American Sign Language

more controversial when hearing people attempt to provide solutions without consulting Deaf people on their own culture and suggestions. However, ever since I started learning American Sign Language, the information I learned regarding Deaf culture caused me to develop opinions, especially regarding the use of sign language or oralism with a Deaf child and sending a Deaf child to a hearing school or a Deaf school. My additional learning through the workbook sections, class decisions, and the…

noticed that Deaf people often move their mouths while signing. The majority of the Deaf people who were demonstrated in the film would move their mouths while signing. Even though I tend to do this myself, I am not sure if that is a correct way to sign, because I have been told to avoid mouthing. Lastly, I also noticed how the Deaf people signing were wearing plain shirts. This is something my professor has advised me to always do when recording myself signing. Now I see that it is very…

watching sign language, anyone can tell you how expressive the language is and how beautiful the words simply flow from hand to hand, to each facial expression and gesture. Sign language is a beautiful gift that can be given to anyone, if they just took the time to learn it. Parents who know sign language and pass this down to their children in the infancy stage of their lives are benefiting their offspring more than they know. By teaching hearing, not only deaf, infants and toddlers sign…

When people think about Deaf people, the first word that comes to mind is disabled. The word disabled has a negative connotation. Although the Deaf may not be able to hear, they are very capable of communicating either by spoken words or American Sign Language (ASL). The Deaf have a very rich history just as other cultures do. Just like many other cultures, the Deaf have their own sets of traditions and values. Questions have started arising on whether the Deaf should be considered a disability…

American Sign Language (ASL) is a complex language communicated through intricate signs made by a person’s hands with many different facial expressions, positions of the body, and other gestures. The language is most commonly used by the deaf population in United States, and English-speaking parts of Canada, and in certain parts of Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Since ASL is seen as an authentic and definite language, it has many variations such as Spanish and French. There is no set form of sign…

Life Lesson The author of the American Idol, Leah LaBelle, once said, “Work hard for what you want because it won 't come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive.” I like this quote because it encourages me as a deaf woman who still struggles and fights with many issues. I was born deaf and grew up having…

The Dark Age of Sign Language In the 1800’s many schools around the world were being built for deaf education. Many Deaf activists studied the deaf in many countries to establish schools. A few of the people are Thomas Gallaudet, and Charles Michel de l’Epee’. They were men who helped teach and create sign language to the deaf community. During these times there were deaf politicians, artists, lawyers, educators, and excetera who used sign language and became successful. Later on after 1880…

communication barrier, unfair assumptions were made about the mental abilities of those who were deaf. This would all begin changing because of a worried father’s search for a good education for his daughter. Though it was a long time in coming, the American School for the Deaf would…

Being Deaf includes living in a silent world that is not quite the same as the Hearing scene, however a hard of hearing individual can at present appreciate an extremely gainful and free life. For a hearing individual the thought of being hard of hearing and never listening to a sound in a world brimming with sounds may be an alarming thing. On the other hand, to a hard of hearing individual the inverse can be valid. Growing up Deaf, a man may miss the sounds that a hearing individual has around…

I was interested to learn that Clerc brought over the old french sign language and over time it adapted and mixed with the signs used in Connecticut. I was also surprised that there was a lot of hereditary deafness in their communities and how sign language was accepted as well as any speech. I felt sad to hear that people were ashamed for using sign language. It made me think of my younger sister and her best friend. My sister is special needs and she had an ear infection when she was very…