Marsh 1
Shawna Marsh
Dr. Hamren
ENGL 100-004
15 April 2022
Argument Essay Outline
Thesis: All Liberty staff should be required to have a basic understanding of American Sign
Language (ASL) in order to cater to deaf and nonverbal students..
I. Students that are autistic respond differently to lights and sounds than those who are
neurotypical; the difference in brain chemistry can lead to an autistic episode where they
are unable to speak.
A. When an autistic person becomes non verbal they will not be able to convey their
situation via spoken communication.
B. Many autistic people use signlanguage to communicate when the chemical
imbalance leads to an autistic episode.
II. Liberty has a large grouping of students who are deaf and use signlanguage to
communicate.
A. If a medical emergency were to ensue and the staff available to asist the student
lacked basic ASL capabilities, the students life could be at risk.
B. Liberty does not require medical personel or staff members to have a basic
understanding of ASL, the lack of concern for the language barrier and obstacles
presented results in a disregard for the safety of those who have a disability.
(Personal Story Here)
Marsh 2
Shawna Marsh
Dr. Hamren
ENGL 100-004
15 April 2022
Argument Essay
The health and safety of all Liberty students lies in the palms of Liberty administration
and staff regardless of the disadvantages the student possesses. When parents and families trust
Liberty with their loved one they expect a certain level of concern for their well-being.
Unfortunately parents and families who have loved ones who have disabilities such as autism or
an hearing impairment do not realize the disadvantage their student will have at Liberty. Staff
and emergency services are not required to have any training that would prepare them for a
medical emergency involving an individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder or a Hearing
impairment. If a medical emergecy were to occur the lack of spealized training could result in a
miscommunication that could turn fatal. All Liberty staff should be required to have a basic
understanding of American Sign Language (ASL) in order to cater to deaf and nonverbal
students.
Students that are autistic respond differently to lights and sounds than those who are
neurotypical; the difference in brain chemistry can lead to an autistic episode where they are
unable to speak.When an autistic person becomes non verbal they will not be able to convey
their situation via spoken communication. This results in a form of language barrier; the
language barrier will make aiding the individual in need significantly more difficult. Many
autistic people use sign language to communicate, many are not fluent but know basic signs to
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get help if required. The same basic sign language skills should be expected of Liberty
University Staff. Sign language is a crucial skill needed by staff to ensure that if an autistic
episode ensues that the individual will be able to be assisted.
Liberty has a large grouping of students who are deaf and use sign language to
communicate. If a medical emergency were to ensue and the staff available to asist the student
lacked basic ASL capabilities, the students life could be at risk. Liberty does not require medical
personel or staff members to have a basic understanding of ASL, the lack of concern for the
language barrier and obstacles presented results in a disregard for the safety of those who have a
disability.
In my personal experience I have witnessed the potential for harm when officers and staff
do not have the proper training. A few weeks ago I was eating dinner with my roommate at the
dining hall. We heard screaming and immediately peered acrossed the booths to see what was
happening. We then heard students screaming “seizure”. Since my roommate is an EMT and I
have minor medical training we ran over to see if we could assist. We found a girl shaking and
screaming laying down in a booth about to fall out while a peer held her head. I quickly realized
that this was not a seizure but an austistic episode. The officers had no plan of action and just
stood there in awe. They then ask us if they should call 911. In all honesty if I was there to vouch
for her and explain to the officer that this episode was a result of overstimulition than emergency
services would have been called and her episode would have worsened. Once she began to calm
down, I was able to sign with her and comprehend iof she needed further assistance or not. Due
to their absence of knowledge relating to autism her mental well-being could have been
compromised if it wasn’t for my knowledge of ASD.
All Liberty staff should be required to have a basic understanding of American Sign
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Language (ASL) in order to cater to deaf and nonverbal students. Without a basic understanding
of sign language the portion of students who possess a ASD or hearing related disability will be
putting their lives at risk. There are several scenarios that can be imagined in which having a
basic capability to sign could help aid in a medical emergency.
