learning to sign

T

typeingtornado19

New Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
3,140
Reaction score
0
just wondering, when everyone was first learning to sign, were there signs that you struggled to sign? if so what were/are they?
 
Started learning asl in summer of 2007. I still struggle with expressing myself in sign. :roll: My reception is a little bit better.
 
since i started learning tactile sign in 1995, i can't remember that far back, but i'm sure there were quite a few signs i had difficulty with.

the one thing i *do* struggle with in regards to asl are facial expressions. since i was born totally blind, it's hard for me to understand how to make them since i've never been able to see before.

one of my instructors at the local deafblind center spent some time working with me on this, but i just couldn't get the hang of signing something and making a certain facial expression at the same time.

i found that if i placed too much concentration on being able to make facial expressions, my signing suffered as a result.

having said that, i've been told that if i'm feeling a certain emotion (such as anger or excitement) while signing, people can clearly tell by my facial expression how i'm feeling. if i try to deliberately make a particular facial expression, i can't do it because i don't understand how it's supposed to look.
 
Hear Again said:
since i started learning tactile sign in 1995, i can't remember that far back, but i'm sure there were quite a few signs i had difficulty with.

the one thing i *do* struggle with in regards to asl are facial expressions. since i was born totally blind, it's hard for me to understand how to make them since i've never been able to see before.

one of my instructors at the local deafblind center spent some time working with me on this, but i just couldn't get the hang of signing something and making a certain facial expression at the same time.

i found that if i placed too much concentration on being able to make facial expressions, my signing suffered as a result.

having said that, i've been told that if i'm feeling a certain emotion (such as anger or excitement) while signing, people can clearly tell by my facial expression how i'm feeling. if i try to deliberately make a particular facial expression, i can't do it because i don't understand how it's supposed to look.
Click to expand...

i agree. facial expressions are hard. My teacher looks at me, and asks me why i dont use them, i have to tell her i dont understand them.

i also struggle with... the sign for struggle...
 
typeingtornado19 said:
i agree. facial expressions are hard. My teacher looks at me, and asks me why i dont use them, i have to tell her i dont understand them.

i also struggle with... the sign for struggle...
Click to expand...

does your instructor penalize you for not using facial expressions?
 
Hear Again said:
does your instructor penalize you for not using facial expressions?
Click to expand...


she is when she sees my dvd for my exam...

btw, i had to redo the freggin thing three times, the first was because a girl wouldnt stop making me laugh and the secound(i did that one so much better) i had to redo because i tripped over the freggin cord.
 
Last edited:
Facial expression...*sigh* That's a tough one. My problem is that i'm concentrating so very hard on what i want to say in asl that i forget that my face has to match the words on my fingers. :doh:
Struggle, indeed.

Hear Again: I didn't know you were born blind. Do you have Usher's?
 
Those struggles, especially facial expressions will come with the passage of time if you stick with it.....
 
society's_child said:
Facial expression...*sigh* That's a tough one. My problem is that i'm concentrating so very hard on what i want to say in asl that i forget that my face has to match the words on my fingers. :doh:
Struggle, indeed.

Hear Again: I didn't know you were born blind. Do you have Usher's?
Click to expand...

no, i don't have usher's.

i was born totally blind from retinopathy of prematurity/rop (fully detached retinas).

my progressive hearing loss was caused by secondary complications of rop, low birth weight (i weighed 2 pounds at birth), ototoxic drugs given to me while in the neonatal icu, antibiotics given to me for infant and childhood ear infections and years of untreated allergies.
 
society's_child said:
Facial expression...*sigh* That's a tough one. My problem is that i'm concentrating so very hard on what i want to say in asl that i forget that my face has to match the words on my fingers. :doh:
Struggle, indeed.

Hear Again: I didn't know you were born blind. Do you have Usher's?
Click to expand...

i understand. its hard.
 
I can't remember as I was 5 or 6 years old when I first started signing. :lol:
 
Hear Again said:
i don't believe in using blindness as an excuse, but in this case, i think it's unfair of her to expect you to use facial expressions when you can't see.
Click to expand...

i agree totally. but geez this is my 3rd year of ASL, if i dont get it by now, it means i cant see it. This is like the only time i use that as an excuse.
 
Hear Again said:
no, i don't have usher's.

i was born totally blind from retinopathy of prematurity/rop (fully detached retinas).

my progressive hearing loss was caused by secondary complications of rop, low birth weight (i weighed 2 pounds at birth), ototoxic drugs given to me while in the neonatal icu, antibiotics given to me for infant and childhood ear infections and years of untreated allergies.
Click to expand...

Oh I see. I don't know much about Usher Syndrome anyway. Perhaps i should have done some research before tossing it out there, lol.

You were a tough kid to endure all of that.:shock: What does not kill you...
 
typeingtornado19 said:
i agree totally. but geez this is my 3rd year of ASL, if i dont get it by now, it means i cant see it. This is like the only time i use that as an excuse.
Click to expand...

Have you thought of asking instructor if you could feel what the facial expressions looked like? Maybe that would help?
 
society's_child said:
Oh I see. I don't know much about Usher Syndrome anyway. Perhaps i should have done some research before tossing it out there, lol.

You were a tough kid to endure all of that.:shock: What does not kill you...
Click to expand...

thanks, society's_child! :)

that's perfectly okay about you asking if i had usher's. many people think i do. even my former ci audi thought i had usher's after reading my ci application.

in order to have usher's, i would need to be diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (rp). since i don't have rp, usher's was immediately ruled out.

usher's happens to be the leading cause of deafblindness, so i can understand why you'd ask me if i had it.
 
Back
Top