Hand Talk: The Native American Sign Language that Predated ASL All humans have unique ways of communicating to navigate the world and interpret daily events. Although the spoken language is the most common way to do so, not all of us can use it. In addition, those who are Deaf or Hard of hearing (D/HoH) […]
It is exciting to learn American Sign Language and now you are ready to use it in the real-world, but you do not know where to go or how to meet people. Do not worry, this article will help guide you towards the right direction of stepping foot in the Deaf community. Firstly, you can […]
When you make the decision to learn ASL, your first though is probably to jump online and find out where you can learn. Some people use social media, and others look for a course to get them through more than just how to say hello. American Sign Language (ASL) is one of a kind. It […]
It is exciting to go to the movies and watch newly released movies; however watching movies in theaters may or may not be a fun experience for D/deaf people. D/deaf people wants to enjoy the movies just like everyone else. The only issue is that D/deaf people cannot hear so D/deaf people are unable […]
Deaflympics 2022 Deaflympics occurred between May 1 – May 15, 2022. It occurred in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. There were 73 nations who joined Deaflympics and list of medals each countries got. There were a total of 2,408 athletes: 1,644 were men and 764 were women. USA won 20 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and […]
Cued speech is not American Sign Language. Cued speech and ASL are two totally different forms of communication. People who communicate in ASL usually turn off the voice. Also, ASL has its own grammar, sentence structure, idioms, phrases and jokes. ASL is more widely used in the Deaf Community. There are often ASL/Deaf events where […]
With COVID under control, airports are re-opening and especially with spring break and summer is right around the corner, people are booking their vacations and getaways. With that being said, there are pros and cons Deaf people experience at the airport. The pros include the ability to cut to the front of the line or […]
Masks protect people from COVID; however, masks became a nightmare for D/deaf people because they had to deal with communicating when people’s faces were half covered. Deaf people rely on reading facial expressions including eye contact and lip reading to be able to understand, but the masks cover and hide the facial expressions. I’ve heard […]
Did you know American Sign Language is not universal? In the article, “Is American Sign Language Universal”, it talked about whether or not American Sign Language is universal, in other words, ASL is used in all countries all over the world. The answer is no. American Sign Language is only unique to the US whereas […]
Many people are inspired by American Sign Language (ASL) from signing in movies, in public, or by a d/Deaf/Hoh friend or d/Deaf/Hoh family member. This inspiration pushes them to want to learn ASL and for some people to choose ASL interpreter as their career choice. Becoming an American Sign Language Interpreter is a popular career […]
A person shared that she heard so many stories of parents being told that their baby or child has failed their hearing tests and how sorry the doctor is to inform them. Imagine being told a newborn baby has hearing loss, or that they aren’t “perfect”. It is devastating for some parents to receive news […]
Holidays are times of the year where families and friends gather to celebrate a warm and cheerful time together. Family members who live in other states will fly to meet, or friends will come together to celebrate the Holiday. Some parties are small and intimate, which usually consist of family, relatives, and partners whereas other […]
Cochlear implants are a hearing device that allows a deaf person to hear. The sound is transmitted through using a processor, an external coil (magnet), and an internal receiver (magnet) that is connected to electrods in the cochlear that sends sound signals to the brain. Although cochlear implants are “connected” through using magnets- read more […]
What does it mean to be an Ally? An Ally, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as to join (yourself) with another person or group to get or give support. So, what does it mean to be a Deaf Ally? A Deaf ally is a person usually who is hearing, joins the Deaf community […]
In general, have you noticed it is hard to find the love of your life, or you just moved to a new area and are craving to make new friends? Especially if you just started learning American Sign Language and there are not a lot of Deaf people to find as a practice partner in […]
by Madisen Fritz | 24 September 2021 Ordering a simple cup of coffee or specialty java drink is, for most Americans, is a normal part of their mundane morning routine, but for D/deaf customers ordering a cup of coffee can be a big hassle if the barista doesn’t know sign language. Miscommunications happen frequently, which […]
by Madelynn Willingham | 7 October 2021 For our last research paper of this class, I decided to investigate how the D/deaf experience music. When people experience music, they typically use the sound of the beat and the flow of the lyrics to determine whether they like a song or not. However, for people who […]
by Lakin Getz | 29 September 2021 Many technological advances have been made throughout the history of deafness. This technology can help everyday life, specific activities, and interpreting. Two new areas of technology advances have developed in hearing aids and cochlear implants. While these two are both used as a part of a person’s physical […]
There are a lot of interracial dating of various ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and languages. This concept is very similar to dating within the Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing communities. Many people may wonder how that works. Well, if a Deaf person dates a Deaf person, there is no problem with dealing with cultural differences […]
It is known that Deaf/hard of hearing people have one less sense and encounter many hardships and challenges, but there are a lot of positive elements. It is true that hard of hearing people often struggle when conversing in loud environments, talking with people that have heavy accents, or especially interacting with masks on – […]
Ever since the pandemic hit in February 2019, people began masking up to protect themselves from catching and spreading the deadly virus. The mask and a few additional protections such as double masks, plastic face coverings, or plastic walls between the speaker and receiver have created huge communication barriers between the hearing and the Deaf […]
There are two different major types of schooling for Deaf people. Deaf schools also known as Deaf institutes are specially for Deaf students only. This means the communication and teaching are in American Sign Language (ASL) and all the students are Deaf. Mainstream schools means that deaf kids are put in classrooms with other hearing […]
Deaf people are able to function just like normal hearing people. Hearing people graduate from universities with a Bachelor’s degree and some further their education to getting a Masters or pHD. Well, Deaf people can do the same. In fact, there are a lot of well-known Deaf people who obtain successful careers such as doctors, […]
** Note: Cochlear implants can be viewed as both positive and negative perspectives depending on the people. Hearing people view cochlear implants as to help deaf people hear and to be able to interact in the hearing world whereas Deaf people feel their identity as being Deaf is taken away and they need to be […]
Have you ever wondered how cochlear implants function and how they help people hear? There are two parts to wearing a cochlear implant. The first part is the internal implant known as the receiver and the second part is the external implant known as the sound processor and transmitter. The internal implant is inserted right […]
