[stylist] A New Member

Mon Dec 29 01:50:30 UTC 2008

Donna:

Do you know that there are a few hearing blind people who are also excellent
ASL interpreters?  In most cases they learned because they had a deaf
significant other.  But recently, a few blind signers learned from ASL
classes by use of relay interpreters who simply "mirror" the teacher's
signs, for them to follow with their hands.

A different sign language?  There are two other sign languages in North
America, one the Quebec sign language and the other the black sign language,
which is now almost gone.  Black signs came about in the deep South, where
whites and blacks were separated in everything.

Older ASL is a bit different than today's ASL, but signers of each can
understand the other readily.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Donna Hill
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2008 1:31 PM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] A New Member

John,
I learned the alphabet from a deaf man who was into wilderness sports.  
We met when we were both asked to be part of a pilot project sponsored 
by the Sons of Norway called the Vinland National Healthsports Center, 
which was in Minnesota.  Not sure if they still exist, but in '81 or '82 
they wanted to test out their program on representatives of different 
disabilities.  I can't even remember his name, though I'm sure I have it 
somewhere as I did as series of radio programs on it for the Radio 
Information Center for the Blind in Philadelphia.  I remember thinking 
that with him being deaf and me blind, we wouldn't have much 
communication, but he was my favorite person in the class.  If only I 
had known computer in those days, we might have kept in touch.  He had a 
malamute named "Laska" who came with him and stayed outside at night.

My mother-in-law didn't teach me anything other than "I love you," and 
apparently her parents used a different sign language than what is in 
use these days.
Donna

-- 
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John Lee Clark wrote:
> Donna:
>
> That's quite interesting about your husband's grandparents.  Do you know
any
> signs?
>
> Yes, there are all-deaf of absolutely everything.  They have their own
> churches and sports leagues and beauty pagents and ASL Idol and Deaf World
> Series of Poker and theater companies and even their own underground porn.
> They have a lively filmmaking culture, but most of it is unknown to
> Hollywood because the films have no sound at all.  Further, if there are
> deaf people working in this or that, and if deaf people need it, they
prefer
> the deaf worker over calling a company and getting someone at random--car
> mechanic, investment banker, plumber, real estate realtor, manicurist,
> computer geek/troubleshooter, anything.  Oh, it's not that deaf people are
> their only clients, but just that if a deaf person happens to work for
> MasterCuts at a certain mall, that particular hair shop is going to see a
> lot of deaf people.
>
> It boils down to communication, communication, communication.
>
> John
>
>
>
>   
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Donna Hill
> Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 8:13 PM
> To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] A New Member
>
> John,
> Lots of good points.  My husband's grandparents were both deaf and 
> consequently his mother grew up signing though she is a hearing person.  
> Her father was a furnature maker and his talents were exploited by his 
> employer -- not that there's anything terribly unusual about employers 
> exploiting their workers, but the stories in the family suggest that 
> some of what they got away with was because he was deaf and didn't have 
> other employment options.  The thing I remember is that they had their 
> own all-deaf church, some place in upstate New York.
> Donna
>
>   

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