anyone know sign lanuage?

rock&fluff'smom

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You know, I am not sure if any of you know this about me, but I have a hearing deficiency, and am partially deaf in my right ear....I have been this way all of my life, and my parents bought me hearing aids when I was like a teenager, but of course I got made fun of, and would never wear them,,you know how mean kids can be,,,,well, my speech has always been really good as bad as my hearing is, and I was talking with Steve last night and we have just come to a solution is that I need to go to school, get a degree in nursing and also take a sign language class as well...There are times where I just can't hear at all...I have to read lips soemtimes to make out what people say...this is what I learned in speech therapy when I was in elementry school, and it has always worked for me, but if someone is behind me, trying to talk to me, then they are just wasting their breath because I cannot hear them whatsoever!....my point is..
I just wanted to know if any of you knew how to sign? How did you learn? did you go to school for it? if so, how long?
 

ttmom

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My husband is totally deaf in his right ear and I have a close friend who is also totally deaf in his right ear. My husband does not sound deaf and he reads lips, but he says it took a lot of work to be able to do all that. He gets along fine (he's a pipefitter for the Navy).

My friend sounds deaf and reads lips and he goes to speech therapy (he's been doing it all his life and will probably continue to do so), but he works tech. support for a software company and does just fine because he can wear a headset for his left ear. Nobody around him can talk to him if he's on the phone (lots of writing), but he gets along fine.

My sister, who is full-hearing, knows sign language. She learned it at our university while going to school. Check with your local schools.
 

kiwideus

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Kathy, I am profoundly deaf, and I am sure that the local community college will teach you sign language, or look up the local deaf club in your area - whereabouts are you?
If you go to school and learn nursing, it may help to have an interpreter there for you - did you know that if you request one, and they refuse, they are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act? (ADA)
There are different kinds of interpreters, even "oral" interpreters for those who lipread.
I am fluent in American Sign Language, New Zealand Sign Language and I know some British Sign Language as well as Australian Sign Language.
If you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to PM me or ask me, I will be more than happy to help.



 

ttmom

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Maybe it's what causes the deafness? Both my friend and my husband were born sick. I don't remember the different illnesses, but both of them can cause deafness in small children.
 

hissy

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I know ASL I took it in college. I will say that unless you use it everyday, it gets rusty quickly. I enjoyed it though. We had gone through the entire semester before we learned our teacher could speak and hear. She wanted us to get a glimpse into what it is like for those who cannot. It was an eye-opener for sure because from the first class to the final exam, we were informed that the only way we could communicate in any fashion was through signing. The last question on the final exam read- "Did you know your instructor can speak and hear?"
 

kimward34

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I learned sign language at a very young age, my favorite Aunt Helen taught all of us kids. Aunt Helen was born deaf and over the years (30+) has taught our entire family how to sign. It's really cool to know, too. Actually sign language feels just as natural as talking with my mouth ... I have never forgotten how to do it.
 

sammie5

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I had a friend at university who was fluent in ASL, her parents were both profoundly deaf, and ASL was the first language she and her siblings learned. She finally realized that she should include that on questionnaires and job applications under languages.

I only met the rest of her family once, at her wedding, and it was really interesting to see her talking to her siblings in ASL. Apparently they always use ASL when their parents are around, and don't even realize that they are doing it. She says she found out that her mom could lip read when she was about 10 and one day she was mad and swore at her mom.
 

kiwideus

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Looks like I wont have any problems communicating with some of youse if I ever go on my road trip and meet some from here!
 
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rock&fluff'smom

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It would be neat to meet you, but I am all the way in Arkansas... a little far from you...
 

jenng

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I learned the alphabet when I was very small. I have a cousin who is deaf, but he's a bit older than me, and stayed at the local state school for the deaf, so I didn't really get to talk with him much.

As an adult, I took a few signing classes, and while our teacher taught us some ASL signs, we didn't really learn ASL. We learned signing exact English, and I remember some of the signs, but I don't think I can call myself fluent in it. It came in handy a few years back when I met a bunch of my online friends in person. About 10-12 of them are deaf, and it was nice to be able to communicate a bit. Unfortunately, from not using it, I think I'm way past rusty.
 

jenng

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My hearing is fine too (although selective at times
). But for people like you and me, knowing sign language is good so we can communicate with deaf friends.


And I think it's the same as with any other language. Has its hard and easy parts. I can sign better than I can understand someone else signing... and I don't sign all that well these days.
I think if I had lived closer to my deaf friends, it would have been easier to both learn and use effectively, but I only got to visit with them a few times, so most of the lessons didn't stick.
 

kiwideus

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Its good to learn SL Sam - you never know who you meet.


I know where you can learn LOL - I have a friend who teaches at VUW and he lives not too far from you in Wilton.
 

jcat

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Kellye, you've cleared up something I've always wondered about - whether there is an international sign language. I never learned to sign, but had to learn to read lips at ten, following a disastrous ear infection. I have 90% hearing loss in my left ear, and 60% loss in my right ear. Oddly enough, I have no trouble lip reading when someone is speaking a Germanic language (English, German, Dutch, etc.), but I've never managed to learn French,Italian, or Hungarian. I drive my husband crazy, because I often turn the volume off on the TV and (literally)watch the show or film in English. A lot of my students are still wondering how I can "hear" them when they're whispering in the back row. One thing I have to say - modern technology is great! My life has improved considerably since the invention of the fax machine and the Internet. Our phone has a built-in amplifier, but I still have trouble understanding a lot.
 
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rock&fluff'smom

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I just want to thank everyone on their comemnts on this....
 
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