For more than a hundred years, American Sign Language (ASL) has been persecuted as a "lesser" language. It is a homegrown and complete language that has survived efforts to wipe it out.
Yet today, ASL is still considered "foreign" and not given the respect and protection it needs. Many states have passed laws allowing credit for ASL classes as a foreign language but they have stopped short of recognizing its benefits as a language of instruction in schools, despite studies proving its benefits for students.