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<DIV><FONT size=5>Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it all! Also thinks
for describing the letters for me! Today it was all facial expressions to
communicate; that was interesting! I did run in to another blind student
who is in a level higher and he told me that he would help me one on one; he
goes to the same coledge campus! I work with blind and apparently deaf
refugees, mostly from the middle east and Africa! Smiles, I really have an
interesting time because I have two or three disabilities, depending on how you
look at it! I also have MS! And disability is seen as a tabu for
people from that part of the world! To suddenly land in this country
alone, no language and than find that you have to work with a disabled person
who is relatively independent on her own! The first thing they want to
know after much communication "where is your family... you live alone....
how!" We take so much for granted, there was a girl from Somalia, who
never went to school because she was blind. So she could not communicate
or read or do anything by herself. Because she was not socialized within
that culture, it was hard to get a frame of reference to teach her any
skills! How do you tell some to read a book when they have never seen a
book or have used real language that has reference to every day conceps.
She was 20 years old. Think about how you were at 20! Just
one extreme example! But, I do some connecting to resources to make it
easier! Heather </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=marsha.drenth@gmail.com href="mailto:marsha.drenth@gmail.com">Marsha
Drenth</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfb-db@nfbnet.org href="mailto:nfb-db@nfbnet.org">NFB
Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A title=nfb-db@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfb-db@nfbnet.org>"><nfb-db@nfbnet.org></A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, September 04, 2013 4:17 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [nfb-db] knew to the list</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Hi Heather,</DIV>
<DIV>I considered taking an ASL class like your doing, but my fear was that I
could not keep up. So currently I am paying a private tutor to learn tactual
sign. Here where I live in PA, an interpertor costs about 75 dollars for an
hour. But I have worked it out with the few SSP/interpertors that we pay that
every two weeks. This is the best way to go, one on one. </DIV>
<DIV>I will be going to HKNC in a few month for training in deaf/hard of hearing
skills. i have been blind almost my entire life. So I do not need the blindness
skills part. </DIV>
<DIV>When I went for a tour to HKNC back in June, my husband and I asked them
the same thing. Is there a braille or text document on how to make and perform
the signs? There answer is no, they knew of nothing. </DIV>
<DIV>So when my husband I started learning sign we started this document of how
to make the signs and the movements. We are careful to describe for espically
the blind, what to do, including the 5 parameters of ASL. </DIV>
<DIV>We are currently up to about 400 signs. Tomorrow we will be starting with a
new instructor on our sign lessons, so we will be adding to that document. At
some point we would like to offer it to other blind persons who want to know how
to sign. </DIV>
<DIV>I am alsdo sorry you had such a bad experience with the DB social. Even
though I am now very involved in the DB group here in PA, its a sub group of
either the blind or deaf community. Because your HOH you don't exactly fit in
either the sighted or hearing, deaf groups. </DIV>
<DIV>I am wondering if your involved with your state affiliate of NFB, if that
would be a good way to find other DB persons in Texas. When I lived in Dallas, I
didn't have a hearing loss, so I didn't pay attention to the state services for
those who are HOH/deaf. But maybe that would not only be a good start to find
other DB persons, but maybe finding another person you could connect with to
learn sign. And further social events. </DIV>
<DIV>You might look into Texas's SSP program, if they have one at all. Until you
really get into the community of DB, can you then connect with other resources
and people. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I hope I have made sense? And one last thing, like I said I lived in Texas,
specifically Dallas until 2008. your name sounds familiar. But you might know me
as Marsha Lindsey, or Marsha marin. If we are long lost aquintances, its great
too reconnect again. If we aren't, sorry for mixing you up with someone
else. </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Marsha drenth
<DIV>Sent with my IPhone </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR>On Sep 4, 2013, at 2:04 PM, "heather albright" <<A
href="mailto:kd5cbl@gmail.com">kd5cbl@gmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=5>Hello, I am taking my first ASL class at the community
college! I am taking this course because I want to communicate
with my deaf-blind friends and I myself have hearing difficulties! I
wanted to know if there is a brailled manual for the letters! I received
several audio books and one braille book however, they don't describe how to
make the signs! I thought they would after all the materials are from a
blindness organization! I tried to e-mail the Helen Keller foundation
and never received a response! I have tactile interpreters for in
class! However, I don't have anyone who can work with me outside
of class! I have only been to the deaf-blind chat here in Austin
once! It was not a pretty nice experience! The sighted deaf were
talking amongst themselves and the so called interpreters for the deaf-blind
were talking to themselves ignoring the people they were supposed to
help! So my friends and I have not been back! We communicate with
our braille displays on the note-takers for now! But I think there might
be a better way! I also work with refugees who are deaf and found that
Iwas the only one who wanted to take ASL so I could at least communicate with
the deaf refugees! I already work with blind refugees, as a
volunteer. Thank you, Heather Albright </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5>Heather Albright<BR>"When we do the best that we can, we
never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another."
Helen Keller <BR>contact: voice and text:
<BR>512-680-3985<BR>skype: cynterline<BR>e-mail:<BR><A
href="mailto:heather.albright@g.austincc.edu">heather.albright@g.austincc.edu</A><BR></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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