Tactile signing

CJB · 08-13-2009, 10:00 PM

Is it harder to learn signing by touch or is it the same as if you learn it visually first? I am visually impaired and recently hard of hearing but can't hear well at all when there is a lot of background noise. I can see close-range signing but my eyes get tired quickly and I want to prepare for future vision loss when I can only use tactile. So I want to learn tactile sign for public places. Should I start with visual since I can see enough close up or should I go directly to tactile?

CJB · 08-14-2009, 10:55 AM

Anyone?

Aleser · 08-14-2009, 01:39 PM

I would personally suggest kind of meeting it at a halfway mark. Have the person showing you a sign visually sign it in front of you, and from that point on, use the sign in tactile form. For me, personally, it helps to have visual memory of a sign.

If that's not the case for you, do not pass go, do not collect 200$, go directly to tactile.

Visual signing benefits you a little bit now. Tactile signing benefits you a little bit now and a lot in the future.

CJB · 08-14-2009, 01:44 PM

Thanks Aleser -- I think I might just do that. I can see the signs close up but my eyes get tired LOL! Then I would have to switch to tactile.

CJB · 08-15-2009, 02:14 PM

I have another question. Most of the sites I've found for ASL are visual and give videos. I can't see the videos very well. Is there a site that describes the signs?

Aleser · 08-15-2009, 04:31 PM

Not that I've found. Have you considered taking a class irl? the net can teach you the signs, a real life class can teach you actual ASL.

Mrs Bucket · 08-15-2009, 08:52 PM

To be able to master tactile , you need to master ASL.

CJB · 08-15-2009, 09:09 PM

I'm definitely planning on real life classes. I just meant for practice between classes. Right now I am doing fingerspelling and my wife fingerspells into my palm (because my eyes get tired very quickly so visual fingerspelling is only good for 15 minutes and in certain types of light).

Mrs Bucket · 08-15-2009, 09:32 PM

Print on Palm is great for short messages and this is where tactile comes in handy for long conversations.

Fingerspelling is quite difficult to follow and I can understand.

dreama · 08-15-2009, 09:43 PM

I'm just learning tactile sign language now via tactile methods.

CJB · 08-15-2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Bucket

Print on Palm is great for short messages and this is where tactile comes in handy for long conversations.

Fingerspelling is quite difficult to follow and I can understand.

I was trying to remember that term too. My wife and I use print on palm too.

Mrs Bucket · 08-16-2009, 07:52 AM

Print on Palm is helpful for me too in certain situations when I cannot communicate with a hearing person so I will ask them to print on my palm.

I use this approach and it's not used commonly in the DB community. It is the Tadoma method.

The Tadoma method consists of me putting the back of my hand on the other person's throat so I can feel the vibrations. This way I can read lips and put together the vibrations to make out the words.

Some people will not appreciate the Tadoma method because they consider it a violation of personal space so this is where I ask ahead of time if it is okay I do this.

Tadoma also works for those who had extensive speech therapy as well.

CJB · 08-16-2009, 10:59 AM

This morning my wife and I tried to use my hands like the keyboard on the computer. It worked pretty well. Do you know the official term for this method? I've read about using the palms like a Brailler but since my wife isn't familiar with the Perkins we use the QWERTY layout.

I read a bit about Tadoma, Mrs. Bucket, and it definitely sounds interesting. But the one thing I don't like about it is it makes me do all the work. Personally, I can't imagine making sense of the vibrations and jaw movements, either. Of course it works for some people and not others.

Mrs Bucket · 08-16-2009, 12:34 PM

I think it is Flexi-paper [tactile paper] you are speaking about.

I prefer the QWERTY layout myself as well.

Tadoma takes time, I agree. It works for some people and it doesn't work for another.

There's so many approaches and there's never a perfect one for the DeafBlind community because nobody is the same.

Smile.

CJB · 08-16-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Bucket

I think it is Flexi-paper [tactile paper] you are speaking about.

I prefer the QWERTY layout myself as well.

Tadoma takes time, I agree. It works for some people and it doesn't work for another.

There's so many approaches and there's never a perfect one for the DeafBlind community because nobody is the same.

Smile.

Different strokes for different folks!

Mrs Bucket · 08-16-2009, 02:54 PM

You're so correct about that.

***VamPyroX*** · 08-16-2009, 03:25 PM

When a person loses one sense, they often gain sensitivity with another sense.

For instance, a deaf person often becomes more alert of their surroundings.

For a person who is blind, they rely on their sense of touch and hearing.

For a person who is deaf and blind, they rely more on their sense of touch.

I knew a woman who was deaf and blind, but her sense of touch were amazing. I used to interpret for her at church until she moved elsewhere and I moved elsewhere.

One day, I was at Six Flags for Deaf Awareness Day. I was with a friend and I saw this woman walking by (with a guide). I told my friend that she would recognize me after 5 years of not touching me. My friend thought I was joking. So, I approached her and her guide asked me for my name so that he could tell her who I was. I told him "no" and gave her my own hands. Within seconds of touching my hands, she immediately knew who I was. Both the guide and my friend were shocked. (No, I don't have warts. No, my hands are not dry. No, I don't have ugly wrinkles.) She just could tell who I was by feeling my hands.

Anyways, my point is that... for a person who isn't blind, learning to understand ASL with hands only is difficult. Even when we try to learn, it's still difficult because our primary sense is to see things around us. For a person who is blind, they rely on touch. So, it becomes easier to understand sign language with hands.

Mrs Bucket · 08-16-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

When a person loses one sense, they often gain sensitivity with another sense.

For instance, a deaf person often becomes more alert of their surroundings.

For a person who is blind, they rely on their sense of touch and hearing.

For a person who is deaf and blind, they rely more on their sense of touch.

I knew a woman who was deaf and blind, but her sense of touch were amazing. I used to interpret for her at church until she moved elsewhere and I moved elsewhere.

One day, I was at Six Flags for Deaf Awareness Day. I was with a friend and I saw this woman walking by (with a guide). I told my friend that she would recognize me after 5 years of not touching me. My friend thought I was joking. So, I approached her and her guide asked me for my name so that he could tell her who I was. I told him "no" and gave her my own hands. Within seconds of touching my hands, she immediately knew who I was. Both the guide and my friend were shocked. (No, I don't have warts. No, my hands are not dry. No, I don't have ugly wrinkles.) She just could tell who I was by feeling my hands.

Anyways, my point is that... for a person who isn't blind, learning to understand ASL with hands only is difficult. Even when we try to learn, it's still difficult because our primary sense is to see things around us. For a person who is blind, they rely on touch. So, it becomes easier to understand sign language with hands.

Thank you so much for this.

I'm teary-eyed because I am at this point with my vision loss.

I rely on touch and yes, I can tell who is who by scent & touching hands.

Call it intuition, I know you would make a fantastic SSP. Have you considered applying for this position?

You have the empathy and the honesty we desperately need.

dreama · 08-16-2009, 03:39 PM

I can't. People have to tell me who they are when they speak to me. Otherwise I don't know. I'm still waiting for my touch and smell to heighten but not happened yet. (shrugs).

Aleser · 08-16-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreama

I can't. People have to tell me who they are when they speak to me. Otherwise I don't know. I'm still waiting for my touch and smell to heighten but not happened yet. (shrugs).

Ditto. Not only that, but I find it extremely rude when people do the whole "who am I" act. My memory is fine, but, my ability to tell who you are based on hand size.. does not exist. Unless you are someone extraordinarily familiar, and even then, I might not recognize you when stressed or disoriented.

Asking "who am I" or putting your hands on me without introducing yourself can be frightening and may well lead to be delivering you a well placed kick between the knees.

Aleser · 08-16-2009, 03:50 PM

BTW: I have tried the tactile speechreading and am not so great at it. I can tell a few familiar words (like, ten) but I would not be able to understand a conversation.

dreama · 08-16-2009, 03:51 PM

I've heard of finger braille where the fingers are used like a perkins keyboard but I don't know about a quirtzy keyboard. I am using a quirtzy keyboard at the moment but would prefere a braille keyboard as sometimes I have to make a guess for some letters. A braille keyboard would be easy.

Mrs bucket: would you mind telling me which is easier print on palm or Tandoma?

Fingerspelling the british deafblind manual is the only method I know although that can be hard too if people don't do the lettrs properly. I can understand print on palm sometimes, but sometimes it's very difficult. It depends if people do it properly or not.

dreama · 08-16-2009, 03:55 PM

Hi Aleser:
By tactile speech reading do you mean the tandoma aproach? I've never really tried it. I'm learning tactile signing right now but main communication methods are finger spelling and print on palm.

Another method I'd like to try is finger braille, and maybe Tandoma just to see if I could figure it out.

Helene

Aleser · 08-16-2009, 03:56 PM

Dreama: I mean tadoma, yes.

Print on palm is definitely easier than tadoma, but the deafblind manual is imho the absolute easiest. There's some confusion for me when people write the letters on my palm because some are similar, and not everyone moves the same way, but deafblind manual is always roughly the same and as such extremely easy.

tactile speechreading, on the other hand, requires extreme awareness of the physical mechanisms used to produce every sound in the language to even attempt to understand, and most people cannot, anyways.

It's worth attempting, I suppose, but I would personally suggest you commit to tactile signing first and get up your communication skills with that first. I am very excited because I will soon be spending a week with someone I can sign with all the time so I should improve my rusted up skills.

dreama · 08-16-2009, 04:03 PM

Aleser: Thanks for your advise. My tutor who teaches me is on holiday at the moment. When she gets back I'm hoping we can carry on learning. She is very patient as I'm not as fast a learner as I'd like to be. I still persist and hopefully I get there in the end.

I wish you luck wiht your week of signing.

Aleser · 08-16-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreama

I wish you luck wiht your week of signing.

I will need it! I've been so lazy and forgotten a lot of signs, so we will probably be stumbling over ourselves, haha.

CJB · 08-16-2009, 07:56 PM

I like the print on palm system for a bit, but if the other person writes too much on my palm, it starts to feel numb and tingly after awhile.

The only person I can recognize by hands is my wife.

I am also trying the fingerspelled ASL alphabet in my palm, which is the easiest for a lot of letters, although sometimes I have a hard time differentiating some of the letters and remembering some.

For example with one-hand ASL in palm, how do you differentiate P and K? G and Q?

I know the Perkins Braille layout but don't know anyone else that does. The QWERTY layout works well when the other person emphasizes the separate letters.

All of these systems are really hard to understand if the other person gets "lazy."

Mrs Bucket · 08-17-2009, 06:48 AM

At first it becomes hard, yes and this is where you need to do hand exercises so you don't develop carpal tunnel.

Your hands and fingers are VERY important to you. Make sure you take good care of them. Moisturize them, if you can do this... take a cooking course offered by the DB community.

I know I had to relearn how to chop food because I kept chopping at my fingers & cutting at the tips of my fingers and it was painful. I would burn myself reaching into the stove.

CNIB taught me how to chop food, how to put the sharp knives away safely until it was time to be washed, handle hot dishes and I kick hubby out of the kitchen so I feel comfortable. Well.. too many chefs spoil the soup! HA HA!

As for print on palm..

This website provides in detailed format and it does rely on both you and your wife to train together.

Block Alphabet Page

Mrs Bucket · 08-17-2009, 06:59 AM

Aleser is correct that Print on Palm is much easier than Tadoma.

I grew up being exposed to all kinds of communication systems and this was like Sim-Com/TC, Cued Speech, Bi-Bi, ASL, SEE all because my parents thought it was best to expose my sisters and I to everything possible.

Guess what, it was the best decision they made. They mainstreamed us and our first language was ASL although we spoke quite well.

I hated going to speech therapy and would feign some imaginary illness each time I had to go. Looking back, it was those helped me a lot.

Tadoma is not an easy way and it takes a lot physically and it's not something I do daily because my shoulders ache after half-hour of Tadoma.

Aleser explained everything well what she goes through, I go through that too as well.

The insensitive "Yoo hoo.. remma me??!?!" waving game in our faces is just stupid, period.

Just what happened to the same person they were before we lost our vision? Losing our vision isn't a license for some people to act like a complete doofus in front of us.

CJB · 08-17-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Bucket

At first it becomes hard, yes and this is where you need to do hand exercises so you don't develop carpal tunnel.

Your hands and fingers are VERY important to you. Make sure you take good care of them. Moisturize them, if you can do this... take a cooking course offered by the DB community.

I know I had to relearn how to chop food because I kept chopping at my fingers & cutting at the tips of my fingers and it was painful. I would burn myself reaching into the stove.

CNIB taught me how to chop food, how to put the sharp knives away safely until it was time to be washed, handle hot dishes and I kick hubby out of the kitchen so I feel comfortable. Well.. too many chefs spoil the soup! HA HA!

As for print on palm..

This website provides in detailed format and it does rely on both you and your wife to train together.

Block Alphabet Page

I learned a technique on how to chop food blind. I bend my fingers so that the first thing the knife will touch is my knuckles, but the knife will touch them at an angle so that it won't cut into my skin. It protects the tips of my fingers and nails. Is this the technique you learned at CNIB?

Thank you so much for the website!

I already have arthritis in my hands so finger spelling can be very painful. Unfortunately it's a question of necessity though, since my other two channels are blocked in noisy environments. Are there any techniques or modifications I can make to finger spelling? For example signing X and R is very difficult for me.

08-13-2009, 10:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	Tactile signing Is it harder to learn signing by touch or is it the same as if you learn it visually first? I am visually impaired and recently hard of hearing but can't hear well at all when there is a lot of background noise. I can see close-range signing but my eyes get tired quickly and I want to prepare for future vision loss when I can only use tactile. So I want to learn tactile sign for public places. Should I start with visual since I can see enough close up or should I go directly to tactile?

08-14-2009, 01:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
Aleser Woosh. Yes, Woosh. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 669	I would personally suggest kind of meeting it at a halfway mark. Have the person showing you a sign visually sign it in front of you, and from that point on, use the sign in tactile form. For me, personally, it helps to have visual memory of a sign. If that's not the case for you, do not pass go, do not collect 200$, go directly to tactile. Visual signing benefits you a little bit now. Tactile signing benefits you a little bit now and a lot in the future. __________________ "She thinks... she can make people do what she wants or needs, what is right, by the sheer force of her own talent, not by forcing them... she can teach them and persuade them... that they'll catch it from her. This is still faith in their rationality, in the omnipotence of reason. The mistake? Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them."

08-15-2009, 04:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
Aleser Woosh. Yes, Woosh. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 669	Not that I've found. Have you considered taking a class irl? the net can teach you the signs, a real life class can teach you actual ASL. __________________ "She thinks... she can make people do what she wants or needs, what is right, by the sheer force of her own talent, not by forcing them... she can teach them and persuade them... that they'll catch it from her. This is still faith in their rationality, in the omnipotence of reason. The mistake? Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them."

08-15-2009, 08:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	To be able to master tactile , you need to master ASL. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

08-15-2009, 09:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	Print on Palm is great for short messages and this is where tactile comes in handy for long conversations. Fingerspelling is quite difficult to follow and I can understand. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

08-14-2009, 10:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	Anyone?

08-14-2009, 01:44 PM	#4 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	Thanks Aleser -- I think I might just do that. I can see the signs close up but my eyes get tired LOL! Then I would have to switch to tactile.

08-15-2009, 02:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	I have another question. Most of the sites I've found for ASL are visual and give videos. I can't see the videos very well. Is there a site that describes the signs?

08-15-2009, 09:09 PM	#8 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	I'm definitely planning on real life classes. I just meant for practice between classes. Right now I am doing fingerspelling and my wife fingerspells into my palm (because my eyes get tired very quickly so visual fingerspelling is only good for 15 minutes and in certain types of light).

08-15-2009, 09:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
dreama deafblind vegan Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,018	I'm just learning tactile sign language now via tactile methods. __________________ I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. http://www.fightfoca.com/

08-16-2009, 07:52 AM	#12 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	Print on Palm is helpful for me too in certain situations when I cannot communicate with a hearing person so I will ask them to print on my palm. I use this approach and it's not used commonly in the DB community. It is the Tadoma method. The Tadoma method consists of me putting the back of my hand on the other person's throat so I can feel the vibrations. This way I can read lips and put together the vibrations to make out the words. Some people will not appreciate the Tadoma method because they consider it a violation of personal space so this is where I ask ahead of time if it is okay I do this. Tadoma also works for those who had extensive speech therapy as well. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

08-16-2009, 10:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	This morning my wife and I tried to use my hands like the keyboard on the computer. It worked pretty well. Do you know the official term for this method? I've read about using the palms like a Brailler but since my wife isn't familiar with the Perkins we use the QWERTY layout. I read a bit about Tadoma, Mrs. Bucket, and it definitely sounds interesting. But the one thing I don't like about it is it makes me do all the work. Personally, I can't imagine making sense of the vibrations and jaw movements, either. Of course it works for some people and not others.

08-16-2009, 12:34 PM	#14 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	I think it is Flexi-paper [tactile paper] you are speaking about. I prefer the QWERTY layout myself as well. Tadoma takes time, I agree. It works for some people and it doesn't work for another. There's so many approaches and there's never a perfect one for the DeafBlind community because nobody is the same. Smile. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

08-16-2009, 02:54 PM	#16 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	You're so correct about that. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

08-16-2009, 03:25 PM	#17 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 31,473	When a person loses one sense, they often gain sensitivity with another sense. For instance, a deaf person often becomes more alert of their surroundings. For a person who is blind, they rely on their sense of touch and hearing. For a person who is deaf and blind, they rely more on their sense of touch. I knew a woman who was deaf and blind, but her sense of touch were amazing. I used to interpret for her at church until she moved elsewhere and I moved elsewhere. One day, I was at Six Flags for Deaf Awareness Day. I was with a friend and I saw this woman walking by (with a guide). I told my friend that she would recognize me after 5 years of not touching me. My friend thought I was joking. So, I approached her and her guide asked me for my name so that he could tell her who I was. I told him "no" and gave her my own hands. Within seconds of touching my hands, she immediately knew who I was. Both the guide and my friend were shocked. (No, I don't have warts. No, my hands are not dry. No, I don't have ugly wrinkles.) She just could tell who I was by feeling my hands. Anyways, my point is that... for a person who isn't blind, learning to understand ASL with hands only is difficult. Even when we try to learn, it's still difficult because our primary sense is to see things around us. For a person who is blind, they rely on touch. So, it becomes easier to understand sign language with hands. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

08-16-2009, 03:39 PM	#19 (permalink)
dreama deafblind vegan Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,018	I can't. People have to tell me who they are when they speak to me. Otherwise I don't know. I'm still waiting for my touch and smell to heighten but not happened yet. (shrugs). __________________ I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. http://www.fightfoca.com/

08-16-2009, 03:50 PM	#21 (permalink)
Aleser Woosh. Yes, Woosh. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 669	BTW: I have tried the tactile speechreading and am not so great at it. I can tell a few familiar words (like, ten) but I would not be able to understand a conversation. __________________ "She thinks... she can make people do what she wants or needs, what is right, by the sheer force of her own talent, not by forcing them... she can teach them and persuade them... that they'll catch it from her. This is still faith in their rationality, in the omnipotence of reason. The mistake? Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them."

08-16-2009, 03:51 PM	#22 (permalink)
dreama deafblind vegan Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,018	I've heard of finger braille where the fingers are used like a perkins keyboard but I don't know about a quirtzy keyboard. I am using a quirtzy keyboard at the moment but would prefere a braille keyboard as sometimes I have to make a guess for some letters. A braille keyboard would be easy. Mrs bucket: would you mind telling me which is easier print on palm or Tandoma? Fingerspelling the british deafblind manual is the only method I know although that can be hard too if people don't do the lettrs properly. I can understand print on palm sometimes, but sometimes it's very difficult. It depends if people do it properly or not. __________________ I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. http://www.fightfoca.com/

08-16-2009, 03:55 PM	#23 (permalink)
dreama deafblind vegan Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,018	Hi Aleser: By tactile speech reading do you mean the tandoma aproach? I've never really tried it. I'm learning tactile signing right now but main communication methods are finger spelling and print on palm. Another method I'd like to try is finger braille, and maybe Tandoma just to see if I could figure it out. Helene __________________ I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. http://www.fightfoca.com/

08-16-2009, 03:56 PM	#24 (permalink)
Aleser Woosh. Yes, Woosh. Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 669	Dreama: I mean tadoma, yes. Print on palm is definitely easier than tadoma, but the deafblind manual is imho the absolute easiest. There's some confusion for me when people write the letters on my palm because some are similar, and not everyone moves the same way, but deafblind manual is always roughly the same and as such extremely easy. tactile speechreading, on the other hand, requires extreme awareness of the physical mechanisms used to produce every sound in the language to even attempt to understand, and most people cannot, anyways. It's worth attempting, I suppose, but I would personally suggest you commit to tactile signing first and get up your communication skills with that first. I am very excited because I will soon be spending a week with someone I can sign with all the time so I should improve my rusted up skills. __________________ "She thinks... she can make people do what she wants or needs, what is right, by the sheer force of her own talent, not by forcing them... she can teach them and persuade them... that they'll catch it from her. This is still faith in their rationality, in the omnipotence of reason. The mistake? Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them."

08-16-2009, 04:03 PM	#25 (permalink)
dreama deafblind vegan Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,018	Aleser: Thanks for your advise. My tutor who teaches me is on holiday at the moment. When she gets back I'm hoping we can carry on learning. She is very patient as I'm not as fast a learner as I'd like to be. I still persist and hopefully I get there in the end. I wish you luck wiht your week of signing. __________________ I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. http://www.fightfoca.com/

08-16-2009, 07:56 PM	#27 (permalink)
CJB deafblind writer Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: U.S. Posts: 1,423	I like the print on palm system for a bit, but if the other person writes too much on my palm, it starts to feel numb and tingly after awhile. The only person I can recognize by hands is my wife. I am also trying the fingerspelled ASL alphabet in my palm, which is the easiest for a lot of letters, although sometimes I have a hard time differentiating some of the letters and remembering some. For example with one-hand ASL in palm, how do you differentiate P and K? G and Q? I know the Perkins Braille layout but don't know anyone else that does. The QWERTY layout works well when the other person emphasizes the separate letters. All of these systems are really hard to understand if the other person gets "lazy."

08-17-2009, 06:48 AM	#28 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	At first it becomes hard, yes and this is where you need to do hand exercises so you don't develop carpal tunnel. Your hands and fingers are VERY important to you. Make sure you take good care of them. Moisturize them, if you can do this... take a cooking course offered by the DB community. I know I had to relearn how to chop food because I kept chopping at my fingers & cutting at the tips of my fingers and it was painful. I would burn myself reaching into the stove. CNIB taught me how to chop food, how to put the sharp knives away safely until it was time to be washed, handle hot dishes and I kick hubby out of the kitchen so I feel comfortable. Well.. too many chefs spoil the soup! HA HA! As for print on palm.. This website provides in detailed format and it does rely on both you and your wife to train together. Block Alphabet Page __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

08-17-2009, 06:59 AM	#29 (permalink)
Mrs Bucket has retired from AllDeaf. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,348	Aleser is correct that Print on Palm is much easier than Tadoma. I grew up being exposed to all kinds of communication systems and this was like Sim-Com/TC, Cued Speech, Bi-Bi, ASL, SEE all because my parents thought it was best to expose my sisters and I to everything possible. Guess what, it was the best decision they made. They mainstreamed us and our first language was ASL although we spoke quite well. I hated going to speech therapy and would feign some imaginary illness each time I had to go. Looking back, it was those helped me a lot. Tadoma is not an easy way and it takes a lot physically and it's not something I do daily because my shoulders ache after half-hour of Tadoma. Aleser explained everything well what she goes through, I go through that too as well. The insensitive "Yoo hoo.. remma me??!?!" waving game in our faces is just stupid, period. Just what happened to the same person they were before we lost our vision? Losing our vision isn't a license for some people to act like a complete doofus in front of us. __________________ My new nieces/nephews are arriving soon!

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