MonicaCane
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- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
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A few months ago I started learning ASL online. I really enjoy the language and seem to connect with it much better than the language of my own heritage interestingly enough.
As I build my vocabulary in ASL, I realize I can learn the language better if I spent time interacting with people in the deaf community in my area.
This has been a challenge in itself because there doesn't seem to be much of a deaf community in my town.
However last week, I discovered there is a woman at my church who is deaf and I hopefully will have the opporunity to introduce myself soon.
But here is my dilemma:
Most of my understanding of the deaf community at this point is through what I read. And what I have read (whether online, in books, chat-groups) as left me with mixed feeling because of the two ways it seems that a hearing person learning ASL is perceived by a deaf person:
#1 People who are HOH or Deaf and know ASL are very appoachable and willing to help hearing people learn their language and make a new friend.
#2 People who are HOH or Deaf are easily offended by hearing people who are "trying to learn their language" Since a hearing person can't really relate, it's seems to be taken as if a hearing person is patronizing the deaf person in some way..
Reading these two opposing view points, causes me to worry about approaching a deaf person until I'm REALLY good in ASL but who knows how long that will take.
I don't want to stumble through the language and somehow give a deaf person the impression that I'm learning ASL to "do them a favor" or using them for my own learning....
I find ASL to be a wonderful language, and I just want to learn and speak with new friends who know it..... that its!!!
I would love feedback from Deaf and HOH who can advise on how to proceed? ANd if the two view points I seem to read a lot about are correct???
Thank you
As I build my vocabulary in ASL, I realize I can learn the language better if I spent time interacting with people in the deaf community in my area.
This has been a challenge in itself because there doesn't seem to be much of a deaf community in my town.
However last week, I discovered there is a woman at my church who is deaf and I hopefully will have the opporunity to introduce myself soon.
But here is my dilemma:
Most of my understanding of the deaf community at this point is through what I read. And what I have read (whether online, in books, chat-groups) as left me with mixed feeling because of the two ways it seems that a hearing person learning ASL is perceived by a deaf person:
#1 People who are HOH or Deaf and know ASL are very appoachable and willing to help hearing people learn their language and make a new friend.
#2 People who are HOH or Deaf are easily offended by hearing people who are "trying to learn their language" Since a hearing person can't really relate, it's seems to be taken as if a hearing person is patronizing the deaf person in some way..
Reading these two opposing view points, causes me to worry about approaching a deaf person until I'm REALLY good in ASL but who knows how long that will take.
I don't want to stumble through the language and somehow give a deaf person the impression that I'm learning ASL to "do them a favor" or using them for my own learning....
I find ASL to be a wonderful language, and I just want to learn and speak with new friends who know it..... that its!!!
I would love feedback from Deaf and HOH who can advise on how to proceed? ANd if the two view points I seem to read a lot about are correct???
Thank you