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.

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.

Types of Hearing Loss and Causes

Types of Hearing Loss

There are a 3 different types of hearing loss: conductive, sensory, mixed (conductive and sensory combined), and neural.

• Conductive hearing loss. This happens when there is a problem with a part of the outer or middle ear. Most kids with conductive hearing loss have a mild hearing loss and it is usually temporary because in most cases medical treatment can help.
• Sensory hearing loss. This happens when the cochlea is not working correctly because the tiny hair cells are damaged or destroyed. Depending on the loss, a kid may be able to hear most sounds (although they would be muffled); may be able to hear in quiet but not in noise; only some sounds; or no sounds at all. Sensory hearing impairment is almost always permanent and a kid’s ability to talk normally may be affected.
• Neural hearing loss. This happens when there is a problem with the connection from the cochlea to the brain. Neural means related to nerve, so neural hearing loss means the nerve that carries the messages from the cochlea to the brain is damaged.

Causes of Hearing Loss:

• Exposure to noise
• Disease
• Infections
• Drugs
• Inherited
• Serious injury
• Ageing
• Prematurity

To check out statistics on the number of people with a hearing loss, go to http://library.gallaudet.edu/Library/Research

Deaf Culture Tip

Deaf Culture Etiquette

Do’s & Don’ts when communicating with a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing

Do’s:

• Look directly at the person
• Watch for understanding through facial expressions and head nods
• If the person does not understand a particular word, find a different word that means the same thing
• Repeat a phrase or idea when necessary
• If conversation is lacking understanding, use a pencil and paper or use a text device to help with communication
• Do talk in a normal manner

Don’ts:

• Do not break eye contact during the conversation
• Do not exaggerate mouth movements
• Do not yell at the deaf or hard-of-hearing person
• Do not refer to the person as “he” or “she”
• Do not pretend to understand if you do not
• Do not eat while you are talking to a person with a hearing loss
• Do not mumble or cover your mouth with your hands

For people who are interested in learning American Sign Language, there are lessons online at http://www.ASLdeafined.com