http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=381x328Damn, it's been a long time--since May 8 of this year--that a primitive's wandered into the deaf and hard of hearing forum, which is congested with killer cobwebs.
This bonfire was lit seven months ago, and recently rekindled.
The cross-eyed Iowa primitive:
Hawkeye-X (1000+ posts) Sat Jan-19-08 03:25 AM
Original message
Do you know American Sign Language?
Have you integerated it as part of your life.
I did not really learn ASL until I was in college at 17. I didn't become fluent until about 5 years ago, after two years of living with a SO that's also deaf, and made it a part of my life. Mom already knows ASL, (as well as SO's mother), and Dad knows a little (basic signs, really).
Brother-in-law is also deaf, so my wife and her brother are very, very close (that, and they are the only siblings)
Roon (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-21-08 04:10 AM
Response to Original message
1. I only know enough to cruise deaf boys in the bar.
This reminds me of when I was in college--oh, never mind.
recoveringrepublican (705 posts) Mon Jan-21-08 02:10 PM
Response to Original message
2. I really need to learn
I'm late deafened. Hearing aids help just a tad for me to read lips. But it can be so exhausting to only rely on that. I meet so many people who sign, even if it's just the alphabet (which I sadly do not know!! lol), it would make my life so less tiring to be able to sign when I'm around others who also sign.
But here is the problem. Right now I have the money, but no time. In July I will have the time, but no money as I will no longer be working (will be having a baby!!! YAY!). I would like my kids to learn, more so my daughter (my loss is genetic, but only seems to occur in females, which I'm told is rare), just so they are fluent by the time they may need it (it starts late teens early twenties).
Anyone know of any good home teaching type stuff I could use? I would love to just know the basics for now.
Lowell (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-05-08 05:00 PM
Response to Original message
4. I've been taking classes with my granddaughter. It has been a rewarding experience. Bell was diagnosed as deaf after she turned about four. Everyone wondered why she never spoke and didn't respond. Now at seven we are both sharing this learning experience together.
kdpeters (1000+ posts) Fri Mar-28-08 11:04 PM
Response to Original message
5. My partner is Deaf from birth and has a Deaf sister
So I started by learning from books on my own. Soon, I decided I wanted to really commit to learning it well so I enrolled in a two year ASL program of study at a community college. That also included a couple of linguistics of ASL classes and a couple of Deaf Culture/History classes and four semesters of ASL in one of the best known ASL programs in the country: Vista College in Berkeley, CA. If any of you have ever used the "Signing Naturally" courses and workbooks, then you've seen all of my teachers who created the courses and starred in the videos.
I would say I'm really very fluent for a hearing person who just started learning ASL in my 30's. I've had lots of study and lots of exposure and I've just fallen in love with the language. Last year, I quit my job as a software engineer, moved back to my hometown and will begin a two year program to become an ASL interpreter in the fall. Right now, I'm also substitute teaching at the School for the Deaf to try to keep from dipping into my savings while I'm in the program and to hopefully make constructive use of what I've learned. I would say I've very much integrated ASL into most every aspect of my life: home, work, and social.
tblue37 (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-27-09 12:02 AM
Response to Original message
10. Nope. And the only people I know in person who do are actually people with normal hearing!
People who are late deafened don't grow up learning sign, and usually they are not part of a deaf social group or a Deaf community, nor did they attend Deaf schools. By the time they need help with communciation, they are adults with busy lives and with families and social networks that usually contain no signers.
Although I have always been hard of eharng, even as a child (it runs in the feale line of my family), I didn't have so much trouble that I needed hearing aids until my late thirties, and my deafness has gotten progressively worse over the past 22 years, to the point where even with my aids I have trouble understanding.
Bt even at that, I know no one who sues sign, excep for a few hearing acquaintances whom I seldom interact with socially anyway, so there has enevr been any reason for me to take the time to learn sign.
I have an article on my I'm Listening as Hard as I Can!site about this point:
"A Lot of Deaf People Don't Sign"
http://deafnotdumb.homestead.com/deafsign.html
By the way, franksolich recommends the link given by the true blue primitive; it's true it's a primitive web-site, but she has some really good stuff there, if one is into glimpsing into the lives of the deaf and hard of hearing.
