Help! Hearie with questions...

C

Chewie

New Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Good morning AD friends! Can you help me...please?


1) ASL vs. SEE...When I was taking Speech – Language Pathology & Audiology classes, SEE was the recommended path. However I see most text and terp programs deal in ASL. What are your feelings on this?


2) For someone that needs to be able to learn to communicate quickly and does not have time to take a semester long class right now – what would you recommend? Is there a good phrase book I could pick up somewhere with simple “Hello, My name is…” type items? I work with hospice patients and I currently have a patient now that is not only profoundly deaf - does not lip read - only signs, but also has alzheimers - The facility she lives in does not have anyone that signs so her only visitation is with her daughter for a few hours a day.


3) We are noticing a decrease in ability to communicate with a write board. In your opinion, how do you think this will effect sign communication as alzheimers/dementia progresses? Any studies you are aware of?



4) Here in Oklahoma we have an event called Deaf Chat Coffee that is held at Starbucks in Moore and South OKC? I am seeing mixed emotions on “hearies” and non-deaf attending these events, but the website seems to welcome them…again…your opinion please?


Thank you for all your help - I really want to learn. I really want to fit in, but only if I am welcome to. I do not want to step on any toes.

Chewie
 
Welcome Chewie!

Here's a nice online ASL dictionary with phrases:
http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/phrases.cgi

ABC dictionary:
ASL Browser

As for the decrease in an ability to communicate by writing, what do you mean by that? For deaf people who have dementia/alzheimers? If so, I'm not aware of any studies in this area.

I don't know about Deaf Chat Coffee in Oklahoma. You probably could send the host an email asking about this. My opinion is that all hearies are welcome -- but would you spend a long time chatting with a foreigner who barely knows your language? To get best results, I suggest finishing your ASL courses and if someone thinks you are fluent enough -- get a good dose of self confidence and a sense of humor -- and you're set to go to a deaf event. I don't know anyone who really have fun 'working' at a deaf gathering (ie. teaching people who are learning signs, etc). I could be wrong, though. I would feel weird if people came to the deaf events just to stare at me signing like I was in a zoo.
 
Chewie said:
Good morning AD friends! Can you help me...please?


1) ASL vs. SEE...When I was taking Speech – Language Pathology & Audiology classes, SEE was the recommended path. However I see most text and terp programs deal in ASL. What are your feelings on this?
SEE was no doubt the recommended path because Speech/Language Pathology classes are not specific to deaf/Deaf needs, and attempt to utilize a solution that can be applied across board. Likewise, the term "pathology" gives you a clue as to why the recommedation would be made from a hearing perspective rather than from a deaf perspective.

2) For someone that needs to be able to learn to communicate quickly and does not have time to take a semester long class right now – what would you recommend? Is there a good phrase book I could pick up somewhere with simple “Hello, My name is…” type items? I work with hospice patients and I currently have a patient now that is not only profoundly deaf - does not lip read - only signs, but also has alzheimers - The facility she lives in does not have anyone that signs so her only visitation is with her daughter for a few hours a day.
Lou Fant's ASL Phrase book would be an excellent source.

3) We are noticing a decrease in ability to communicate with a write board. In your opinion, how do you think this will effect sign communication as alzheimers/dementia progresses? Any studies you are aware of?

Probably not. A write board utilizes an English syntax, and for this patient, English is obviously a second language. The nature of Alzheimer's and most forms of Dementia is that those things learned/experienced more recently are forgotten. Hence, the ability of a dementia patient to remember acurrately an event from early childhood, but not what they had for breakfast this morning. As ASL is this patient's first language, she internalized it as a child, and will rely on the ASL sytax as her English knowledge is lost. Perhaps she is not showing a decrease in her ability to communicate using a write board, but is simply phrasing in the syntax she internalized as a child. In that case, it would be more of a decrease in your ability to understand her attempts, rather than a decrease in her ability to communicate.

There are numerous studies regarding Alzheimer's/Dementia. Check out the search engine PsychInfo.


4) Here in Oklahoma we have an event called Deaf Chat Coffee that is held at Starbucks in Moore and South OKC? I am seeing mixed emotions on “hearies” and non-deaf attending these events, but the website seems to welcome them…again…your opinion please?


Thank you for all your help - I really want to learn. I really want to fit in, but only if I am welcome to. I do not want to step on any toes.

Chewie
Click to expand...

I don't see that you are stepping on any toes. I admire your willingness to look for answers.
 
They have "Silent Dinners" every month in Tulsa. I have never been to one. I am hard of hearing and wear hearing aids. I know only a few signs. A couple friends of mine from the boards are showing me ASL though the webcams. This is a great group of people, deaf, hard of hearing and hearing. I love all the members here.
 
Thank you all so much!
This is so helpful and makes so much sense to me.
Glad to have some new friends out there.
 
Back
Top