Want to Avoid Spanish? Take ASL.

The Los Angeles Times reported today in "Wary of Taking Spanish or French? Raise Your Hands" that sign language has soared in popularity as a "foreign language" for meeting college foreign language requirements. The fact that ASL is visual is one of the attractions, because some hearing people have difficulty learning an spoken language. Ironically, deaf college students at Gallaudet are required to learn a foreign language too..Spanish, French..etc. and the focus in their courses is not on the sound of the language but on being able to read and write it. Why can't the "spoken" language courses for hearing students do the same thing?