- About Visitor
I have seen several deaf families where the deaf person is the only one in the household that knows sign language. In all cases but one, there is just a general lack of communication and there are very few attempts at actual communication. When asked why ASL was not learned, the replies are the same: They always meant to learn and wanted to learn ASL but never did.
In one case, I witnessed something amazing. The family claims that they 'don't need' sign language to communicate, but can't ask the deaf person how their day was, if they have any problems or to explain to the deaf person the basic things about human nature and human behavior in the world. They also tell themselves whatever it is they want to believe is being communicated.
I have seen the deaf person try to communicate with sign language and the family interpret it totally incorrect and claim a subject that was not communicated at all. For instance, the deaf person became frustrated and told his family that he doesn't like them for not understanding him or caring how he thinks and feels and they interpreted that to mean that he was asking them to drive his girlfriend home, that he didn't want his HOH girlfriend in his car. He nearly ran over their feet when attempting to drive away with his HOH girlfriend while family members were shouting for her to get out of the car.
This same family, at another time, misinterpreted his trying to tell them 'I'll see you all later', as his request to take his girlfriend to the hearing church with them, that he didn't want to take his HOH girlfriend to the deaf church with him. The fact that a deaf person would never ask a HOH person to try to hear at the hearing church is not a fact that entered their minds.
They also think that deafness and mental retardation are the same thing. Attempting to explain that with education, a deaf person has an entire language consisting of many words is a concept that is totally disbelieved. It's terrible for a person to have to endure that and becomes used to it and is made to believe that they are dependent upon such persons and will obey them and will even defend their abusive treatment. The various abuses of a deaf person by family members who can get away with it is an awful thing to witness.
- About Visitor
My daughter was diagnosed hearing impaired at the age of 3. I was thrilled!!! I know that sounds funny but I was so glad it was something so simple that kept her from communicating with me.
The first thing I did was have my husband teach me ASL. He is hearing impaired also. So this was something that I could learn to deal with , through my husbands experience.
After just a few short weeks of us signing with her, we were able to communicate completely. We enrolled her in a total communication class. She is now 11 and makes all A's in school, she no longer needs sign language to communicate. But what a great head start it gave her.
When she was 3 we were living in Chicago, we moved when she was 5 to Tennessee. I could not believe that parents here and their refusal to teach their hearing impaired children sign language. They think that they need to rely on verbal communication. I have tried and tried to make them understand that sign language provides a "boost" for lack of a better word, to them learning to communicate verbaly. I have just gave up, They refuse to even think about the benefits of sign language.
-About Visitor
Updated March 4, 2006
