A.D.A.
Americans With Disabilities Act
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Sonar-Vision Glasses
These
glasses -- made for children with visual impairments -- emit sound waves just like sonar equipment on submarines. The waves bounce off nearby objects and back to the sonar transmitter-receiver on the glasses, which measures the time period of the round trip. The device processes that distance information and translates it into audible beeps. The beeps are higher-pitched when objects are closer than four feet and lower-pitched when they're farther away. If an obstacle is more than 12 feet away, and therefore safely out of range, the glasses don't beep at all. They won't replace a cane or a guide dog -- imagine the chaos of trying to use them on a busy street. But they allow wearers to audibly "feel" the surface contours of a room or area.
I.I.R.C.
if I remember correctly
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Gloves do the talking for the deaf
At the University of New South Wales in Australia, research fellow Waleed Kadous is developing a pair of gloves capable of translating sign language into English text on a computer monitor. Although so far the translations have only been 95% accurate using Australian sign language, the project shows the possibility of allowing communication for the deaf, by using a device enclosed in the gloves that meaures the movement of the wearer's hand making signs, translating the different signs and then "speaking" the words through a transmitter to the person with whom the deaf or mute are communicating.
I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
- Helen Keller
On the subject of Deafness or hard-of-hearing (HOH), I'd like to address a few things. There are many misconceptions that hearing people have about Deaf people. Since the
Phoenix Bird project pertains to this (among
other things), I'm inclined to put a few of those misconceptions to rest. Don't get me wrong: I speak for no one. Deaf people can speak for themselves. But my research has provided me with some information that I realize is need-to-know stuff. So this posting is about all those mistakes that get made UN-intentionally when interacting with people who are Deaf. I've made quite a few, and I'M supposed to know better! As I intend to include some Deaf people or the Deaf community in my work...it's time for some commentary, some acknowledgements and some interesting things to learn about.
THE "OOPS" LIST
Or, how a hearing person learns NOT to be misunderstood by the Deaf Culture.
On the word "deaf":
The preferred word is "Deaf" or hard-of-hearing, not:
deaf-mute
deaf and dumb
hearing-impaired
(no matter how politically correct in hearing society it is, it simply annoys Deaf people)
auditorially challenged
any other phrase other than Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Those words are outdated and obviously insulting. It's the equivalent of negro, colored, whatever. They're words that are just not used anymore.
On being considered "handicapped":
Deaf people see deafness as an ethnic feature, not as a handicap. They get real annoyed when people refer to them as "disabled".
On talking in the company of a Deaf person:
It's rude to "talk" back and forth between hearing people if a Deaf person is present -- that's like speaking Spanish when the people around you speak English. It's not polite to exclude them, especially if you know English. Right?
On Lip-Reading:
Most Deaf people can NOT read lips. Statistically, an expert lip-reader can make out approximately 30% of what you say, simply because the mouth is closed for so many parts of the word or sentence. If by some chance you meet a Deaf person who does read lips, don't do that whole wide fish-mouth exagerrated words thing. That's like saying to a Spanish person, "Speaka de English?". Talk at a comfortable pace as you normally would, not too slow and not too fast.
A more effective form of communication, if you don't sign, would be to simply get someone who does or use paper and pencil if the information you want to pass on is critical.
On Eye-Contact:
We hearing types have a tendency to think people who stare or look too intently at us are recent escapees from a hospital for the criminally insane -- or at least a little too forward. But when you're talking with a person who is deaf, eye contact is crucial. Why? Because all of the grammatical cues of the language as well as the form and structure of the language are based mostly in the face.
Watch two signers sometime and take a look at where their eyes are. You'll probably see that they barely glance at the other's hands. This is because the face is the primary focus and the signing space (a little above the head, to the belly button, and just outside each shoulder) is visible peripherally.
As an example: The difference between "That boy is yours" as a statement and "Is that boy yours?" as a question is a grammatical eyebrow raise and a tilt forward of the head. Since there is no tonal inflections to indicate it's a question, signers use facial expressions to cover things like: questions, statements, feelings, distance, etc.
So if you're the one being signed to, and you look away or can't look the Deaf person in the eye:
a) you're missing a big part of the conversation
b) they assume that you're not interested in what they're saying (it's like when kids hold their hands over their ears so they can't hear you - - same deal)
On hearing aids:
Most hearing people assume that if a person is wearing hearing aids, they have corrected their hearing loss and now they can hear "20/20". Well that's not true. It amplifies SOME residual hearing and helps somewhat but it doesn't make them understand you perfectly. Hearing aids aren't a one-size-fits-all solution so don't assume that if someone is wearing one you don't have to make any special effort in communicating with them.
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DEAF LINKS
These links range in content from hearing to Deaf (and everything in between).
A Basic Guide to ASL
This is an animated dictionary. Use by looking up the word, and it''ll give you the sign. You may need QuickTime, though.
Animated ASL Dictionary
Another animated dictionary for ASL Beginners.
ASL Fingerspelling
Want some practice fingerspelling? I really like this site because it's good for honing visual reception skills, but unfortunately pre-formed letters can't show the usual transition in "real life" fingerspelling. But, considering this is an online tool, they do a good job with the medium they have to work with!
Benjamin Bahan
This is his home page posted by Gallaudet University. Benjamin Bahan is an incredibly talented storyteller and educator.
BritishSignLanguage.com
Did you think all signed languages were the same? My dream that I would learn ONE sign language and be able to travel around the world with it...was naive. Sign Language, like any other language, has it's varieties from community to community and country to country.
CSD
California School for the Deaf (Fremont).
DCARA
Deaf Counseling Advocacy & Referral Agency.
Deafbase
A search engine with all hits relating to deaf businesses, etc.
Deaf.com
Links to many other resources.
Deaf Resources
A great place to pick up merchandise and information.
Deaf Resources Library
This website is maintained by a professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies and it's HUGE.
Deafology 101
A fantastically funny man by the name of Ken Glickman runs this site. He's written three books about Deaf Culture. All hilarious. Check him out!
Deaf Tamara's World of Cartoons
This is an interesting page about Deaf cartoonists, featuring articles, news clippings, and some cartoons.
Gallaudet University
First Liberal Arts University for Deaf People.
NAD
National Association of the Deaf. Another great resource and non-profit organization.
RID
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (United States)
TRAINGOSORRY
A website dedicated to the artistic talents of Deaf people. And for the uninformed hearing people, like myself? TRAINGOSORRY is a sign, translated roughly to English, meaning "Over one's head" (as in, "I didn't get it.")
World Around You
A Deaf magazine produced for teens through early twenties.