Hi I am a Chinese CODA who research Deaf in US

[YanaYU]

Hello, everyone. I am a Chinese coda. My parents and my aunt are Deaf. As far as I know, Deaf community in China has a horrible living circumstance. Here seems much better. But still, I feel that Deaf community is woefully undeserved and little researched.

Now I am pursuing PhD degree in FSU, and my dissertation is about how to improve information access for Deaf. I believe that knowledge is essential to improve one's life. My current assumption is that current IT design and how information is presented is not that accessible for Deaf people. Am I right?

Glad to meet you guys! I really want to lead a career to speak for and do something for Deaf! I believe you can help me to achieve my goals

 

[Frisky Feline]

I may be oversighted what you are looking for improving the accessible for Deaf people. Give us some examples.

Most of us, are varied of Deaf, HOH, hearing loss, deaf oral or Late deaf may not be the same opinions but i m sure you already know that.

Gimme some example.. Eh..

btw, are you coming here for researching some stuff from us then leave us?

 

[CrazyPaul]

Hello, everyone. I am a Chinese coda. My parents and my aunt are Deaf. As far as I know, Deaf community in China has a horrible living circumstance. Here seems much better. But still, I feel that Deaf community is woefully undeserved and little researched.

Now I am pursuing PhD degree in FSU, and my dissertation is about how to improve information access for Deaf. I believe that knowledge is essential to improve one's life. My current assumption is that current IT design and how information is presented is not that accessible for Deaf people. Am I right?

Glad to meet you guys! I really want to lead a career to speak for and do something for Deaf! I believe you can help me to achieve my goals

Are you talking about here or in China? If here, we have interpreters, CC, texting, TTY, VP, relay services, etc all available for the deaf communities. The problems we have mostly are from employers who commit an act of discrimination, thus that's why there is SSI available for deaf people under law. If an employer refuses to hire a deaf person, what can you do about it? Many people file a complaint to EEO but they have no way to prove those acts of discrimination. Can you do something about it? Why don't you become a lawyer for the Deaf instead?

 

[YanaYU]

Thanks for your inquiry, Frisky

I may be oversighted what you are looking for improving the accessible for Deaf people. Give us some examples.

Most of us, are varied of Deaf, HOH, hearing loss, deaf oral or Late deaf may not be the same opinions but i m sure you already know that.

Gimme some example.. Eh..

btw, are you coming here for researching some stuff from us then leave us?

Yes, I know that this group have a lot of minor-groups which have quite different concerns. Information access I mean here is that maybe for some reasons, some online knowledge or information can be easily accessed or understood by hearing people, but not for Deaf. For example, I have read from class notes that information literacy level of Deaf is not comparable to hearing, because words understanding is acoustic based mainly.

Another example or assumption is that Deaf might have different information seeking habits, which are not appropriately respected. Maybe people rely more on information from people, instead of pure online information (just guessing).

I won't leave and hopefully I can get a job to understand more about Deaf after my graduation.

 

[YanaYU]

Thanks for your inquiry, Paul

Are you talking about here or in China? If here, we have interpreters, CC, texting, TTY, VP, relay services, etc all available for the deaf communities. The problems we have mostly are from employers who commit an act of discrimination, thus that's why there is SSI available for deaf people under law. If an employer refuses to hire a deaf person, what can you do about it? Many people file a complaint to EEO but they have no way to prove those acts of discrimination. Can you do something about it? Why don't you become a lawyer for the Deaf instead?

Hi Paul, what you were mentioning sounds like communication assistance with hearing world. I want to take the perspective of information, and see how to help us to better acquire/understand information and knowledge. I believe knowledge can change our lives. The employer wants to hire someone who could bring in more profits. And if we from one side promote legal and right issues, and from other side, learn how to improve ourselves better, that will be a better solution. Especially in this age, tons of free online resources are there, which might or might not appropriate for us to learn. What do you think?

 

[napolicapitale]

Information access I mean here is that maybe for some reasons, some online knowledge or information can be easily accessed or understood by hearing people, but not for Deaf.

Why are you concerned about "online knowledge"? The Internet is completely accessible for deaf people.
The only things we can't fully benefit of are most YouTube videos and websites for pronounciation of foreign words, of course.
As for information access for the deaf, there is A LOT that could be done to improve it "off"line, not online.

 

[YanaYU]

Why are you concerned about "online knowledge"? The Internet is completely accessible for deaf people.
The only things we can't fully benefit of are most YouTube videos and websites for pronounciation of foreign words, of course.
As for information access for the deaf, there is A LOT that could be done to improve it "off"line, not online.

You believe that online information have no barriers for Deaf at all? What do you mean by "off" line information? Do you refer to spoken language or books? I want to see whether deaf people have some different information seeking patterns, and see how I can provide adaptive information service.

Thanks

 

[whatdidyousay!]

You believe that online information have no barriers for Deaf at all? What do you mean by "off" line information? Do you refer to spoken language or books? I want to see whether deaf people have some different information seeking patterns, and see how I can provide adaptive information service.

Thanks

The only thing issues we have with using the internet is when videos have no CC . Believe it or not our brain work the same a hearing people we "seek information" just like everyone one else . We are not from other planet.

 

[napolicapitale]

The only thing issues we have with using the internet is when videos have no CC . Believe it or not our brain work the same a hearing people we "seek information" just like everyone one else . We are not from other planet.

I couldn't have said it better myself, but waittttttttttttttt, maybe what she really wanted to say is that she thinks we are too smart for the mediocrity of the Internet?

 

[Otherwise]

Yah, to sort of drive home everyone else's point, any restrictions I have due to my hearing situation steer me towards the internet for information rather than away from it. Almost all of my communication issues regard people in face to face interaction (or sometimes face to back-of-head interaction.) Definitely agree that YouTube could do with a CC kick in the butt, but other than that the internet doesn't really DO sound, and therefore creates no issue.

If your aim is to improve information access for the deaf, I would start with those forms of information that are inherently relayed through sound. For example, people who work behind a reception desk or cash register should have some kind of basic (even a VERY basic understanding helps) understanding of what deaf is. You would think deafness is kind of an easy thing to grasp, but people just don't get it for some reason. I just got handed my first braille menu the other day (I seriously thought people were just being facetious about that happening but it does happen.)

The McDonalds near where I live has menus available in braille for the blind, and even picture menus for people who are illiterate, but when I tell the lady taking my order that I am deaf (just as a heads up so she will look me in the eye while talking to me) she has no clue what to do.

Probably millions of students each year take ASL classes in college or from other sources just to get enough credits to graduate. Offer some broke teenager in college 15 cents more to run a cash register. Have some kind of training when people get hired.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying teach everyone ASL (although that would be awesome!) What I am saying is teach everyone that I am deaf, not stupid. It isn't a problem with those of us who are deaf accessing information about the world, it is a problem with the world having access to information about those of us who are deaf.

 

[YanaYU]

I couldn't have said it better myself, but waittttttttttttttt, maybe what she really wanted to say is that she thinks we are too smart for the mediocrity of the Internet?

Noooooooo, I don't want to be that offensive. I never thought deaf are too smart to do something. My parents are deaf, and my mom learned lots of skills better and quicker than many of my other family members. They always bring a paper and pencil with them to communicate. Compared to f2f information, Internet is much better to let us understand what happens.

But still, I have read from some literature, that ASL is more accessible than English for deaf. The feeling is like how I learn English as a second language, because syntax rules are different. And I also learned that it seems deaf's information searching habits are a little different. So I want to see how to make the design more adaptive to our real needs. But still, maybe I am wrong to some extent. Thanks anytime to clarify my misunderstandings.

 

[napolicapitale]

Noooooooo, I don't want to be that offensive.

Oh I forgive you, because

I never thought deaf are too smart to do something.

Maybe neither are you

But still, I have read from some literature, that ASL is more accessible than English for deaf.

Not everybody here knows ASL.

The feeling is like how I learn English as a second language, because syntax rules are different.

English is not my mother tongue either, but I have no problems in understanding what I read at all. I just feel I can't always correctly express myself, and mind! this has nothing to do with being deaf; I am a foreigner, as you are.

And I also learned that it seems deaf's information searching habits are a little different.

This is so true, we NEVER search the Internet without a cup of tea on our desk.

 

[CrazyPaul]

Hi Paul, what you were mentioning sounds like communication assistance with hearing world. I want to take the perspective of information, and see how to help us to better acquire/understand information and knowledge. I believe knowledge can change our lives. The employer wants to hire someone who could bring in more profits. And if we from one side promote legal and right issues, and from other side, learn how to improve ourselves better, that will be a better solution. Especially in this age, tons of free online resources are there, which might or might not appropriate for us to learn. What do you think?

Can you give an example? If you mean ASL versions of those resources for the Deaf, oh well, it's not going to happen.

FCC/SSA/USPS and other federal agencies do provide ASL or CC video for the Deaf online.

 

[Reba]