STUDY THIS: Sign Language Interpreting & Communication Disorders

Student Combines Majors to Better Advocate for Deaf Community

Sign Language Interpreting Major

• Become an interpreter who communicates with American Sign

Language (ASL) and uplifts Deaf culture • Join the only university-level ASL program in the region, supported by professors from the Deaf community • Engage in hands-on learning at interpreting events

An annual Deaf Awareness Carnival hosted by the Augustana University Deaf Awareness Club in the Elmen Center gym is when Hannah Allen ‘25 knew she was in the right place, studying the right majors. Although she’d only recently begun formally studying American Sign Language (ASL), by the end of the night, she felt confident and comfortable communicating with the deaf and hard of hearing guests.

“Going to those events and interacting with people from the Deaf community — using sign — was a great way to start learning and putting those skills that we’ve been taught into practice,” Allen said.

The sign language interpreting and communication disorders double major came to Augustana because it’s the only university in the region that offers

both programs. Beyond that, Allen loved the community feel.

“I realized the two programs would be really complementary to each other, especially if I want to go into audiology because being able to understand and communicate with my patients would be very helpful as an audiologist — and to understand Deaf culture,” Allen said.

Signing-only events, like the carnival, are required hands-on learning opportunities for all ASL courses. Allen said immersion helps mastery of the language set in earlier, which is why ASL courses at Augustana are immersion-based from day one, as class time means voices off. This department-wide teaching strategy means students learn a fast-paced, conversational level of the language right away.

“That immersion is really helpful for learning a language, especially such a visual language, because if you can’t communicate in your preferred native language, you learn how to pick up the second language really fast,” Allen said. “I really liked how fast we got into everything.”

Audiology, as well as speech pathology, are the two professional tracks for the communication disorders major, which prepares students for graduate-level study in either discipline. Allen said some lessons from her Deaf Culture course will help her better advocate for her patients.

“It made me realize a lot of things about assistive hearing devices, like cochlear implants or hearing aids,” Allen said, “... how the Deaf community views it versus how hearing doctors may view it.”

Openness and support from her academic advisor to help her graduate on time makes Allen’s double major more feasible.

“My professors — both my primary and secondary advisors — have been so helpful in making sure that I can fit things in so that I can do this,” Allen said.

Allen’s introductory communication disorders course gave her a base-level knowledge of the science behind speech so this fall she’ll better be able to be hands-on with performing assessments and using the tools of an audiologist.

Allen’s favorite part of Augustana is the opportunity to be involved in student life as a dancer on the Augustana Spirit Squad, as well as through the Deaf Awareness Club and National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA).

She enjoys finding harmony between achieving her goals through academics while being a student-athlete on the sidelines of Viking Athletics’ games.

“Being able to find that balance between all of those different areas of my life has been great,” Allen said. “I love the independence of it. It’s been great at Augie.”

Communication Disorders Major

• Become a speech-language pathologist or audiologist • Benefit from high-impact experiences in the form of clinicals that preview the day-to-day of this career • Explore internships at local schools and clinics, as well as volunteer-based clubs