[nfb-db] Deaf culture courses Re: nfb-db digest volume 57 issue 12

[Marsha Drenth]

Randy, 
i am interested in hearing more about the deaf culture courses. I wonder if this is something someone could take online? 
Any information is appreciated. 

Marsha drenth  
Sent with my IPhone 

> On Nov 2, 2013, at 8:47 AM, "Randy Pope" <randy.pope at aadb.org> wrote:
> 
> Hey Janice and all,
> 
> You ask a very good question.  For Deaf culture courses, the only college or
> university that I'm aware if Gallaudet University which has an excellent
> program.  However there are some community college that will go a bit
> further than just teaching ASL.  As part of the course, you will need to
> attend the silent dinner nights where the students and deaf people can have
> some fun.
> 
> I'm willing to bet that ASL would be quite difficult to teach to any totally
> blind people as it's require sight to see the facial and body expression.
> These components are very important in communication.  At Gallaudet there is
> one totally blind hearing student is taking courses to be a professional
> interpreter.  One barrier of course is seeing the expressions of the face
> and body.  Since the student cannot see, the professor had to resort to a
> bit of touching in order to give the student some clues of the expressions
> use.  
> 
> I don't know of any of the totally blind people know this.  No offense but
> often when I meet a hearing blind person, the facial and body expression are
> quite....what's the word....flat or difficult to read when communication.
> That's why many blind students have some difficult in creating the right
> expressions in order to communicate in ASL.  Even the ASL DB people who gone
> totally blind, the body and facial expressions go flat with time, especially
> when they are isolated.
> 
> But I can tell you this.  With a good and understanding professor, the
> totally blind people can master ASL in spite of being blind.  That is why
> Pro Tactile is fast becoming the necessary component for the DB people in
> communication.  Believe or not, even the non-ASL users can benefit from Pro
> Tactile method.
> 
> Lastly, just so that everyone here on this list know, I'm  Usher 2, meaning
> that I'm hard of hearing and low vision.  I can communicate in both ASL
> fluently and have good speech like a hearing person.  Almost my entire
> family are hearing/sighted.  Two of my son's children are hard of hearing
> but not blind.  For years I have been advocating for both hard of hearing as
> well as the culturally deaf DB people at both state and federal levels.
> 
> Hope this help, Janice
> 
> Randy  
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-db [mailto:nfb-db-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Janice Toothman
> Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 6:32 AM
> To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List
> Subject: [nfb-db] nfb-db digest volume 57 issue 12
> 
> Hi Randy,
> How do learn more about the deaf culture so that I can bridge the gap?  
> Also, where can I learn tactile ASL that is affordable to facilitate this
> communication with the ASL signers because that is my dilemma?
> Janice
> 
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