Signing with a finger motor issues

[Ashleigh Hensch]

Hello! I am not deaf, but I am teaching myself ASL. I want my children (expecting one atm) to grow up simultaneously learning ASL and English, but I have a slight problem...

I am right-hand dominate, and I know that your dominate hand is supposed to be your dominate signing hand/motion hand. However, my right-hand pinky doesn't have full range of motion... I can't lift it up very high. It doesn't affect anything else in my life (I am even very good at crafts!). Yet as I try and finger spell the letter I, or J, or Y for example, I find that I cannot fully form the sign. Since I'm teaching myself, I have no one else to ask about how to handle this.

My ideas are:

1. Learn ASL with my left-hand being dominate, instead of my right (even though I use my right for everything else in my life).
2. Switch to my left-hand on the signs I cannot fully form, but use my right-hand for all the other signs. (this option seems like it may confuse the person I am trying to converse with).
3. Do the best I can with my right-hand. (this is how I've been operating in the meantime. But if this is the best option, what is proper etiquette? After introductions, do I tell them my pinky is funky so some of my signs will look a bit odd? If so, how do I tell them?)

If you have any other ideas/opinions, I am open to them as well!

Thank you!

 

[Reba]

Hello! I am not deaf, but I am teaching myself ASL. . .

I want my children (expecting one atm) to grow up simultaneously learning ASL and English, but I have a slight problem...

I am right-hand dominate, and I know that your dominate hand is supposed to be your dominate signing hand/motion hand. However, my right-hand pinky doesn't have full range of motion... I can't lift it up very high. It doesn't affect anything else in my life (I am even very good at crafts!). Yet as I try and finger spell the letter I, or J, or Y for example, I find that I cannot fully form the sign. Since I'm teaching myself, I have no one else to ask about how to handle this.

My ideas are:

1. Learn ASL with my left-hand being dominate, instead of my right (even though I use my right for everything else in my life).

It's a good idea, in general, to be able to sign with either hand in case something happens to your dominant hand. Of course, when you're first learning, you should probably focus on using just the natural dominant hand as the dominant hand for signing. Once you're comfortable doing that, you can learn and practice with the natural non-dominant hand as the dominant signing hand.

2. Switch to my left-hand on the signs I cannot fully form, but use my right-hand for all the other signs. (this option seems like it may confuse the person I am trying to converse with).

That could be confusing, so I wouldn't recommend this. During one conversation, try to stick with one hand. If you need to switch, don't switch for just part of the conversation but for the whole conversation. It's a smoother transition that way.

3. Do the best I can with my right-hand. (this is how I've been operating in the meantime. But if this is the best option, what is proper etiquette? After introductions, do I tell them my pinky is funky so some of my signs will look a bit odd? If so, how do I tell them?)

I would go with that option but without mentioning the pinky unless the other person seems to be having a problem with understanding your signs. Most signers have some kind of a "quirk" or other, and we just adjust to each other. Some people have arthritis, birth defects, injuries, tremors, etc. The people with whom you sign on a regular basis will get used to your style.

In the hearing world, we have varieties in speech patterns, voices, pronunciations, etc., and for the most part it's no big deal. It's the same thing with signing. You do the best you can with what you've got to minimize the hurdles, then just let it go.

If you have any other ideas/opinions, I am open to them as well!

Thank you!

Good--stay open and flexible to suggestions.

 

[AlleyCat]

I'm right-handed, but I'm also ambidextrous, so I can sign left only just as well as right. Frankly, I would suggest practicing all the time with the left hand so you are comfortable with it. And use the right in the meantime. No reason to lose both.

 

[Ashleigh Hensch]

I can definitely understand why you would want to be able to use either (not switching during, but picking one for any given conversation). What if I break my right hand? I need to be able to use my left as well.

Thank you both for your feedback! I will continue learning with my right hand, but practice with my left as well .

Reba - it's like when someone has a speech impediment, we just learn to figure out what they'really saying by context clues and other signals. Glad to know that my silly problem won't be a huge hindrance to communicating, as long as both parties are trying

 

[DeafNerdMommy]

I knew a guy who had severe arthritis and could barely open his hands to sign. It look a little longer to understand his signs but after knowing him for a while I could pick up on his versions of signs and letters. All hands are different

 

[Tetracyclone]

I knew a guy who had severe arthritis and could barely open his hands to sign. It look a little longer to understand his signs but after knowing him for a while I could pick up on his versions of signs and letters. All hands are different

Thank you for that. It is encouraging. I am a typical quad in that most of my fingers claw up and I cannot open my hands. I'd abandoned the idea of signing because of this. Maybe I will try harder...

 

[DeafDucky]

Both Reba and AlleyCat has good sound advice

My father is naturally left handed - does most things as a lefty but interestingly there are some things he does naturally as a righty- signing is one of them (shooting is another...). He says it has something to do with how his brain works...when he bowled as a teen for fun...he found that if you stuck a ball in his left hand, his brain had no idea what to do even though he writes left handed...it was just easier for whatever reason to do right. No idea if he catches/throws/bats left lol.

I on the other hand am like AC... I don't think I'm truly ambidextrous (that honor is my grandfather's lol) but can sign both left and right.

I've also met some folks who had problems with their hands (notably one person with severe ataxia CP) but signed just fine or well enough that I was able to understand.