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[ ... and a good No Audio Day to you! ]

Hello ASL Community!

I usually post my vlogs on the 1st and 15th of each month,

but one viewer

notified me of something; when I looked into it,

I was so disturbed that I just had to let you know about it.

If someone were to tell you that ASL wasn't a true language,

that it was all just a bunch of rudimentary

miming and gesturing, how would you feel?

Sad to say, that's precisely what's happening here in Italy.

For years now, the Italian signing community,

comprised of both Deaf and hearing signers,

have been striving to convince their government

to recognize their signed language: LIS.

They've submitted a document regarding LIS to the government,

which the government is ready to officially recognize

<i>however</i> they want to replace the acronym 'LIS' with 'LMG',

essentially meaning 'Language of Miming and Gesturing'

… 'Miming and Gesturing'???

Hey, I've got an idea: Maybe we should start referring to

spoken Italian as 'LMG' - Language of Moans and Grunts!

[ terrible imitation of spoken Italian… but you get the point ]

If you'd like more information, check out the links below.

Click on them for more videos and articles on the topic.

Anyway, I didn't make this video simply because I wanted

to share this information with you and have that be it.

No, this is a call to ACTION.

These are our Italian brothers and sisters! Though they have

a different signed language, they <i>are</i> a part of the

global signing community, and as such, share our interests.

… but how can we lend our support?

Well, I'm glad you asked. You can do three things.

Here's the first, and most significant way

to lend your support:

The Italian signing - LIS - community has set up an

online petition; you can show your support

by logging on to that petition and signing it.

The petition's link is below, the first one listed.

Since the petition is in Italian, you may feel a bit lost,

unsure of how to fill it out. No worries, simply click here.

You'll see a video explaining and demonstrating

the process, it's really easy, so simple.

One thing to keep in mind, though: Unless you confirm

your email address, your signature is not valid.

Some have signed the petition thinking all is well,

when in fact, they've missed one step,

thereby invalidating their signature!

How so? Click on that there video.

The second way to lend your support? If you have

a Facebook account, log in, enter the name

of this group, and join 'em. That way you can keep

updated on any developments.

The third thing you can do? Tell your friends!

If you're Deaf, tell your Deaf friends.

If you're an ASL teacher, tell your students.

If you're an interpreter, tell your colleagues.

Send an email, tell them in person, forward this vlog,

make your own vlog! The important thing is that

you get the word out. It doesn't matter if you're Deaf,

Hard-of-Hearing, hearing, a CODA, or a NERDA…

point is, we're all a part of one big community:

the global signing community.

As for those who do not understand sign language;

we need to <i>help</i> them understand.

Sign the petition. Join the Facebook group.

Tell your friends.

Sign

Power.