My Deaf World 1

Since we're now doing a 'sign of the week', I figured I'd do a little essay bit, so to teach you a little about my 'world'. J

I have been deaf since birth, and am considered an oddity in medical terms, since I am totally deaf - this means I do not have any measurable hearing at all in either ear. The majority of Deaf/Hard of Hearing people have some hearing, even though the remaining hearing may not be effective with any form of hearing aid. I was raised Oral (meaning that I learnt how to speak clear, understandable (?) English), but at home, I used sign language as well as speech to communicate.

A quick terminology here: small 'd' deaf refers to medical deafness - whereas large 'D' Deaf refers to cultural Deafness. If I am speaking of myself as being Deaf - this is how I see myself, as part of a culture.

The form of sign language I use is mainly ASL - American Sign Language - this is used throughout North America, with regional differences of course - such you would have in accents and regional slang. ASL was created and developed through generations of Deaf usage, and like most languages, has a base in another sign language, French Sign Language.

Lipreading or Speechreading: This is basically understanding the spoken language as it is spoken. However, this method is not without its' pitfalls. I can understand about 60% to 80% of a conversation, but about 20% to 30% is mainly guesswork; 'filling in the blanks' - I do better than the average Deaf person, since I have fairly high fluency in English (the average Deaf person is considered fortunate if they have Grade 6 English comprehension). However, lipreading isn't a totally reliable method, as my skill(s) may go down if I am either; tired, ill, or am confronted with a speaker with whom I cannot understand - for me, personally (this will differ for each Deaf person), is individuals with accents (I have trouble with East Indian, Pakistan, Scottish, Gaelic, and some South African accents), as well men with facial hair hiding part/or all of their mouth. I may also ask you to remove your sunglasses, as lipreading isn't only focusing on the mouth - we also focus on the entire face, as well as reading the body language; note here, it's often hard to lie to us Deaf..especially if we know you very well. J

Every culture has its own standards of behaviour and has 'subconscious' manners that all in that culture adhere to, in order to function effectively in that society, correct? Well, in Deaf culture, we also have those; and I'd like to list a few:

* While speaking to a Deaf individual, it is considered good manners to maintain eye contact.

* If you are distracted by a sound nearby or someone is calling to you, during your conversation with the Deaf person(s), it is also considered good manners to advise the Deaf person(s) you are speaking to the reason of your distraction.

* It is considered the norm in Deaf society to advise one another of where you are going - for example, in my own family, we tell each other where we are going to be (another room, outside in the garden, etc). This is of benefit to the Deaf individual…unless one WANTS to get some exercise, looking for the other person..as the Deaf individual cannot just call out and expect a response from a nearby room as to the whereabouts of the quarry.

* Do ask the Deaf individual how they would like you to gain their attention; this may vary from Deaf to Deaf; for myself, I prefer to be touched on the shoulder or arm.

I think that's enough for now, eh?

Carly