --> 00:02:45,458
The third thing you can do? Tell your friends!
57
00:02:45,458 --> 00:02:48,165
If you're Deaf, tell your Deaf friends.
58
00:02:48,165 --> 00:02:50,773
If you're an ASL teacher, tell your students.
59
00:02:50,773 --> 00:02:53,046
If you're an interpreter, tell your colleagues.
60
00:02:53,046 --> 00:02:56,455
Send an email, tell them in person, forward this vlog,
61
00:02:56,455 --> 00:02:59,328
make your own vlog! The important thing is that
62
00:02:59,328 --> 00:03:01,769
you get the word out. It doesn't matter if you're Deaf,
63
00:03:01,769 --> 00:03:06,075
Hard-of-Hearing, hearing, a CODA, or a NERDA…
64
00:03:06,075 --> 00:03:10,038
point is, we're all a part of one big community:
65
00:03:10,038 --> 00:03:13,301
the global signing community.
66
00:03:13,301 --> 00:03:15,303
As for those who do not understand sign language;
67
00:03:15,303 --> 00:03:17,814
we need to help them understand.
68
00:03:17,814 --> 00:03:20,853
Sign the petition. Join the Facebook group.
69
00:03:20,853 --> 00:03:22,193
Tell your friends.
70
00:03:22,193 --> 00:03:24,405
Sign
71
00:03:24,405 --> 00:03:26,193
Power.
72
00:03:26,193 --> 99:59:59,999