You ever get people who tell you not to use sign language?

Sorry if this is an old thread. I can't read the date. I'll change the format after this.

I'm the only deaf one in my whole family, including extended family. A lot of people don't like it when I have captions on TV. Normally when we watch family movies, I watch "silent" with them, then go to my room and watch the movie again with captions. I sit for dinner with the family, and they all talk. I see all their mouths moving and I see their meaningless random gestures. My only amusement comes from watching them accidentally sign something they don't mean as they throw their arms around while they talk. Sometimes my sister tells me later what the conversation was about, but she says they normally just talk nonsense anyway, so I'm not missing anything. My primary contact with my family is through instant messenger, but my sister tells me she may start taking ASL this quarter. I used to try to lip read, but in my family, that's futile. Nobody opens their mouths. My dad doesn't even use complete sentences, so I always have to have my mom translate. Or we get on our computers and play Dawn of War, and my dad talks to me in the game. That works!

By the way, I've never been told to not sign, but if ever I were, I'd tell them to not speak. Fair is fair.
 
JClarke said:
You know what? I can give you an example. My friend, she's hearing, (She has moved interstate unfortunately), she signs whenever she wants, even there was no deaf people around, I was pretty impressed that she has gotten the sign language into a good habit for her practising. Not one person, didn't tell her to stop. They were fantasticed.
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I personally do not understand why a hearing person would need to walk around signing if they are not with a deaf, in an asl classroom learning asl, interpreting, etc.. something like that. Maybe you can explain that one to me?
 
jasin said:
I personally do not understand why a hearing person would need to walk around signing if they are not with a deaf, in an asl classroom learning asl, interpreting, etc.. something like that. Maybe you can explain that one to me?
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Out of habit. I do it all the time.
 
shel90 said:
Right, it depends on the person. For me, I need my hearing aids to communicate with hearing people but my deaf brother doesnt need them when communicating with hearing people. In fact, he doesnt own one.
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Your deaf brother has some serious communication skills.
 
jasin said:
That's very understandable. Do you not recognize though, that ASL is the language of the deaf ?
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Of course. I learned it so I could communicate with my Deaf girlfriend. But I have the habit of using it all the time anyway. I just get used to using my hands to talk.
 
I am oral but I sign when with my 'terp in college and with friends. It does help me! because if my 'terp is just talkin sometimes i cant understand even if im lipreadin so signng does really help
 
jasin said:
I personally do not understand why a hearing person would need to walk around signing if they are not with a deaf, in an asl classroom learning asl, interpreting, etc.. something like that. Maybe you can explain that one to me?
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I wonder if you are aware the word "need" in a sentence such as this tends to be pejorative. Actually this sounds very much like some hearing people I have come across.

1) It is fun. ( I didn't learn ASL because I "needed to" I learned it because I love the language. )

2) It irritates people who are anti Deaf / anti sign (Even more fun)

3) It helps improve your skills so when you are around Deaf people your signing won't be so awkward.

4) It helps identify you to strangers in the vicinity who are fellow members of the signing community, whether Deaf or hearing; an open invitation if you will for them to step forward and introduce themselves.

5) It helps create friendships among hearing people who know little or nothing about ASL or Deaf but are curious to learn.
 
Excellent points, Berry. I have made some friendships based on people seeing me sign to myself. It also puts me in an excellent position to educate other people about Deaf culture and sign language.
 
i've been using tactile sign on a daily basis for 6 out of the 10 years i had severe-profound hearing loss and not once has anyone told me not to sign.
 
spikywires said:
But it sounds like there's a lot of prejudice in deaf culture against hearies...we are people too and we there are a lot of hearing people who understand deaf culture because they grew up with it or know deaf people. I think this bitterness has less to do with how we treat you, but more to do with general hating of people who are different than you.
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Not all of us hate hearing people...it is more of the audist view that we hate. If I hated hearing people, I wouldnt have been married to a hearing man.
 
jasin said:
I get people all the time who tell me not to use sign language. I pisses me off :mad::mad2: soooo much!!
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no one ever control your life. It's your story of life.

Also I believe in character which everyone are different and unique. I love see the T-Shirt said "Define Normal?" Who is normal. Nobody prefect. Just be yourself.
 
I agree that no one can tell you what to do, but I can sympathize. When my HoH gf and I were visiting her friend, friend's family and relations, over Thanksgiving one of the elderly relatives (someone's grandmother) told my gf for some reason that she should "stop that" and "didn't need to use sign". I think the context was that her friend was "interpreting" what the grandmother was saying so my gf could understand. Or something.

I remember when I took my first ASL class about four years ago now my friend (who was then still in an interpreting program) and I decided to play "Deaf kid with an interpreter" to see how people would react. Basically he was the terp, and I was the Deaf kid - although I was gesturing not using ASL by any stretch (it was my first week of class...). No one ever interrupted, or was impatient, but people did do the whole "ask her", "tell her", and etc. It was interesting :) Of course we told my ASL teacher all about it the next day.
 
I find myself using ASL or an improvised sign for words when I talk to hearing people. They've never been bothered by it and sometimes they'll pick some of it up on their own and use it (signs such as food, locker, book, videogame, etc.). I thank these people.
 
Mockingbird said:
I find myself using ASL or an improvised sign for words when I talk to hearing people. They've never been bothered by it and sometimes they'll pick some of it up on their own and use it (signs such as food, locker, book, videogame, etc.). I thank these people.
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Sometimes I do this too... <laughs> Improvising signs while emphasizing a point when I'm talking with voice!
 
Yeah, my neighbors don't want me to sign when I happened to bring my deaf friends.
 
Lavender said:
Yeah, my neighbors don't want me to sign when I happened to bring my deaf friends.
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That's really obnoxious, especially if there are Deaf people around. If it's all hearing, at least there isn't a necessity for it, but with Deaf signing people, then it's necessary. How insensitive of your neighbors.
 
I've had both deaf and HEARING people to tell me to use sign! I find that quite amusing!! Some of them get angry at me for not knowing sign!? Some think Im lying..?!
 
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