Signing Exact English (SEE)

SEE is based on signs drawn from American Sign Language (ASL) and is expanded with articles, prepositions, pronouns, affixes, tenses, and finger-spelled words to visually represent the English language. SEE is most often used with deaf children in educational settings.

Courses Offered at WSU

CSD 260 Signing Exact English I (2 credit hours)
Introduction to the theory and use of Signing Exact English (SEE) as a means of communication with the hearing impaired. Independent outside practice is necessary to facilitate skill.

CSD 360 Signing Exact English II (2 credit hours)
An advanced class in the theory and use of Signing Exact English (SEE) as a means of communication with the hearing impaired. Emphasizes vocabulary and interpreting skills. Prerequisite: CDS 260

CSD 460 Signing Exact English III (2 credit hours)
Intermediate level course designed to increase expressive, receptive and voiced vocabulary in Signing Exact English and increased use of visual features of signed languages. Production techniques, self and peer analyses and skills pursuant to Kansas standards for Interpreters in Educational Settings are applied. Prerequisite: CDS 360.

Frequently Asked Questions

SEE is a signed representative of the English language. It is not American Sign Language.

1. Why not just use ASL? Why can't SEE be used for foreign language credits?
2. Why do some parents and educators think SEE should be used to teach English to kids?
   
   a) Approximately 97% of deaf and hard of hearing children have at least one parent who is hearing. Putting a sign to the language that a hearing
parent already uses is much faster than learning a whole new language. Parents are primary educators of young children, so the sooner parents learn to sign, the sooner their children can be exposed to language, and less time is lost in those formative years of cognitive development.

b) SEE has been around long enough to prove that it is successful in teaching English to deaf and hard of hearing children.

3. Why do some classroom teachers learn SEE?
   
   Educators, whether they are teachers, tutors, paraprofessionals, or parents are using sign language as a teaching tool. Teachers in regular education classes are learning signed language to enhance their classroom abilities and better understand how to work with classroom interpreters. Some hearing students learn better when the visual cues of sign language are used, and most students benefit from learning things that can be reinforced by movement. Gifted students enjoy the challenge of learning another creative way to express themselves. Parents are recognizing the benefits of early communication with their infants before they are able to talk by using sign language, which has proven to give children a jumpstart in language development. These are the perks to a communication system designed for the deaf and hard of hearing population.
    
4. What about children who have some hearing?
   
   With the child who has some useable hearing, sometimes supported with hearing aids, FM Systems, cochlear implants, or just someone who has lip reading skills, the use of SEE supports the vocal input and can provide a more complete message. There are more and more advances in technology and methods of speech/language pathologists that work well with SEE and the philosophy of Total Communication.
    
5. Where can I learn more about SEE?
   
   Read the front of the Signing Exact English Dictionary, contact the instructors of these courses, and/or contact the SEE Center for the Advancement of Deaf Children at 562-596-8548 or http://www.seecenter.org.