BearBeauty

This is for deaf people who grew up oral and learned sign language..

Have you had deaf people ask you to interpret for them in public?

I've had this happen to me a lot over the last year and wanted to know if anybody else has expierenced this. I have had some friends who were deaf and couldn't talk or lipread ask me to be their interpreter.. and While i'm good at lipreading, I have a hard time with people with beards, those that mumble, and things that can impede understanding. But sometimes I'm still used like an interpreter... almost like my friends don't understand that I can't understand people at times.

Deafness

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fyborg

Unfortunately, it's happened to me...apparently I can be hard to lip read, but they want to know what's going on...

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eliotj

I'll add my opinion, though I'm not Deaf and I'm not an interpreter.

I interact with the Deaf children in public schools. The staff and teachers know that I sign on an intermediate level (not advanced, and slower than fluent)

Oft times while in a public area of the scool, like the lunch room or playround, I'll have a teacher ask me to relay something to the Deaf students.

Once while visiting another school where I'd not been before, I had a Deaf student enter the office and was trying to relay something to the administrator behind the counter.
I just happened to be there...thankfully.

I can't tell you how the Deaf community feels, but I can tell you that I'm the type that will help anyone out.
The old lady that doesn't speak anything other than spanish, needing help in the grocery store, I'll translate.
The Deaf children in the schools - I'll interpret for them when asked or needed.
I just think it's best that we help one another in society and in life.

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gnarlydorkette

Well I am a bit different--

I don't grow up Oral. I am Deaf. But I can lipread and speak fairly well compared to most of my Deaf friends. Unfortunately sometime this leads to misunderstanding by most Hearies to think that I am HoH or Hearie... I keep repeating to them: "I am DEAF so if you want to talk, make sure I am LOOKING at you... I cannot understand you if I am looking away from you to sign with my friend what you say..."


Usually I am more willing to help my Deaf friends if they ask me to do so. Many of my Deaf friends KNEW that I am Deaf and lipreading is not something I am mastering at, but it is more of a team effort to make the COMMUNICATION with Hearing people efficiently.
Sometime some of my friends help me and vice versa. If I miss something, they can help me filling in gaps because they catch and understand that gap that I missed. It just happened that I do catch MORE than most of Deaf friends.

jamielee

eliotj
where do you work? what is your job there? like a teachers aid or an education assistant? I think it is very cool that you get to interact and help 'terp' for some of these children. but dont these children have terps?

LMM

I'm relaying for my Grandma LMM...
Eliotj said she/he "works for a public school." Public school that teach deaf/hoh, Teach them to live in the hearing world. most don't have terp's, They have loop in classroom. They leaarn SEE, Cuz they learn English in public school's! Now "if" it is collage, maybe differnet.
do a search on public school for hearing loss children. you be surprize what you'll learn about them!

LMM

BearBeauty

while I don't mind helping deaf friends out, the problem is that they somewhat force me to be their interpreter... that's where i have a problem.

If they asked me to do it, I would. But most of the time they don't. they just assume i'll be fine with doing it.

Like Gnarly, most of my deaf friends know I can lipread and speak normally, but whenther hearing people understand me is a whole different ballgame and most assume that all hearing people understand me.

jamielee

hmmm... in public school here (canada) students have terps. They sign what they have been taught since birth. ASL or SEE - if its SEE because most terps here are ASL they both meet in the so called middle and sign PSE.

Lantana

B.B. just what do you mean by "growing up oral". Are you DEAF yourself? Then you have a very good excuse, just tell them that you cannot hear well enough to interpret.

I became deaf at age 10 and have maintained good speech, and have found that a few deafies like to depend on me for ordering in restaurants, etc. I do not do that any more. It causes too much commotion if the wrong order comes, etc. Now I just sit back and let all my deafie friends do their own thing, like write messages to the waitress, etc. I keep more friends that way!

sillycat

I dont mind interpreting for my deaf friends. It doesn't bother me becuz it makes things go faster and easier like ordering food and other stuff. Only time it bothers me if its something I don't know about and not have the vocabulary for it such as computers and technical stuff--then I say can't do it becuz its too hard.

Tousi

I didn;t grow up oral but am HoH and I occasionally help my deaf friends but I never do it unless they ask.......just out of respect, yanno?

Duncan

Jamie,

i am sure you still dont know about this. what is PSE ???? is that PSL ?

Therefore you CANNOT teach ASL to someone because you are not qualitfty.

jamielee

I did not say I was teaching sign. Learn to read idiot - before you open your mouth. Also you need to work on your english skills and typing.

LMM

Jamie
Most children who go to Public school have grow up in the hearieg world, Have hearing parnets, That want their child to be able to learn english better. Deaf parnets send their children to an nonpublic deaf school.
My Grandma knows exactly what she is talking about. She may not be invoild with our hearing world, But in her Deaf Community, they keep up w/ Deaf issues. Even if it means deaf/hoh living in the hearing world!
Deaf are very proud of Deaf culture, this why they don't send their children ( Even if their child have perfect hearing) to public school. When a Deaf child's is hearing sent to a deaf school, they are put in classes for CODA's! So they can learn English to terp for their parnets! Yes they are accpect same as Deaf children!
When Grandma LMM went to school many years ago, she have meet CODA in her classes. They are still close friends. Grandma LMM don't see them as hearing people, She see them as her own kind!
PSE is signing ASl with English grammer /santax... Many online site that teach ASL. Unless you know have take ASL class you think you signing ASL, but you'll be signing PSE. This why LMM tells people to take classes. Before Grandma LMM have reply here, But people made fun of her, because her writing. She was writting in PSE. so people would understand her reply. Now she won't reply. It devastate her, When I told her in ASL what people thought of her. Because she thought this was a Deaf/deaf/hoh board! That people would understand the deaf! But she feels all they care is the small deafs.That Big D's shouldn't even post and/or reply!
Sorry this is a long reply but feel people should know what Grandma LMM felt about criticsms comments to her. They also have put me down for being her terp here. This why I haven't reply in awhile. I'm proud of my grandma, As hard as she trys to communicate with people of all language's.
If anyone don't have anything nice to say to and/or about Grandma LMM keep them to yourself! Thanks,Have a nice day.

LMM

eliotj

I'm a college student, have two high school kids of my own and I work as a substitute teacher.

In our area, we have the Regional School for the Deaf. Kids come from 18 districts here to ours in order to be educated and have some signing aides and interpreters etc. We have a few Deaf teachers that are certified teachers. we have two schools where ASL is taight to the hearies - like me.

Of over 800 subs, I'm one of 8 that can sign. So when one of the three publich schools need a sub for an interpreter or teacher - I'm there.

The problem is that there is a shortage of interpreters all across America.

There are some interpreters in the schools, there are Deaf teachers but there is a shortage.

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jamielee

thats awsome thanks for sharing that eliotj.

eliotj

jamie, it's taken me a long time to find something I liked, and something that I have a passion for.

All of this was accidental.

I don't know about Canada, but here in the US, there is a serious shortage of teachers and an even greater shortage of qualified interpreters.
The problem is getting people involved in singing.

Do you all use ASL there? (in Canada)

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jamielee

Yes we also have a shortage of Interpreters - but I dont think it is a bad as the USA. We have no shortage of teachers in British Columbia and I think that most of Canada has enough too.

All of canada mainly uses ASL Except for Quebec which use LSQ (French SL) There are also people who use SEE and PSE.

I agree more people need to get involved - but there needs to be more education around people who are Deaf and sign and also people who are not deaf and use sign (autistic persons ect) Someone needs to create more awareness of Signed Languages and promote it nationally.

I work in a high school here with a young woman who has Cerebral Palsy and she uses and requires a lot of sign - I love working with people and I love signing. I thinking about enrolling to become a terp one day!

Eliotj - so how did you get into this kind of work?

deafskeptic

I've never had deaf ask me to interpret for them.

I did have a hearing boss order me to interpret for her and that was against the law as well. I tried my best but due to background noises it was difficult for me to interpret for my deaf co-worker. I talk much better than I can hear and sometimes the only way I can convince hearing that I really am deaf is to pretend that I can't speak. This works best with strangers. Anyway, I didn't do a very good job of it and we both got laid off.

We couldn't get a terp due to loops regarding temporay jobs - ADA law at the time required that there be a five day notice. My job would begin or end without warning.

I've had another boss accuse me of faking my hearing loss. I was dumbfounded. I mean I've spent most of my life in special ed. I've taken speech classes. I've got the audiogram to prove it and someone accuses me of faking my deafness? That was one of the most bizzare accusions I've ever come across.

BearBeauty

Deafskeptic,

Unfortunately, People accusing deaf of faking deafness I know well... I've had that happen to me numerous times.. because I somehow know, even though I'm deaf, if someone wants to talk to me or needs me for something... and it scares most people. I also have audiogram to prove it, but sometimes if you have that sense someone might need you, it can look like you can hear them...

kashveera

Guys, I have been told by a psychologist that I am not deaf...and yet my audiogram was right in front of her stating profoundly deaf!!

Kashveera

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fyborg

What in the hell made her think THAT?

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kashveera

I actually still am waiting for my answer, apparently she said to my dad on the phone, that with my exceptional results, I cannot be deaf!! How stupid, I keep on trying to tell people, it doesnt mean to say that if we are deaf we are dumb!!

Kashveera

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fyborg

Medical professionals can be very irritating that way...When I was about six, my parents took me to a psyclogical evaluation, and she had left her case reports lying on her desk.

I started reading (upside down) the reports, and she didn't catch on! My mom had to tell her to stow the reports...

Apparently she didn't believe that I could read, much less upside down.

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kashveera

That's not bad...

My GP told my parents 19 years ago, Sorry, your child will never be able to speak...and 19 years later, I go to him and say, hello doc how are you doing, and he just stares at me!!

Maybe I should have stuck with my parents choice of becoming a doctor, at least I won't give wrong information about things!!

Kashveera

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fyborg

Doctors are human, therefore, they make mistakes and rely on their assumptions (and we all know the word game with "assume" )...

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kashveera

Yeah, thats true, at the end of the day, we aren't God to see things...we make mistakes, that is our most visible characteristic!! of being human!!

I don't blame my doctor, but still he could have encouraged my parents, because they always tell me, he through them to the bottom of the sea, but didn't give any hope to end their turmoil!!

I don't know...

Kashveera

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fyborg

None of us do.

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kashveera

Well, I guess your full stop there added to the finality!!

Kashveera

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fyborg

Sorry, don't mean to be depressing!

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