Quiescent Voices

Graduate Studies

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:42:44 GMT

Hello Peoples of the vast internet-

Hi. I'm currently living in New England in the U.S. I'm hearing, though I do have hearing impairment which has affected my speech (sometimes causes issues with parents of hearing children when teaching... but that's another story for another day). I am in the elementary education field and I want to go into Deaf education.

I'm currently torn between two schools for graduate studies. Each seem to have a wonderful master's program, except they cater to different philosophies.

The first school is Boston University in, well, Boston MA. They work with the bi-bi program. One of their professors has written a few papers regarding it and he's very pro. I have no issue with the bi-bi program. (I have a deaf friend who's written English is atrocious and I would rather have had him succeed with his peers than be held back for a few years. He also is working on interacting with Hearing people, etc etc.)

The second school is Smith College near Springfield MA. I like the smallness of the school. I currently come from a small school and wouldn't mind staying with a small college. Their program was a little vague but I get the impression from the admission councilor that I would work with students in their school (either Deaf or HOH). I'm not sure I want to work with HOH. (Don't worry! They're pretty high on my list-- so I'm going to go visit... in September!)

There is a Third school. But I think they are more for hearing rehabilitation. I don't want to be a special's teacher. I want to be a full time classroom teacher. That school is University of Hartford. I also am going to visit them in August to get a better understanding.

My questions for you: Comments about Bi-Bi program/teaching it/learning with it. Comments on teaching Deaf and HOH children (elementary age). And anything I should think about would be helpful.

Sorry for the long post but I have no idea how to cut and just feeling all jumbly and confuzzled.

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:12:23 GMT

Hi There,

Thought I'd introduce myself.. as I'm a rather "NEW" cochlear implants patient..

I'm Jen, 25 years old, from Michigan, attends university at Western Michigan University... I learnt earlier this year '09 that I would finally become a cochlear implants patient. I lost all hearing in my left ear.. already had "NO" hearing in my right ear since 2004. Had jaw surgery in 2003 to correct my bad under bite.. in 2004 had another stapes replacement surgery, cuz i needed it in the right ear. Last year i had to get the replaced stapes taken out. cuz it was burrowing a whole in my ear drum.

so now i am a newbie cochlear implants patient in both ears. i'm retraining my brain to hear sounds. i have another appointment next week monday to get follow up and more programs for my implants. hooray!

i'm on here just wanted to see if they're other deaf students and also, i know very little ASL.. in which i'm retaking the class this fall so i can read galiege.. the irish language. i'm going to teach myself italian! via my ipod touch lol! :)

I am an avid tennis fan, player, and love miley cyrus.. and so i talk alot about that. sorry if thats not your thing..

Hi there!

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:39:17 GMT

My older sister is studying Communicative Sciences and Disorders and she needs to interview someone who has worked with deaf children as part of a paper for her Aural Rehab class.

Anyone in this community happen to fit the bill? She'll only be asking about 7 short questions about your experiences.

Comment in this entry or ship her an e-mail at isuky74@yahoo.com I'm just the messenger, so any further questions should be directed at her.

Thank you so much in advance :)

If this is out of place, could someone be so awesome as to point me out to where I should post this?

Cheers!

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:04:08 GMT

What are some examples of Deaf traditions? ie: Deaf President Now!Day

21secs has passed away

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:24:56 GMT

I write this with a heavy and sad heart. My longtime friend 21secs from back home (He is Deaf and is a member of this community) has passed away on the morning of June 16th. He went into the hospital on the 14th, was given inappropriate doses of a medication that was supposed to help his kidneys which caused problems, and he was not doing well and in pain. He was sedated, I guess to take edge off of the pain even though he was on pain meds, and his heart gave out and stopped beating. They did make efforts to bring him back but the second time it was not successful and he flatlined. I spoke with his mother earlier today and she told me that when he passed, he did not suffer as he was already sedated when his heart stopped beating. The funeral/wake was on June 24th and the burial was on the 25th. So many people attended, according to one of my friends.

I am sorry for being late in writing this, I haven't been on the computer as much as usual and I've been too sad to write this as well and my health is just not so good either. I guess you could say I have not been up to doing anything because it has been hard for me with Tim's passing (it is always hard for me when a good friend passes), I've busy on VP with friends from back home and things like that. I was not able to go to the funeral and the burial though because I live in Texas now and I don't have the money for the fare back home (I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Tim lived), and also because I had to track down Tim's mother's phone number (she had moved) so that I could call her to extend her my condolences and also to get to bottom of exactly what caused Tim's death because I was hearing various different stories that did not make sense and I did not feel comfortable putting all this up on here until I knew all the facts first.

I'm sad that I'll never get to talk to Tim ever again. The last time I spoke to him was on June 13th, after I had gotten home from a festival here in San Antonio. Ironically, he himself had just gotten home from a festival in Milwaukee as well. We were chatting for a bit and then I went to bed. I heard nothing from him since then, and then on the 16th I got an IM on my Sidekick from my other longtime friend of ours that Tim had passed. It was quite shocking as he was someone I had known since childhood and had gone to many same schools with him and hung out with him and another friend a lot before I left Wisconsin in 2001.

I created a LJ community in Tim's memory, so that those of you who know Tim can come on over and post stories or memories or whatever in Tim's memory. Membership is open to all, as long as it is not abused. Please respect each other. There is more information about Tim and his family at this community. Feel free to join and post. I put up some pictures of him there as well.

This is the community: 21secs1982_2009

MODS: I hope this post is allowed - I thought there might be some members in this community that knows 21secs but doesn't know that he has passed, and I thought they should know. If this is in violation of the community rules, I apologize.

a few questions

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:55:51 GMT

{x-posted to little_details, deaf, _nativeamericans}

Hi, all—

I’m hoping that someone can help me with an editing job I’m working on. One of my grandmother’s friends wrote the chapter on American Indians who are Deaf in Psychotherapy with Deaf Clients from Diverse Groups. The book is now going into its second edition, & she’s asked me to help her update her chapter. There are a couple issues that neither of us has found adequate answers to & with which I would really appreciate some help. Namely:

1. Can anyone give me any information on the percentage of students in the residential schools for the deaf who are American Indian? I assume this would vary from school to school, & may also be changing over time. Nancy (the author) has never come across any statistics whatsoever pertaining to this issue, but it would be an incredibly useful thing for us to know. If you know of a resource that we don’t, or if you have any personal experience in this matter, we would very (!!) much appreciate your input. If it’s personal experience, please tell me when & where your experience took place.

2. Relatedly: in Paris & Wood’s Step into the Circle, there’s a piece about a girl who was sent to a residential school & still comes home to her family on the reservation every weekend. If anyone knows how common that practice is, and whether it’s a newer development or if it’s always been possible, I would be much gratified to have your input! I guess the main issue here has to do with the degree of connectivity a deaf child born into a traditional family might maintain with his or her family/tribe after having been sent to a residential school.

3. Last but not least: Nancy would like to update the terminology in her article if necessary. Currently, she uses “American Indian” or “Indian” as an overarching term throughout (which, obviously, I’ve picked up from her) & refers when possible to individuals by their tribes. She also capitalizes “deaf” when it refers to Deaf culture or Deaf people. What does everyone think of this? If you belong to one or both of these groups, are there other terms you would prefer to see used? Or if you don’t belong to those groups but are familiar with the literature, what kind of terminology have you seen used, recently?

Anyway, PROFUSE thanks in advance. This is the first official editing job I’ve ever had, & I will really be very grateful for any help I can get!

Neckloops and iPods

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:16:31 GMT

I have a CLA-7 neckloop that helps a little on the phone (my discrimination is really bad, so I can't understand what people are saying, even though I can hear them). Sometimes I plug it into the jack on my computer speaker so I can enjoy music without also sharing it with my neighbors.

Lately I've really been wanting an iPod (or other Mac-compatible MP3 player). Does anyone know whether neckloops would work on them? I know I can't use the latest model of the iPod Shuffle because the controls are in the headphone cord, but what about older Shuffles, or the iPod nano?

I'd love to take my music with me!

ETA: I went to the Apple store and checked out the goodies. I really, really, liked the blue nano, but I also tried an iPod Touch and thought *that* was just awesome. What I'd budgeted for was a refurbished nano, but I kinda really really like the Touch. My birthday is next month and I may just ask for gift certificates...

At least I know my neckloop works with them!

Mike's Hard Lemonade

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:54:21 GMT

I'm not sure if I saw the commercial right, so did anyone else see this? A guy is talking about making a new cheeseburger-flavored type of hard lemonade, and when his boss says "are you serious?" the guy says "no, of course not. a joke. jk"

I thought he signed J-K when he said that. Have you seen the commercial? Did you see it?

x-posted to signing

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:06:55 GMT

Hey everyone! My name is Mandy. I'm an ASL student. I was wondering if someone could go over my sentences from english to ASL and tell me if the ASL sentences are in the correct form?

1. My grandfather lives in Florida and I try to visit him every other summer.
2. My relatives that lives in New Jersey are: my dad, sister, aunt, uncle, grandmother, and two cousins.
3. In three years, I want to move to California with my sister and mom, because the weather is perfect all year and the beaches are beautiful.
4. The top three states that I hate are: Alaska, Arizona, and Oregon. Alaska is too cold, Arizona is too hot, and Oregon is boring.
5. Christmas is my favorite holiday because my family is together.
6. My father is getting married to Christine this summer.

1. FLORIDA MY GRANDFATHER LIVES. EVERY OTHER SUMMER I VISIT.
2. NEW JERSEY MY RELATIVES LIVE: DAD, SISTER, AUNT, UNCLE, GRANDMOTHER, TWO COUSINS.
3. THREE YEARS, CALIFORNIA I WANT TO MOVE WITH MY SISTER AND MOM, BECAUSE ALL YEAR PERFECT WEATHER, BEACHES BEAUTIFUL.
4. ALASKA, ARIZONA, OREGON, THREE STATES I HATE. ALASKA COLD, ARIZONA HOT, OREGON BORING.
5. CHRISTMAS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY, BECAUSE MY FAMILY IS TOGETHER
6. THIS SUMMER, MY FATHER AND CHRISTINE MARRY

Anyone help would be grateful. Thank you!

how would you say...

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:36:46 GMT

If you had a list of careers (e.g. artists, dancers, writers, singers, actors), could you sign ART DANCE WRITE SING ACT PERSON, or is it necessary to have PERSON after each part of the list?

If I were asking a large group of people "Does anyone here sign?" I would just say SIGN and then look around with a question-face and maybe what-shrug. Would that convey my meaning, or would it be better to do something like YOU KNOW SIGN?

Thanks!

x-posted to signing

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:04:12 GMT

Hi everyone,

My name is Christine and I work for a Deaf Agency in CA. We are currently collecting articles that describe how the economy and cuts are affecting our Deaf and HoH community. If you have any articles (California-related preferred) like...

- Deaf people being laid off/losing their jobs because their company is downsizing
-Number of deaf people filing for UI
-Deaf people impacted because SSI is being cut
-Deaf seniors impacted because of health care cuts
-Deaf people not getting access to certain services because of cuts/downsizing

Please send them to info@dcara.org or to my LiveJournal email address.

Many thanks!!! :)

T-Mobile issues

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:49:32 GMT

Has anyone else here had bad experiences with T-Mobile lately? I've had the Sidekick and their dataonly plan for a couple years now but I had SUCH a bad experience this week when I was trying to upgrade and get a G1.

I called T-Mobile last week before purchasing the G1, specifically to make sure that I could get a data-only plan for it. I spent a while on the phone with customer service, who assured me that not only was it entirely possible to get a data-only plan for the G1, they would go ahead and change my service to make sure it was the right plan for the G1. Unlimited data, no voice. I asked multiple times to make sure it was the correct plan, and was assured that she had updated my plan correctly and when I got the phone it would be all set to go.

I got the phone today, switched my simcard into it, turned it on, and -- it didn't work. Because the plan wasn't correct. So I called them up to see what was wrong, and then they tell me that in order to make it work I need to purchase a voice plan.

The person on the phone was extremely obnoxious, too; they told me "Do you think you're the only deaf person who wants a G1?" and to buy voice minutes or get rid of the phone, no other options.

Considering they had sold me the phone (and an extended 2-year plan for it) under the false pretenses of being able to get a plan that was useful to me as a Deaf person, this was not only discriminatory but outright lying.

I am so angry and frustrated right now, I've been on the phone most of the day with customer service and also went in person to a store and it looks like there's nothing I can do about it. UGH.

I feel like there should be something I can do about the fact they blatantly lied to me before I bought it. And the fact that they're trying to force Deaf people to pay for a completely useless service.

Got a question for y'all:

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:36:46 GMT

Does anyone know of any deaf Estheticians out there?

I'd like to know how they fared in the workplace as an Esthetician and how they got their training/courses and whatnot. Like.. any interpreters provided? How necessary were the interpreters needed as far as doing courses/training for the Esthetician job?

Now, as for the job itself: how many clients do they average a day/week? Any difficulties with being a deaf esthetician and with the co-workers and the clients? do they still use interpreters or...?

Any input would be greatly appreciated if you guys know of any. Thank you so much in advance!

\m/_

Hearing People at Deaf Events

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:29:50 GMT

Hi everyone! I've got a question for you guys. Ok, so I'm an ASL student and I'm always wanting to go to Deaf/HOH events and such so that I can practice my signing in a realistic situation. Only thing is, whenever there are events in my area to go to I always find myself chickening out and not going. Not so much because I don't feel confident in my signing abilities, but more because I feel like I'm intruding. I guess my question is for those of you here that are hearing, what have been your experiences going to different deaf/HOH events? Have they been pretty good overall, once you get past the nervousness of the first few times? And for those of you that are deaf/HOH, do you feel kind of annoyed when there are hearing people there as well?

I know ASL students are required to go to different events sometimes so I'm sure I wouldn't be the only hearing ASL student there, and it's not even like I think the Deaf/HOH bite ^_^ For some reason I just can't get past this mental block of mine.

Any insight would be much appreciated! :)

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:36:32 GMT

Hiiiii guys....

Yet another self portrait related question!
I want to do a self portrait that brings up the question as to why I so strongly embrace nature when it comes to my deafness [ie: I'm happy to be who I am, I was born this way, I wouldn't change it]... yet I feel very differently when it comes to my breasts, while it's the way a female body is naturally supposed to be, etc.

I want to do a self portrait where I'm signing nature: meaning being born the way you are meant to be and living life the way you are... do I use the sign that is usually used for like "mother nature" -the n circled above the fist and then touching the fist] or is there a different sign I should be using for this concept? Or would there be a different sign that would better express this?

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:31:09 GMT

I hope this is all right to ask. My 13-month-old daughter is learning ASL. Lately she has been showing me a sign she may have learned somewhere else. She points her index finger to the middle of her palm and looks up at me expectantly. Is she just showing me her hand?

Any help would be appreciated!

Deaf Weddings

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:26:21 GMT

So I'm profoundly deaf and dependent on ASL/PSE sign to communicate.

My fiance is hearing, and learned sign language for me.

We're getting married this October. We plan on signing our vows. I searched Google for deaf wedding photos, and could only find a few.

I am fascinated by photos of signed ceremonies, and was wondering if anyone had any they wouldn't mind sharing?

I plan on having one interpeter stand by the pastor as my own personal interpreter, and then another interpreter stand off to the side of the stage for the deafies in the audience.

Does anyone have tips/suggestions that they wish they had known at their own deaf wedding, or something that worked really well for someone?

Odd question: the sign TOTAL-COMMUNICATION (ASL)

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:24:49 GMT

Hi ASL-using folks (and others who might know),

I have a strange question.

You know the sign TOTAL-COMMUNICATION? The essentially ungrammatical one, like COMMUNICATION but with T-C handshapes instead of C-C?

What's the story behind that? Who coined it, when, and who still uses it?

[yes, it came up in conversation today... *grin*]

Edit: thanks for your comments! Just to clarify, I do know what the sign means, and what TC itself is; I'm mostly curious about the history of the sign itself!

Multiple Sign Languages

Wed, 27 May 2009 20:16:05 GMT

Hi there! My name's Amanda. I'm soon to be 25, hearing and currently majoring in Deaf Interpretive Services. I've always been fascinated with Sign Language, my friend and I tried to teach ourselves when we were little. Now, I find myself really interested in other signed languages as well.

So my question is: Is there anyone out there who knows multiple signed languages (British sign, Spanish sign, Chinese, Portuguese, etc)? Is it difficult to keep them separate?

I'm currently in Ohio, but I plan to move to California. As part of my plan, I'm taking Spanish and my natural inclination towards signing makes me want to try to learn to sign in Spanish. Granted, I don't want to screw myself up...so before I try to learn, I'm interested if anyone else has done this and what their results were.

Tue, 26 May 2009 20:45:01 GMT

So I want to do a self portrait thing where I'm basically talking about names and there's this sentence "what's in a name?" which kinda means like what does a name really represent when it comes to the individual with the name... is it really a part of the identity [not meaning what is the actual meaning of the name].

I'm wondering how to say "what's in a name" in ASL?
"name itself represent what?"

How do I capture what I am trying to bring up [basically what I said in the first paragraph] in one ASL sentence? I'm not sure if "name itself represent what" is accurate enough.

I know, it's sad. I'm deaf, I should know this shit, but I grew up using Signed English and while I understand ASL effortlessly, I still struggle when it comes to translating English into ASL.

So any feedback/thoughts would be awesome!!

Signs for "Slick" and "Gravedigger"

Tue, 19 May 2009 19:15:36 GMT

Hi guys,

I've been asked to interpret a traditional spiritual song called "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" which was apparently based on ASL. Things are going pretty well, except that there are two words that are giving me some problems. The first is "slick" in the tricky, conniving, untrustworthy context: "Ain't no devil been slick enough to trick me".

My second question is about "gravedigger". I don't know the sign for "gravedigger", and the music director suggested signing "digger" (DIG + PERSON). Would there be a better sign for that? The line is: "Ain't no grave ever been dug so low, no gravedigger been born so strong".

I've already checked ASLPro, but they don't seem to offer any brilliant suggestions, so any ideas you guys might have would be extremely appreciated. Thanks! :)

Sign for 'faithful'

Mon, 18 May 2009 23:54:00 GMT

Hi! I'm working on signing a song for my ASL class, and I was wondering if there was a sign for faithful? I've already checked aslpro and the MSU ASL browser, neither of which had the sign listed. I've thought of other ways to sign it without using faithful, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a sign for it first. Here are the lyrics:

And the award for the best lie goes to you
For making me believe
That you could be faithful to me.

Any suggestions?

Phones

Sat, 16 May 2009 07:51:28 GMT

So my sidekick III died on me last night. this is the second time it's happened to me in the past year and half. I am just about done with sidekicks and really want to adventure out of my comfort zone of the sidekick world and try something completely new. (even though I've been feeling a little bit to try the Sidekick LX)

I'm considering Samsung Blackjack II..... Has anyone ever tried this phone out?? Comments?

Also, if you know of a good phone that fits a deaf person's needs... (texting, IMs, web browsing, etc... you know the drill) please feel free to recommend & comment on the phone.

Thu, 14 May 2009 14:07:10 GMT

I just wanted to say thanks to all the folks here who gave me suggestions a few weeks back when I asked for help regarding my group's Deaf Culture presentation for our speech class. We knocked it out of the park, thanks in no small part to you guys =D

asl terp for a passport application meeting

Wed, 13 May 2009 13:19:17 GMT

Hi all:

I'm in Canada and I'm going to the nearby US Consulate on June 9th for a passport application meeting. Last summer, I booked a meeting and requested via e-mail that they find an interpreter. Their reply was basically, "too bad, we don't do that." I had to cancel the appointment for a different reason, but now I'm keeping this one for sure. Now, are they obligated to provide me with an interpreter? It seems kinda important that I have an interpreter for a meeting like this. In the USA, would the ADA obligate them to provide me with this? It's a government service, so I would think so. And would it apply if they were in Canada?