Sign Language in the Workplace

Sign language in the workplace is becoming more prevalent as the number of people increases who are hearing impaired, or are completely deaf. Being able to use sign language to communicate and to interact with a deaf co-worker is essential for establishing a positive working climate, and for building a strong rapport. It is equally vital for people to learn sign language who work in environments such as restaurants, hospitals, and retail businesses. In fact, it is not unusual, nor is it strange, to encounter people who cannot hear in every social setting imaginable.

Visualize the reaction a deaf person would have if he/she walked into your establishing to make a purchase, or to request help. You, or one of your employees, greet this customer in sign language by saying, “Hello. How are you?” Or, “Hello, can I help you?” How do you think this deaf customer will react? How good does it feel to this employee that he or she can sign enough to help this customer by communicating in their language? You do not need to be proficient at sign language to help a customer who is deaf. You can simply learn some basic signs and sentences in order to help out this person, especially if the signs are related to your area of employment/interest.

If you wanted to become an interpreter for the deaf, you would need to enroll in an interpreting program at a local college, or university. However, in today’s world, you have the opportunity to learn some basic phrases and words in sign language online, that would allow you to complete a sale, or to assist a deaf person. The World Wide Web has a vast amount of knowledge for people to learn American Sign Language. Some of the websites have themed lessons for people like you to learn what is needed. Some websites have a large video dictionary to customize to your liking. You now have the ability to select certain words that pertain to your workplace and to the deaf people you help/encounter on a daily basis.

The Deaf community is relatively small and cohesive. The moment you sign with your deaf patrons, the word of your interaction with them will spread like wildfire among the community. Deaf people seek out businesses and retailers that attempt to make a concerted effort to interact with them. Again, you don’t have to be proficient at sign language to ask a deaf person if he or she needs assistance. Having a basic understanding of sign language and deaf culture will go a long way. And if they ask, “Oh, do you know sign language,” you can simply reply, “A little bit.”

When looking online for a good sign language website, the following things should be considered:

Are the lessons themed, instead of a list of words?
1. Does the site offer ASL grammar and practice?
2. Are there retention exercises to help with memorization?
3. Can you review lessons if needed?
4. Is the site available 24/7?
5. Are the videos clear and large enough to see?

These are important criteria to have for your sign language learning. You want to seek out websites that has all of the above features. If it doesn’t, you may want to check out additional websites that will.

Regardless of your job status, the learning of sign language will be beneficial, rewarding, and worthwhile. After all, you may not even have a job, but you have a friend (or friends) who are deaf. Now you can communicate with them better and more effectively. How powerful is that? Have fun with signing and meet people from a diverse cultural background, especially the Deaf community. There, you will meet some tremendous people just waiting to communicate with you.

A Student’s Point of View

I began taking American Sign Language classes at my high school in 2007. On the first day of class, I was taken aback when my teacher, Mrs. Dees, came into the classroom and began signing to us. None of us knew what she was signing, or why she was signing; considering the fact that we hadn’t learned anything yet. She signed for the entire hour and I sat there feeling very confused and frustrated. The second day of class I prepared myself for more signing, she passed out earphones and a syllabus. Our syllabus requested that we bring earplugs to class everyday. From that moment on we would plug our ears and cover them with earphones every day and Mrs. Dees would sign to us for the first-half of class. The purpose of using earplugs and earphones was to make it harder for us to hear, and to keep us from using our voices during class. I found this to be very helpful because it forced me to pay attention to what she was signing and to understand her gestures and facial expressions. Before I knew it, I was signing pretty fluently, and the language came a lot easier to me than I initially thought it would have.
 
            There are many ways available for people to learn sign, a lot of those ways being very effective. Facial expressions and gestures are very important; even if you don’t know the sign, if you pay attention to what they’re saying with their face, you realize that there are certain clues that go along with every sign. Using sign language on the internet has also been helpful because I have access to the internet at school and at home. Watching video clips of each sign is more effective than using a book because you can actually see how the signs are executed. We all use sign in our everyday lives whether we recognize it or not, if you start there you should be able to learn the language efficiently.

Do You Enjoy Learning Sign Language?

If you answered yes to this poll, have you considered taking a sign language program online?  The best way to learn signing is to obtain necessary vocabulary, socialize with the deaf community, and practice your sign language skills.  With an online sign language program, you can review lessons, activities, and vocabulary 24/7.  Learning sign language with a friend or buddy is another great way. 

The most important thing about learning sign language online is to have fun and enjoy it.  Sign language is one of  the most beautiful languages.

Is American Sign Language Universal?

Deaflympics – September 5 – 15th, 2009

Every 4 years, the Deaflympics takes place.  This year, the Games will be held in Taipei, China on September 5 – 15th, 2009.  There are over 80 countries participating, with nearly 4,000 Deaf competitors.  The first Deaflympics was held in 1924 in Paris, France.  There were only 145 athletes, and 9 European countries, represented.  At one time, The Deaflympics was called “World Games for the Deaf”.

In order for a country to host The Deaflympics, it must apply 6 years in advance.  The next Deaflympics will be held in Athens, Greece, in 2012.

For more information on The Deaflympics, go to http://www.2009deaflympics.org/

How Well Do You Fingerspell?

Fingerspelling seems to be the hardest skill to grasp in American Sign Language.  With practice, you can master this skill.

Do you know what this says?

Tips on how to improve your receptive and expressive fingerspelling:

Receptive:

1.  Try and see the shape of the word.  Not individual letters

2.  Use context clues to help you determine the word.  (Remember what you are conversing about)

3.  Try and catch the first letter, some middle letters, and the last letter.  From there, you can fill in the missing letters that you did not understand.

4.  Don’t freeze up!  If you miss the fingerspelled word, you can always ask the person to repeat it.

Expressive:

1.  Practice…Practice…Practice.  You can practice fingerspelling while driving for example.  When you see a license plate or a sign, fingerspell it.  However, be careful while driving.  You don’t want to get into an accident.  (how would you explain that to a cop? )

2.  Make sure you have a steady hand while fingerspelling.  Avoid bouncing your letters and hand.

3.  Fingerspell smoothly and avoid jerking the letters.

4.  Make sure you form all of the letters correctly and completely.  If you are a sloppy fingerspeller, your message will be lost.  The most important thing is to communicate effectively.

The fingerspelled message says, “I hope you have a great day”  Did you get it right?  I hope so.  If not, practice…practice…practice.

American Association of the Deaf-Blind

The American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) is a national organization that assists people who are deaf-blind, with equipment, education, and other needs.   Their mission states, “To ensure that all deaf-blind persons achieve their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, and integration into the community.”

Every 2 years or so, AADB conducts a national convention for people who are deaf-blind.  On the average, 300 deaf and blind people would attend these conferences.  Along with the participants, interpreters from all over the United States would volunteer their time for an entire week to interpret for conference attendees.  This is when I first got involved in AADB.  In 1996, I volunteered to interpret for a deaf-blind young man named Allan.  He wasn’t completely blind, but was deaf.  His vision was limited due to Ushers Syndrome, also known as “Tunnel Vision”.

I had never met Allan prior to being assigned as his SSP (special service provider) for the week.  However, I talked to his mom on the phone to make sure he would be taken care of because not only was he deaf-blind, but was also a severe diabetic.

The day arrived for me to fly to Oklahoma for this national convention of the AADB.  Finally, I met Allan, this young man I heard so much about from his mom.  The week went by so fast.  Allan told me about his life in Utah, his girlfriend, and how he would fly to see her in Kansas.  Allan did not let his deaf-blindness stop him from doing anything he wanted.  In fact, on the last day of the conference, Allan told me that he would be coming to Detroit.  Now, keep in mind, I just met Allan at the beginning of the week.  I am from Rochester, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.  So, to make sure he understood correctly, I asked Allan, what state is Detroit in?  He told me Michigan and gave me a look like, “duh”??

During this convention, Allan told me he would be in Rochester to get a Guide Dog at the world-renowned school (Leader Dogs For The Blind)  located just a mile from my home.  Now, in the United States and throughout the world, there is only one school that trains dogs for individuals who are both deaf and blind, and it was only 5 minutes from my house.  When Allan arrived at Leader Dogs, I had the awesome opportunity to interpret for him for 3 weeks while he trained at the school.  It was a thrilling day when both Allan and Sydney graduated, prior to the two of them making the trip to Allan’s home in Utah.  Prior to receiving Sydney, Allan used his white cane to navigate the streets of his home town.  A year later, I flew to Utah to visit with Allan.  Two of us arrived at his home, but was told Allan and Sydney were on a 6-mile walk into town.  We drove into town, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.  We stopped at a gas station, only to be told that he walks past here every day, and he passed by a half hour ago.  We were told he usually continues to a restaurant where they have a bowl of water for Sydney every day.  We went there.  Too late.  We continued our search to the insurance company where he usually stopped in to see him mom.  Again, we were too late.  From there, we went to the local college where he was working in their cafeteria in food preparations.  Finally, we caught up with this very busy friend, and Sydney.

Over the years, Allan and I became very good friends.  I was awestruck by the conferences sponsored by AADB, and continued to interpret for Allan every two years for the next many years.  Allan learned a great deal at these events.  However, I learned a lot more from all of the people that shared their stories with me.  I am forever grateful for AADB and their efforts to support deaf-blind people all over the United States.  As you improve on your sign language skills, perhaps you will be involved in attending this conference too.  I guarantee, you will come away from it with a lot more than what you had when you arrived.

For additional information about The American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB), visit their website www.AADB.org .

Certified Interpreters for the Deaf

Certified Interpreters for the Deaf

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) is a national organization that certifies interpreters for the deaf.   Deaf people have the right to have a certified and qualified interpreter.  Unfortunately, deaf people don’t always receive the services of a competent, certified interpreter.

Some states have actually passed laws to deter people from posing as a sign language interpreter.  For example, in 2007, in the State of Michigan, Governor Granholm passed the Michigan Interpreter Law Public Acts 23 & 24.  This law states that a person must be certified to interpret for a person that requires the use of sign language.  A person not possessing these skills could be subject to a fine and time in jail.  For more information about this law in Michigan, you may contact the Division on Deafness at www.mcdc-dodhh.org

RID also provides workshops and other professional development needs for interpreters.  For more information about RID, you can visit their website at www.RID.org .

For people who are considering the interpreter profession, and looking to learn basic sign language, check out http://www.ASLdeafined.com. This will give you a great start to a very rewarding career.

Thank YOU!

Cochlear Implants – How Do You Vote?

Before you begin reading this blog, please keep in mind that I am neither in favor of, or against cochlear implants.

As a teacher for the deaf, many of my students have  cochlear implants, hearing aids, or had no amplification at all.   In an controlled environment, the students wearing cochlear implants could hear pretty well.  For example, if I was sitting at my desk and the students were quietly working, I could call out the name of one of the students that had the implant, and he or she would respond.   However, if I needed a student who did not have a cochlear implant, I would ask one of the students with the implant to tap the student with no amplification on the shoulder, or desk .  In deaf culture, to get someone’s attention, you simply tap the individual on the shoulder or lightly wave your hand from a distance to gain their attention.  You DO NOT throw something at the deaf person, nor do you jump up and down while waving your arms and hands in a dramatic fashion.

A good friend of mine has many family members who suffer with some degree of hearing loss.   In fact, at the age of 20, if a member of the family does not begin experiencing some signs of hearing loss, that was reason for celebration.    Currently, he has nearly 50 family members who are either profoundly deaf, or have some degree of hearing loss.  Some of his immediate family members decided to get an implant to see how much it would help.  Today, some of them are  now able to talk on the phone.

These are just two examples of how cochlear implants have helped in the classroom and in a large family.

According to  http://www.kidshealth.org a cochlear implant is a surgically implanted device that helps overcome problems in the inner ear, or cochlea. The cochlea is a snail-shaped, curled tube located in the area of the ear where nerves are contained. Its function is to gather electrical signals from sound vibrations and transmit them to your auditory nerve (or hearing nerve). The hearing nerve then sends these signals to the brain, where they’re translated into recognizable sounds.

How do you feel about cochlear implants?  Do you know someone that has or had one?