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Pointing /0 Thompson Building. this sign leads thewaytothe"Centeron Deafness .. Hand Jive The Silent Minority ~ eing involved in the Deaf the deaf. There are also courses focused on f Education advantages. College Un- interpreting, teaching WMC ASL, can and boast teaching that program ". West- Maryland ern has interpreters. other many The one third of the Deaf ED Graduate students dergrad courses, which in- are deaf themselves. Dr. Prickett attributes clude American Sign Language (ASL), this success to WMC's basic philosophy Signed English, Fingerspelling, and Inter- that encourages the deaf to become teach- mediate and Advanced Sign, provide stu- ers themselves, as well as to the core of dents with an opportunity to seriously pur- dedicated instructors. The program has ac- sue a strong interest in Deaf Education or to quired an excellent reputation in the field simply explore an alternative mode of com- and is represented by graduates from every munication. There are also courses which state in the country as well as part of Can- (rather than teach manual skills), explain ada. deafness in relation to other disciplines and With the assistance of the staff of the everyday life, such as Intro to Deafness, Center on Deafness and others, Dr. Prickett Psych of Deafness, and the Jan-term edited and had published three books relat- course, The Silent Minority. Students with ed to deafness: Advocacy for Deaf Chil- a serious interest in becoming a teacher of dren. Multi-handicapped Hearing-im- the deaf may also participate in a practi- paired. and Usher's Syndrome: What it is. cum experience at a residential school for How to Cope. and How to Help. Works like the deaf. these and the accomplishments of WMC's Dr. Prickett, the coordinator, is a true Deaf Ed Graduates have contributed in advocate for the Deaf Education Graduate countless ways to the understanding and Program here at WMC. In coordination advancement of the deaf community. Deaf Education 8S with the Center on Deafness, the graduate Nona Green (with Melanie D'Amore) program prepares students to be teachers of