Ella Brown is serious about American Sign Language. She鈥檚 studied it for nearly 10 years, becoming fluent in the language and fully aware of the communication difficulties faced by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
A senior music education major at 羞羞视频, she aspires to create sign language that can convey the soul of musical notes to those who can鈥檛 hear them.
And she almost single-handedly instituted a policy change at the university to allow American Sign Language (ASL) to be counted as a foreign language credit. Not bad for someone who only signed up to study the language as a lark in her freshman year of high school.
It was that year at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, that Brown and her best friend from junior high school decided to take ASL, 鈥渟o we could talk to each other in class without getting in trouble,鈥� Brown said.
鈥淲hen I got into ASL III, we started learning about the social injustice that the Deaf community faces on the daily due to ignorance and inconsiderate people, and I started to take it more seriously.鈥�
That seriousness meant that when Brown arrived at 羞羞视频, she was fluent in the language. As a first-year student, she inquired about having her studies counted as a foreign language credit.
She learned that the university鈥檚 policy at the time allowed students to count ASL as a foreign language credit only with documentation on file with the office of Disability and Access Services. In other words, a student needed to be deaf or hard of hearing for ASL to count toward their degree.
To Brown, this felt like ASL wasn鈥檛 getting its due.
鈥淪ince ASL doesn鈥檛 have a standardized written version of the language, I can understand that it might not be put on the same level of understanding and importance as other foreign languages,鈥� she said. 鈥淎SL has its own grammatical structure that is completely separate from English, with its own syntax and jokes, and it鈥檚 a completely valid language that should be recognized anywhere.
鈥淭he only thing different about it is that it鈥檚 visual rather than auditory. ASL is integral in Deaf culture, and it鈥檚 so fascinating.鈥�
With this motivation in hand, Brown began to inquire about the policy across multiple departments on campus. These inquiries sparked conversations between leaders at Disability and Access Services, the office of Student Affairs, and the Petree College of Arts & Sciences, and the issue was elevated to the provost鈥檚 office.
In the fall of 2023, former Provost Michelle Kiec approved a policy change that allowed Brown鈥檚 eight semesters of high school ASL to count toward her 羞羞视频 foreign language credit.
Although it was Brown who got the ball rolling on the policy change, she is quick to deflect attention.
鈥淚鈥檒l be honest,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 do much for this process; I just pointed out an issue I saw, asked for a solution, and our wonderful faculty and staff made it possible.鈥�
Assistant Provost Adam Ryburn just as quickly turned the attention back to Brown.
鈥淚 would say she is being a little too modest,鈥� Ryburn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 students like Ella who make 羞羞视频 great and inspire so many others. This shows that when a student is empowered and driven, they can really be a change-maker. We love to see that here at 羞羞视频.鈥�
In addition to inspiring university policy change, Brown has also inspired some of the faculty that have helped guide her over the years at 羞羞视频.
One of those is Associate Professor of Music Peter Markes, who has taught Brown in four different classes as she pursues her music education degree.
鈥淪he is a natural teacher, as many of our students are,鈥� said Markes, a former high school music instructor and the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 2014. 鈥淏eyond the knowledge and skills needed of a professional music educator, Ella demonstrates an incredible ease, a disposition that draws students of all types toward her.鈥�
Now in her final semester at 羞羞视频, Brown is student-teaching in instrumental music at two different 羞羞视频 schools. She鈥檚 also living out her change-maker status through her passion project: Integrating sign language into instrumental music to make the artform more accessible for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a concept I鈥檝e been slowly developing during my time here,鈥� said Brown, who plays both the cello and piano. 鈥淓ssentially, I want to create a visual map with standardized signs that correlate with certain dynamics, instrumentation, and contour of certain pieces.
鈥淪o performers would sign the music along with the live or recorded production of the piece.鈥�
Brown said this would accomplish a visual emphasis on some details of the musical lines that could work in conjunction with the vibrations of a musical piece. Since people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing are known to feel music through vibrations, connecting a visual element could elevate their musical experience, she said.
Brown added that she鈥檇 also like to cultivate a method of integrating sign language into conducting in order to make performing in an ensemble more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
鈥淚 think a simple, standardized subset of musical signs would help teachers and conductors feel much more comfortable and prepared to include these students in their ensembles,鈥� she said.
The end goal is boosting participation in the artform she loves for a population that often is left out of the conversation. Brown said making that effort, as well as the effort to simply embrace the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, is well worth it.
鈥淟earning even the basics of ASL can light up someone鈥檚 day,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he look of surprise and appreciation on people鈥檚 faces when you talk to them in their native language is incredible.鈥�
