hugoboss84

No offense to anybody out here, but I have been thinking whether learning the ASL would be worth it or not. I am HOH since Age 5, lost my hearing further and I am now with a CI. I can really speak, but I hate to say that my speech is not perfect. No matter how much speech therapy I undergo, it is becoming really hard to accept that I have a "speech disability" too. I live in the hearing world, I have no deaf/HOH friends (never had all my life!) and I dont know how I could connect with most of them.

I remember I was in RIT for an event two years back, and I was amazed - people out there communicated in ASL. I could barely find anyone who spoke English, so whoever I met with, I ended up communicating through paper and pen. (It sounds really stupid of me!!). Its not like I would visit Gallaudet or RIT often, but I am wondering whether learning the ASL would be good or not. Am I losing out on something??

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jillio

Learning another language is never useless.

David

That's a choice YOU have to make. No one else can make this decision for you.

However, if anything, Jillio is right; its always a good idea to learn another language.

Liza

Yep - I'll tell you why it is worth learning ASL -- you never know when you need it. ASL is said to be the third most used language in the States, after all.

It is a problem if you don't feel motivated, though. I do hope you realize that ASL is a valid language as any language out there.

shel90

Only u can come to the conclusion yourself.

As for me, it was the best decision I ever made in my life because it practically saved me from myself.

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~Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

hugoboss84

Right, absolutely we dont lose anything by learning a new language. I am really willing to learn, but I am quiet a bit worried that I am barely going to be using it around since I dont know anyone who communicate with ASL. Is it really hard to learn ASL?? Maybe I should learn ASL to save myself from the trouble of people pointing out to my poor speech, which can be embarrassing?

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AlleyCat

First, try not to worry about your speech. You are doing the best you can. If it still really embarasses or worries you, you could perhaps look into working with a speech therapist. Maybe that would help you.

Regarding learning ASL - everyone else is right in that it never hurts to know another language. I don't know where you live, but there is a DPHH event in many major cities across the US (it's a monthly get-together) that you could meet deaf people at, and practice your signing. If there isn't one near where you live, you can likely find a local deaf "club" instead. And once you make new deaf friends, you will undoubtedly have other opportunities to sign as well.

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kimpossible

The earlier the better - the younger you are, the faster you'll learn a second language. If you don't have a second language already, just know that it is always beneficial and it can come in handy in the strangest of ways sometimes. You won't regret learning ASL, just do it already!! Take a class, so that you can meet people who are also at a beginners level, hearing, HoH, or deaf. I'm currently trying to teach my 8-year-old (hearing) sister and she loves it because it's our "secret" and silent language that we use, for FUN. Maybe find a friend who's curious to learn, too, and take a class together. You have no idea how many people say "I have always wanted to learn sign language" but never get around to it. I just say to them, well what's been stopping you? If you don't start now, you'll regret it later.

hugoboss84

that would be a good idea. I am from Chicago so I am hoping there could possibly be some opportunities to mingle with the deaf/HOH society. Maybe involve myself in ALDA/AG BELL as well. Thanks everyone!!

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shel90

I dont think the AGBell Association supports sign language. It is an oral-only organization..just a FYI.

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~Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

KristinaB

I too recently lost all my hearing. I am in an area where I have not found very many, if any people I could use any ASL with. I know the college here offers ASL classes, but I can't afford the time or money. Since I homeschool my children, I have gotten books and use • ASL • American Sign Language and ASLPro.com Home for a lot of the lessons with my kids. I have also found that if I use any ASL I have learned during my regular conversations, many people in my church are beginning to learn it and have asked me to also teach them a little. I even get involved with the preschoolers to teach them a few things here and there. It all helps me with my learning.

Anij

I think learning ASL would be a wonderful idea ! even if you aren't (now) surrounded byt ASLers.

For myself, I was born deaf on my right side, and mild on the left - oral only for the first 18 years of my life - with the except of a dozen signs I'd picked up here and there. I was mainstreamed, and didn't know any hh or Deaf people at all - but I'd always wanted to learn ASL, not only because I thought it might be easier for me, but also because it's a beautiful langauge!
I started formally learning ASL when I was 19years old and now think it is one of the most important choice for me I made in my life. Even though I still am able to communicate orally - and have almost entirely hearing (non-signing) friends, I cherish being able to freely float between hearing and Deaf environments. I also have been truly blessed by a Deaf community here who encourages hh to be involved in the Deaf Community. We have so many things in common, that it's really nice to be able to talk with people who just "know" some of the struggles, misconceptions, and all "that" which people with hearing loss often face ( regardless if they are oral or Sign)

On a side note - learning ASL actually helped me understand some aspects of English (even though it's technically my first language, and I use it 90% of the time) and French words and grammar that I'd struggled with before. It was only in learning ASL that I got a good grasp of "than" and "then" - which I constantly mixed up because they sound identical to me (part of my mainstreaming was being told to listen to sounds ... thus I slip in using words like than, then, mine, mind, an, and etc). Of course before I started learning ASL ... I didn't realise that ASL might actually help with that !

If you're looking to practice, or meet people - with webcams and such it's easy to find someone to sign with !! You may find that it is really enjoyable - of course it also means that you'll have yet another skill that will help you in whatever career you are in, or wish to pursue - extra languages always look good on resumes, not to mention having an "accessible" (thinking ADA) is something many employers would likely find advantageous.

JMHO

imdeafsowhat

When you have nothing to lose, anything is worth it.

TexansFan

I lost my hearing about 18 months ago. I do not have any deaf friends either and still work in the hearing world. I am taking ASL classes however. I attend the classes and go to socials to help me learn more. I use my signing skills with my wife (small though they are) when I am not wearing my hearing aids.

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SimplyMints

You asked if ASL was very hard, and I didn't see any direct response to that. I'm still early in learning it myself, but I've found so far that it's very easy! Back in High School, my sister (who is hearing) and I took ASL, but have forgotten most of it. I've since lost virtually all of my hearing since then (there really is no value in anything that I hear since it's so indistinguishable from the sound of silence that it's often impossible to tell the difference between my imagination and actual sounds), and have gone back to school to learn it again. My sister thinks it would be fun to join me, and that will give me somebody to practice with. Of course, it's always easier to learn something a second time, but I remember finding it remarkably easy the first time around too.

jillio

Good for you. Keep up the hard work.

hugoboss84

My only concern has been that I got no one around me who knows ASL - no friends, no family members, no relatives, no co-workers. Learning a new language is one thing, not applying it in daily life is another thing. I live alone, and have been living alone away from home for nearly 6 years now, and though I do have a few HOH friends, they dont know ASL either! However I am in a difficult situation now, judging whether I should accept that my speech is on a big decline! I dont want to give it up all, give up my work, my dreams, my ambitions. Yet I want to find a way to communicate with the world around me. As I said I am from Chicago, this place isnt like Rochester where you head into a McDonalds and every single person in there knows ASL! That really freaked me out because I know only spoken English, and I felt so weird about myself.

No offense, but I am really new to this so-called "deaf community", and I don't actually plan to live in this kind of community, where we cannot reach out to a lot of other people. I am glad I got a CI to give me some confidence!

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jillio

How about you and your HOH friends learning it together?

Being able to communicate with a wide variety of people is never restrictive. You don't have to live within a large deaf community for ASL to be useful to you.

For many, being a part of a community (i.e. the deaf community) provides them with the support needed to develop the confidence that you are relying on your CI for. ASL never malfunctions, it is always operable once it is learned. The same can't be said for the CI.