Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 16 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 19 years ago by
.
- Posts
- I'm a deaf man wearing a a cochlear implant, but I can speak well enough to make people think I'm a hearing person. My question is: Why don't people who can see, hear and talk use sign language, since they are able to? Deaf people cannot talk or hear, and they can't fit into hearing society unless they use hearing aids. So why is it so hard for hearing and sighted people to use sign language?
User Detail :
Name : Adrean, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Deaf, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 22, City : Rochester, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,There are more hearing people than there are not, and in this country I am sad to say that sometimes the majority wins, and anyone different from that has to suffer. That is a very good question, though. I have tried to learn at least some sign language because it is a good tool for communication.User Detail :
Name : Mandy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, City : Sugar Land, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I did not invest my time to learn sign language until I met Sue, who is deaf and works hard every day to talk with and listen to me. It seemed only fair for me to attempt to learn her favorite language and try to communicate in her comfort zone part of the time as well. I'm not fluent yet, but I can finger-spell radically already! And I know most of the signs for my favorite foods...I did not know ASL existed when I was in public school and had only a dim awareness of it in college when I saw someone signing for the first time. So I'd have to say that a lack of information was also in there.
User Detail :
Name : Judy-S, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 52, City : Norman, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : Artist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I think it's probably for the same reason that most Americans speak only English - almost everyone they run into speaks English, so there is no motivation to learn another language. Some Americans learn other languages, either out of necessity or desire. Sometimes hearing people choose to learn sign language. It would be easier for deaf people if more hearing people learned sign language, but I think there just aren't enough deaf people to motivate many people to learn.User Detail :
Name : Jennifer30866, Gender : F, Age : 28, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I had the wonderful opportunity to have a hearing impaired individual watch my children when they were younger. My wife and I installed a TDD and went to sign language classes. We never mastered the language but we did learn enough to know what a whole and wonderful person Mrs. Downs was. Mrs. Downs passed away but I'll always remember the beauty she nurtured inside. Learning the language(ASL and there are many 'dialects') was like turning on a light in a dark room. I didn't know what I was missing until I 'saw' it. I have forgotten ASL(use it or lose it) but I've never forgotten Mrs. Downs. Ever since, I've known that I'm the true handicapped person because I don't know ASL, French, Spanish, German, etc... or any other way to communicate with all the wonderous people of the world.User Detail :
Name : James W., Gender : M, Race : White, Black, and American Indian, Age : 46, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I wonder why more deaf children are not mainsteamed into the public education system, thereby creating more interaction and therefore a 'need' to learn ASL by hearing persons. I was exposed to deaf culture early in my life because our neighbor and the grandparents of my best friend were deaf. Grandmother could lip read extremely well, but grandpa not so. I learned simply by being exposed and being welcomed into communication with them. I have lost most of the language simply because I have not had opportunity to use it. and that's a shame. I dont' think that not knowing sign language is because of arrogance, but moreso lack of exposure.User Detail :
Name : Serene28056, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 44, City : Chandler, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Self-Contractor, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I had the wonderful opportunity to have a hearing-impaired individual watch my children when they were younger. My wife and I installed a TDD and went to American Sign Language classes. We never mastered the language, but we did learn enough to know what a whole and wonderful person Mrs. Downs was. Mrs. Downs passed away, but I'll always remember the beauty she nurtured inside. Learning the language was like turning on a light in a dark room. I didn't know what I was missing until I 'saw' it. I have forgotten ASL (use it or lose it), but I've never forgotten Mrs. Downs. Ever since, I've known that I'm the true handicapped person because I don't know ASL, French, Spanish, German, etc., or any other way to communicate with all the wondrous people of the world.User Detail :
Name : James W., Gender : M, Race : White, Black, and American Indian, Age : 46, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don't think many people are aware of sign language. And again, it's not a necessity for hearing people either. I'm currently learning sign language because I want to, but not everyone is going to have the same desire I do. It's unfortunate that deaf people don't really have a place in the hearing world, but it's something that must be lived with. I am epileptic and I don't always fit in because of it either.User Detail :
Name : Jenna31014, City : Concord, State : CA Country : United States,It's the probabilities. Learning to sign requires a large investment of time and energy. Most people aren't deaf, and the vast majority of deaf people don't know sign language either. For instance, I don't (but then, I'm not profoundly deaf). I don't think it's reasonable to demand that other people spend enormous amounts of their time and energy to accommodate you.User Detail :
Name : JGW, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Deaf, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 35, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : Architect / Real Estate Developer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Majority rules I guess. I have a deaf sister but have never learnt sign language instead Ive learnt to talk very clearly and to lip read. I think its something which is not given enough time or money in the education system. I wanted to learn BSL but could not afford the courses. I think if it was taught at school from an early age, even just some simple words and phrases then it would be more common in society.User Detail :
Name : Ems25407, City : Enland, State : WY Country : United Kingdom,I am a hearing person who has a passion for languages and I have always wanted to learn sign language but, unlike spoken languages, sign language is rarely an option taught in public schools and the only sign language instruction I have actually had has been in an education course I took in college. If it were taught in schools, which I think it should be, particularly for younger children, it would be so much better, but as it is, the only option we have usually is taking night classes, which take both time and money that we may or may not have.User Detail :
Name : Brandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 28, City : Tallahassee, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Social Worker, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Well, while I was living in the ghetto of New Mexico, a boy ended up getting gunned down while performing sign language, and the gunman had mistakingly thought he was 'throwing gang signs.' One little trick I do know of to help, if the deaf person has the palm of their hand on your chest, so that their fingertips can barely curl over the your shoulders, this will enable them in a way to 'hear' you.User Detail :
Name : Joe, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 23, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : I.T., Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class,How many people do you know that can speak a second language fluently? In our society, bilingual people are often paid more for their skills in areas where there are large numbers of non-English speaking people. Anyone who has studied ASL, as I have, learns quickly that it has its own grammar rules that are completely different from English. ASL denotes time, possession, and emotion with hand placement, facial expressions, etc. It is incorrect and impossible to sign, in ASL, 'I gave her the book.' If I remember correctly, there is a sign for me, but not I, there is no sign for gave, only give, and there are no articles in ASL, such as the. There is a form of sign called SEE, or Signing Exact English, that has you sign what you want to say word-for-word, but most of the deaf people I have known don't use it. So why don't hearing people learn sign language? Perhaps it is because many people are not language oriented and find learning other languages too difficult. And let's face it, ASL is classified as a foreign language at many colleges because it truly is its own unique, beautiful, language.User Detail :
Name : KT, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 27, City : Deltona, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I'm somewhat fluent in sign language (I'm currently studying it in college) and I use it every chance that I can get... I'm often afraid of being considered rude for going up to deaf people and trying to talk to them... But I am def. one of the ones who use it when possible.User Detail :
Name : Christy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : american, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : starving college student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.