Interesting in Deaf Culture?
444804
Hey by the way the correct spelling is "Interested."\n\nYou already know I am deaf, so no introductions here. But anyways, I'd like to share something that is kind of interesting from a deaf perspective.\n\nI grew up speaking and lip-reading all my life going to hearing schools. Yes, I did have oral education, but only up to 6th grade. It became a part-time thing all through elementary school, then no more of that after that.\n\nI had never learnt sign language because I was always in hearing schools, and I lived too far from my old deaf classmates to be able to socialize with them on a regular basis. So I pretty much was not part of the deaf culture for most of my life growing up.\n\nI attended a community college that had a small deaf program (Ohlone College). I also played on the tennis team. There was another deaf girl on the tennis team too. She only communicated via ASL with no lipreading. I only communicated via speaking. Despite the fact that we were both deaf, we could not communicate at all!\n\nIt was so strange. I truly felt what hearing people felt sometimes when they try to communicate with a deaf person. I was taking ASL 1 at the same time, so each day I was not only learning more signs in class, I was also learning them from her. Those first six months were probably the fastest I had ever learnt a language. I didn't even have to go to class nor did I have to study it because I already knew it all! Got an easy A plus in ASL 1!\n\nThis experience taught me what it really felt like to be in hearing people's shoes with the hearing perspective on deafness. So I already know what it feels like to be on both sides of the fence. I also learnt that it is possible to really learn a new language very quickly if you really have a strong desire to communicate with someone. It just takes regular practice and dedication on a regular basis, and then before you know it, you already become fluent in it.
322403
No, I haven't. But if you're interested in ministering to the Deaf, Rochester, NY has a huge Deaf population because of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. I just moved from Rochester, & used to coordinate Deaf Ministries at my synagogue.
734055
I grew up hard of hearing and have become progressively deaf.  I was fortunate in learning English in those formative years.  But the experience of someone who grew up deaf is very different.\n\nThe first thing to understand is that the printed word is a encoding of the auditory word.  People do not learn their first or native language by first experiencing it in print.  Print literature represents an auditory language.  Native users of the language represented in print literature must learn to decode the printed word, using their native abilities.\n\nPeople who have grown up deaf without direct auditory access to the dominant language are at a disadvantage.  They will learn to read and write the dominant language (if they do) as a second language.  Their ability to do so will be much stronger if they have a strong, solid language foundation.  American Sign Language can give them that.\n\nI recommend reading "Raising and Educating a Deaf Child" by Marc Marschark.  It is available at Amazon.  Visit Marc's website.  I have used in text in teaching about these issues.\n\nKen
206080
I've never heard of anything like that, and I've worked with the deaf a lot.  Of course, if you have Parkinsons, or other conditions that make you shake/tremmor, you will sign with a "stutter."
1015791
I have heard of things like open palms and such. It is subconscience body language that you can look for when the other person has a hard time using words.
905549
I am in support of total communication, whether the child ahs the implant or not.  Oral communication is very hard, but ASL is a more natural language.  Of course it is easier to function in the hearing world if you can communicate in the dominant language, but deaf children are going to have a harder time in the world, no matter what, so is it really fair to force them to undergo constant therapy in order to use a language that doesn't come naturally to them?  That is why I strongly support total communication.\n\nA majority of children with the CI are taught using total communication, more children with the CI are taught using the oral method than those without (36% of children with the CI, 8% of children without)\n\nBelow is the link to a study that Gallaudet did.  I've linked you to slide 7 because that is the one with the most prevelent information to your topic.  Good luck.
1171367
My daughter is deaf so how dare u  act like this she relies on sign language, i wonder how u would feel living in a silent world and needing sign language please think before u ask stupid questions.
305756
There are a great percentage of the deaf community that disagree with the use of cochlear implants, because they feel they are not gaining hearing, but rather losing their cultre. Those who are profoundly deaf see it as a further disabiltiy to be taught to speak because they will never have the same skills as a fully hearing person will and therefore will still be disadvantaged in society. Therefore they feel they should still do what comes naturally rather than something that is fake and forced.
428840
http://www.aslpro.com/\nis an excellent site. \n\nBut keep looking for opportunities to mingle with deaf people. A lot of areas have deaf social groups where people can meet and practice. Also, some churches have signed services, that's good receptive practice.
1081497
I know lots of them.  My family's deaf & we all communicate in ASL.  Why do you ONLY want to know the curse signs & not everything else?
1058411
so deaf people can enjoy them too.
580463
Yes, there are.  They have become very sophisticated.  You should go to a hearing spcecialist and have yourself fitted for one, or two.  You will be amazed at the difference.  Just remember it will take a few days to get used to it.
767902
Some people listen/ hear better by watching people's lips when they talk....kinda like lip reading.
459323
Nice one, you caught a few.  Most people think that because someone is mute, or merely deaf or dumb that they are stupid.  On the contrary they have to be, and as a result are far more alert and clever.  Once whilst investigating a crime with mute witnesses, I went to all the trouble of getting a person who could do deaf and dumb sign language only to find that the witnesses had written down everything that had happened in perfect statement form.  I felt such an idiot...............
813668
That is intranslatable. Neither the words, nor the tone of voice can be reproduced in english. It would be like asking a deaf person about music
70625
That's a great idea. Sign language should be offered as an alternative to any foreign language.
1014116
Deaf.  I think I would feel less vulnerable that way.  Plus, if I learned sign language and/or lip reading, I would almost be able to compensate for my handicap.  However, with blindness, there is nothing you can easily do to bring any type of sight back into your life.  If blind, I would miss out on reading books (I don't think braille would be the same), watching the sunset and sunrise, watching the trees change color in fall, watching the new flowers bloom in spring, watching my loved ones grow up... Instead, I would be trapped in my own dark world.  No, deafness is definitely preferential.  Who cares about missing the sound of sirens, beeping traffic, swearing, screams of agony, fingers on a chalkboard...?