Is it offensive to sign in public?

I think it shows that the individual has not come to terms with thier own deafness. One shouldn't put so much thought or effort into being angry about how others choose to communicate. Not going to succeed in controlling the world so why let things bother you.
And yeah...how is anyone going to learn without practicing it. It's difficult to learn from just reading it over and over....doesn't happen...have to apply it with practice. Geez people want to make an effort to communicate and we got some being pissy about it. They can go hide in thier holes.
 
pagedancer said:
[...] I try to practice as much as possible and people probably think I'm crazy when they see me walking down the street signing to my iPod. It's good to have the reassurance that I wouldn't be offending anyone. :)
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That is what she meant.
 
I sign always in public, and I use clean language so nobody offended. I think it would be a wonderful world if everybody signed! I'm always happy when I see other people signing or trying to sign. I don't care if deaf around or hearing signing to hearing. I just think, cool! More people to make my language more popular can only be a good thing!
 
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Deafies shouldn't let hearies tell them how to live thier lives...and vice versa........hearies shouldn't let deafies tell them how to live thier lives....deafies dont' own sign language...sorry.
 
Cowpuppy said:
Deafies shouldn't let hearies tell them how to live thier lives...and vice versa........hearies shouldn't let deafies tell them how to live thier lives....deafies dont' own sign language...sorry.
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ASL is being used to a greater extent with hearing children as well, which is a good thing for humankind. For me, it's important that everyone who wants to learn ASL gets access to it as ASL offers a different perspective on communication.

This is why I currently run a sign club at school.
 
Cowpuppy said:
Deafies shouldn't let hearies tell them how to live thier lives...and vice versa........hearies shouldn't let deafies tell them how to live thier lives....deafies dont' own sign language...sorry.
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:gpost:
 
I would have been thrilled to see people signing in public! Would not have mattered one bit to me if they were Deaf or hearing.

I did encounter nasty responses from hearing people who see anybody signing.. One time, a friend of mine happened to meet a hearing person she knew.. she signed same time she talked to him so I wouldn't be left out.. he told her to stop, she said no, she was doing that for me.. his response? He placed his hand on her throat.....

Nice huh? :(
 
Ely599 said:
Ok well basically I am hearing and I've been signing for four years now and my bestfriend and I took ASL together in high school. We would sign everywhere we went so we could practice at anytime. One day in Target, we were signing off and on and laughing and talking and this girl came up and said "my dads deaf and he finds it offensive when hearing people sign and they arent helping a deaf person" and it seems odd to me because we want to become interpreters and I'm wondering how anyone is supposed to learn if they cant sign without a deaf person present. My teacher is deaf and he was outraged that someone would get mad about that.
We went to Washington school for the deaf and only the top three people in the class could go and my friend and I were chosen. For three days we participated in a program where we could expand our knowledge and were not able to speak. We were complimented on how well we sign and our use of facial expressions. I don't think a whole school would allow this program of hearing students to be able to come if they found it offensive but I'd like to hear from others. What do you think? Is it offensive if a hearing person signs in public when Deaf arent around?
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ASL is a language, just like French or Russian. It's no more offensive to sign even if you aren't deaf than to speak Russian even if you aren't Russian. What may be offensive is pretending to be deaf if you are hearing, but that obviously wasn't the case. It sounds to me like you guys are doing great and I hope you both continue to keep up the good work in the future! Congratulations on getting to attend the camp - that sounds like a fantastic experience :)
 
Not really but sometimes it's super confusing for everyone a local group of all hearing members who practices sign here can sometimes confuse the heck out of me. Some schools here teach ASL really well other's it's like ASL 4 student doesn't know how to sign sentences or remember half the signs, what?! Actually I'm branching out on who I talk to on a regular basis in regards to ASL. I'm not the best signer but definitely not the worst either. However often times really adept signers can confuse each other going back and forth for clarity.
 
I am learing ASL and therefore I am signing in public. I will sign different sentences just for the practice. I am also going up to people I know and signing and speaking just to practice as well.

At church, I find I am signing to different songs we are doing. Hearing people have asked me what I'm doing, when I explain, they are happy and pleased I am doing well.

I still sign in my sleep and it seems my daughter is picking up my signing and doing it as well. She has been signing to Taylor Swift songs.
 
No I don't think it's offensive if it's not mocking those that do sign....

If you have to practice then go for it...it's good you are learning....
 
The only thing I find offensive personally is when people see me and a friend signing and then start mock-signing or try to come over to us and "sign" with us by making up gestures.
 
CJB said:
The only thing I find offensive personally is when people see me and a friend signing and then start mock-signing or try to come over to us and "sign" with us by making up gestures.
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I agree.

Now to the OP. I don't know, even though I don't think it really should matter. beside, how does her dad know you two weren't deaf? Unless you were signing about sounds you heard that they can't hear... like "Oh my gosh, did you hear what he just said?" "yeah, I heard, crazy!" type of signing. I think it's a little awkward to use signing to talk about hearing things unless you are interpreting sounds for a deaf. I guess it's a culture thing. If you are not part of the culture and don't understand the culture, they probably would find it offensive if you used their language without understanding the culture. You still part of the hearing world.
 
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