Yesterday Mrs. Jones came into the library. "How are you today?" She talks and signs at the same time.
"Good. YOU?" I talk and sign back.
"I'm starting a new job. Nervous!" she signs.
I love Mrs. Jones. Her daughter is deaf. Mrs. Jones works with deaf kids and she signs without thinking because she signs all day. She knows I sign because I sign to her daughter when she comes into the library. I'm the only one in the library who signs to her daughter. I guess they don't run into many people in public who sign, so it's a big deal when they do, and they always make a point to come over and talk to me. My signing is very rudimentary. I need practice-- bad.
One problem with being late-deafened is finding people to practice ASL with. There are ASL classes, but most the students are hearing and the classes are often geared toward hearing people who want to become interpreters. I'm more of a visual learner. In that sense I feel I might "think" like a deaf person. ASL seems so logical to me. I pick up the vocabulary quickly and retain it well. I do better in immersion classes where talking isn't allowed. My downfall is fingerspelling. I hate it. I LOVE deaf people-- the way they express themselves. My deaf teacher from the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Cntr. was so funny and patient with me. But she moved and it became harder for us to get together. I miss her. I have met several other wonderful deaf people, but few live in my area, and it has been hard to coordinate our work schedules.
There are deaf gatherings in my community organized by a hearing ASL teacher who I can't stand. She got on my case last fall about my inability to lip read in the dark. 'Scuse me, but when it's dark it's pretty hard for people who rely on their eyes for communication. I found out later she has offended a lot of deaf people all over Seattle-metro, but I live in a small community and she's here shoving her way in. I won't have anything to do with her.
"I love it when you sign to me, Mrs. Jones." I said.
She looked a little confused and surprised. "Really?"
2 comments:
I want to learn sign....I have a book, I just need to sit down with it when I can concentrate (that doesn't happen often!!) I will be going to the HLAA con in Reno next June and want to learn a LOT of signs by then...wish me luck! :)
Here are some good websites.
http://www.lessontutor.com/eesASLdictionarylinks.html
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm
I don't know if you've taken any classes, but one thing you need to know is facial expression is real important. You can't just do the signs right and have a deadpan face. Most of us need to work hard on that if we grew up hearing. The deaf are SO expressive, and so fun to watch for that reason.
I have had fun watching deaf vlogs. They sign way too fast for me, but you can see how expressive their faces are. So remember when you say something put your entire head into it, your whole body into it even.
And GOOD LUCK! I still have so much to learn. I wish you lived closer so we could practice. I need a deaf buddy to practice with.
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