(a)      In the State of Maryland, those individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are identified as a cultural minority with specialized communication needs.

      (b)      American Sign Language is recognized as a language system designed to meet the specialized communication needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. American Sign Language is a visual-spatial method of communication that is a separate and distinct language involving the hands, arms, facial markers, and body movements to communicate with others, including the conveyance of thoughts, words, emotions, and grammatical information.

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