Where should I move to?

Hi.

I am looking into moving to a city with a large Deaf population in the near future for a few months and immerse myself into ASL and Deaf Culture (I am hoh).

I would like to go to a place that has good or decent public transport.

There are Deaf communities in my corner of Wisconsin but to get to any events or whatever is at least a hour or two hour drive one way (and not including rush hours).

I am currently looking into Toronto, Canada. Apparently there is a Deaf Cultural Center that I could volunteer at. However I have also heard that the public transport there sucks and the Deaf population there is more spread out compared to places like NYC.

So if you were me, where would you move to? Any suggestions?

Atlanta GA has a decent public transportation system, a fairly good deaf community (and a good sized deaf-blind community too).

Seattle also has everything that Atlanta does.

Others will say Rochester NY as well as spots in California. I don't know what the public transportation is like in these places except for Los Angeles- I think they have a decent system there.

Some other possibilities - Philadelphia, Boston. Really almost any major city has a good sized deaf community. Not all may have a public transportation system (or a decent one) though.

If you put your mind to it, you can move just about anywhere and find what you need . I know where I want to move but can't (if ever I don't know... ) right now.

Toronto.....forget it girl....city sucks, people suck, few Deafie, trwnsit sucks,
Rochester, is your good bet.....or D.C. or twin city...miniapolis...

Where can you afford to live? Check out cost of living to focus your possible options. I'd like to live in London or Paris, but that isn't financially possible.

MMcC said:

Where can you afford to live? Check out cost of living to focus your possible options. I'd like to live in London or Paris, but that isn't financially possible.

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Yeah we would need to know how much money the OP can afford to pay per month or years and if they move to state that get could get over 100 inches of snow a winter that mean a big heating bills . Some states do not require you to have auto insurance , this could be taken into consideration too. You can save money this way.

I am looking into using helpx to find a place to stay. It is a site where you can arrange to work (often gardening, farmwork or childcare) a certain number of hours in exchange for a place to stay and sometimes even food. (I did this to stay in Osaka, Japan (the second biggest city in one of the most expensive countries in the world) for cheap earlier this year.) I am also considering using Airbnb to find a cheap temporary apartment or do online work.

I am only interested on moving to a place for a month or two. My main goal is to get enough exposure to ASL so that I can communicate and use it. Where I am currently located, I need to drive at least an hour and a half one way to go to any Deaf events or anything and I feel like getting some exposure and practice in ASL a few hours a week is not enough to become fluent. I would like to spend two months really focusing on immersing myself in ASL and Deaf culture and picking it up, at the end of which I want to at least be able to go to my local Deaf club and/or events and jump into having some conversations to keep up my skills. I would also enjoy staying in contact with anyone I might have met by Skype or other similar means.

Juniperarrow said:

I am looking into using helpx to find a place to stay. It is a site where you can arrange to work (often gardening, farmwork or childcare) a certain number of hours in exchange for a place to stay and sometimes even food. (I did this to stay in Osaka, Japan (the second biggest city in one of the most expensive countries in the world) for cheap earlier this year.) I am also considering using Airbnb to find a cheap temporary apartment or do online work.

I am only interested on moving to a place for a month or two. My main goal is to get enough exposure to ASL so that I can communicate and use it. Where I am currently located, I need to drive at least an hour and a half one way to go to any Deaf events or anything and I feel like getting some exposure and practice in ASL a few hours a week is not enough to become fluent. I would like to spend two months really focusing on immersing myself in ASL and Deaf culture and picking it up, at the end of which I want to at least be able to go to my local Deaf club and/or events and jump into having some conversations to keep up my skills. I would also enjoy staying in contact with anyone I might have met by Skype or other similar means.

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Rochester area and environ has largest deafie population anyplace...
Many many many Deafie...
twin city too, and D.C.
Like i posted..
They r your best bets...

Gee, are you sure this actually works? Are you expecting to just show up and have a total stranger sign with you non-stop until you can hold a conversation. You might want to be sure that person is waiting for you when you get there. Unlike a foreign country where everyone speaks your target language, ASL doesn't quite work like that. Maybe if you find a position as an au pair to a fully deaf family. I'm so curious to hear of your experience. Perhaps some of the deaf members here can confirm they would be receptive to a hearing person setting out on this mission.

I know that. I learned some Japanese Sign Language by going to a deaf cafe in Japan several times a week for a few hours each time while I was there (two months). I started out knowing only how to say "I am learning JSL" and "Thank you" and left being able to do basic conversation. After all, constant immersion is how babies and kids learn. That said, while I love the idea of being immersed 24/7 or being an au pair in a fully deaf family for awhile, I realize that the chances of finding a family open to arranging something like that (without knowing me personally) is pretty slim. However, I do think it is possible to get way more contact with an American deaf community than my current situation (just one two-hour ASL class a week) without all the driving that would be necessary to reach out to the nearest deaf communities I am aware of. And getting way more contact and actual conversational practice is my main goal at the moment.

Move to Los Angeles. Better Weather though

DeafDucky said:

Atlanta GA has a decent public transportation system, a fairly good deaf community (and a good sized deaf-blind community too).

Seattle also has everything that Atlanta does.

Others will say Rochester NY as well as spots in California. I don't know what the public transportation is like in these places except for Los Angeles- I think they have a decent system there.

Some other possibilities - Philadelphia, Boston. Really almost any major city has a good sized deaf community. Not all may have a public transportation system (or a decent one) though.

If you put your mind to it, you can move just about anywhere and find what you need . I know where I want to move but can't (if ever I don't know... ) right now.

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Atlanta Ga is crazy..... Ill keep my distance from there.
( maybe it was because when I went it was superbowl weekend and the Falcons won ) Do da Dirty Bird !!!

sonocativo said:

Atlanta Ga is crazy..... Ill keep my distance from there.
( maybe it was because when I went it was superbowl weekend and the Falcons won ) Do da Dirty Bird !!!

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LMAO You are correct there... I hated driving there when I lived just outside of Atlanta for a short time. It's awful-- that's why I'd prefer either living near (or across the street) my workplace or have some sort of public transportation system. Gonna need that second option if my vision does go south on me...:/

Juniperarrow said:

Hi.

I am looking into moving to a city with a large Deaf population in the near future for a few months and immerse myself into ASL and Deaf Culture (I am hoh).

I would like to go to a place that has good or decent public transport.

There are Deaf communities in my corner of Wisconsin but to get to any events or whatever is at least a hour or two hour drive one way (and not including rush hours).

I am currently looking into Toronto, Canada. Apparently there is a Deaf Cultural Center that I could volunteer at. However I have also heard that the public transport there sucks and the Deaf population there is more spread out compared to places like NYC.

So if you were me, where would you move to? Any suggestions?

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Are you going to visit some of the sites like St. Paul/Minneapolis (Minnesota) where I used to attend both elementary school and high school? You need to make plans on which place you want to visit so that if you like this one place, then you can move there. Every city, even in States, are different. You need to find the right city that you are comfortable with. You will feel miserable if you don't visit first before moving to your destination. Study about the kind of city you want to go and if you think there is d/Deaf people in the Deaf communities or Deaf events. You just have to browse around the online googles.

Toronto is expensive. I had gone there few times but I don't get to be around Deaf community there. I used to lived on the island (Lake Huron) in South of Ontario. Most of my Deaf friends from Ontario goes to Toronto to protest for Deaf rights (Canadian Hearing Society) and set up booths to join their club or organization.

St.Paul/Minneapolis is not that bad and we do have many d/Deaf people in Deaf communities. They have Thompson Hall where d/Deafies socialized a lot. There might be Deaf bowling there. You just have to go there to check them out. Go to the Minnesota Hearing Society where you can ask questions about the Deaf communities or Deaf events. Minnesota is right next door to Wisconsin if that is where you live. Just a thought.

I'm from Minnesota and the deaf population is huge here. There's a deaf club in St. Paul and lots of Deaf activities.

Its Too cold in Minnesota,Burrrr

Mars?

San Francisco. We need more deaf people here since I feel like everyone are moving out due to high cost of living here.

The Joker said:

Its Too cold in Minnesota,Burrrr

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Meh. You get used to it. There's such a thing as having heat inside a house.