Home Institution: Gallaudet University
Program: LIS, Italian and Cultural Studies for Deaf Students, Summer 2007
My name is Joseph Hill. I am a deaf Ph.D candidate of Linguistics at Gallaudet University in Washington DC. My dissertation topic is "Language Attitude and Judgments toward American Sign Language in the American Deaf Community." I am set to complete the Ph.D program in year 2010. I am still figuring out where to go next but one thing I do know is that I will make plans to visit Siena as often as possible. Siena holds a special place in my heart because it helped me to blossom into the person I am today.
The first time I went to Siena was a 3-week pilot summer program at Siena School where I learned Italian Sign Language (LIS) and Italian with American and Italian deaf students. While the program was intense with me learning two separate languages in three weeks' time, it was a load of fun and I came away with special memories of the program.
I returned to Siena the second time as a Fulbright student at Siena School where I would stay for 7 months. With the Fulbright grant, I was able to carry out my independent research study on language attitudes regarding LIS in Italian deaf education. The objective was to describe the attitudes of school principals, teachers, and parents about the use of LIS as a language of instruction in the context of Italian deaf education. I made trips to different towns in Italy where they have schools serving deaf students. I visited schools in Cossato, Padova, Rome, and Barletta and interviewed my subjects regarding their perspectives on LIS in deaf education. I was grateful for Siena School to help me with whatever I needed to make my study successful and my living in Italy comfortable, including communicating with people in Italian. I would be lost in a language mess if it weren't for Siena School.
One thing I truly enjoyed at Siena School was working as an extracurricular activity coordinator during the summer programs for American students interested in learning LIS and Italian. I felt that I was able to make a difference for the students in enjoying their experiences in Italy and learning a bit about Italian culture. It was during the programs that I cultivated special friendships among the Siena School staff. They were like a family to me and I will never forget them.