Hoping To Make Some Friends/to Get Some Info

Lightning

Lightning

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Hi, everyone!

My name is Kay. I am deaf and have been all of my life. I use a hearing aid and a cochlear implant, and I am oral and use SEE. I understand ASL to some extent, but not entirely, so I will eventually take classes for it. I have studied other languages such as Spanish, French, and a little bit of German! I just love studying foreign languages and hope to find some cool people on here who share the same kind of interests as I do. My other hobbies are playing video games, drawing, reading, and watching foreign dramas and anime.

Japanese is the one foreign language I have studied the longest and most extensively however, and that's mostly because I plan on teaching English in Japan. It is truly a dream of mine. I have been there twice, and it's a very amazing country! I have lots of fantastic friends whom I'm very close to living there as well.

I was just wondering, if are there any deaf/D/HoH TESLs? Or deaf/D/HoH people teaching abroad? I have tried to googling, but I could not really find anything besides hearing teachers teaching deaf/D/HoH students. Is it actually that rare to find deaf teachers that teach in hearing schools? I can't seem to find anything about their experiences online; it's confounding, really. If you are one though and don't mind me asking, is there any advice could you give me? What kind of strategies and methods do you use in your teaching? What kind of difficulties do you face?

Chances are, I will be teaching in hearing schools, and albeit, it is a bit terrifying to me (it's actually not the students I'm too worried about, it's the adults), but I still really want to do it especially if I have so many people supporting me in life!

Thanks for reading! :)
 
Welcome, Kay!

That's awesome that you want to teach English in Japan! I'm deaf and I lived in Japan for 11 years. So, I don't know a whole lot about teaching in Japan but I do know the education system very well and of course general knowledge about Japan.

Are you planning on immersing yourself into the deaf culture in Japan? I highly recommend it. There's many events and such that are great experiences and you'll be able to make friends who might even be in a similar situation as yourself.

Oh and although you're teaching English, learn Japanese cause you're definitely going to need it despite what people say.

Anyways, feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Japan, I'd love to chat with you and I'm all for recommending stuff.
 
Welcome!

For whatever state you live in, consider contacting the school for the deaf in your state. They might be able to provide you with some resources.
 
iMaisie said:
Welcome, Kay!

That's awesome that you want to teach English in Japan! I'm deaf and I lived in Japan for 11 years. So, I don't know a whole lot about teaching in Japan but I do know the education system very well and of course general knowledge about Japan.

Are you planning on immersing yourself into the deaf culture in Japan? I highly recommend it. There's many events and such that are great experiences and you'll be able to make friends who might even be in a similar situation as yourself.

Oh and although you're teaching English, learn Japanese cause you're definitely going to need it despite what people say.

Anyways, feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Japan, I'd love to chat with you and I'm all for recommending stuff.
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Wow, eleven years is a long time to live in Japan! Where in Japan did you live? I know that I definitely want to live and teach in Tokyo or an area close to the metropolis; it's honestly one of my favorite cities, haha.

I have been thinking about it; I actually follow a few Facebook pages regarding about deaf culture in Japan that posts both in English and Japanese which is nice. Learning Japanese sign language is also something else I have considered too. What kind of events do they normally hold? Do you have any online resources about the deaf community and JSL you could maybe point me to?

I definitely will keep up with studying Japanese though! I really want to become more fluent in it. Let's stay in contact because I'll have a lot of questions about Japan, haha. Thank you for responding! I appreciate it.
 
AlleyCat said:
Welcome!

For whatever state you live in, consider contacting the school for the deaf in your state. They might be able to provide you with some resources.
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Thank you!

Unfortunately, in my state, there is no school of the deaf. ): The last one closed over a decade ago. I plan on contacting Vocational Rehabilitation Services in my town to see if they might have anything for me though.
 
Lightning said:
Wow, eleven years is a long time to live in Japan! Where in Japan did you live? I know that I definitely want to live and teach in Tokyo or an area close to the metropolis; it's honestly one of my favorite cities, haha.

I have been thinking about it; I actually follow a few Facebook pages regarding about deaf culture in Japan that posts both in English and Japanese which is nice. Learning Japanese sign language is also something else I have considered too. What kind of events do they normally hold? Do you have any online resources about the deaf community and JSL you could maybe point me to?

I definitely will keep up with studying Japanese though! I really want to become more fluent in it. Let's stay in contact because I'll have a lot of questions about Japan, haha. Thank you for responding! I appreciate it.
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Haha, it wasn't long enough. I live in Scotland now (It's where I was born and my dad's family is here) and I miss Japan terribly.

I moved around quite a bit as a child. We have family in Japan. When I first moved to Japan, we lived in Chichibu, and then we moved in with my uncle in Tokyo for a good while so my mother could work. Then when I was about 13, we moved way across to Kyoto as my mother's new boyfriend was from there and pretty much she couldn't take living with my uncle anymore. So, then I spent my teens in Kyoto until I was 17 and then I moved to Scotland.

I do recommend Tokyo, especially if you're wanting hustle and bustle. Also, you'll find a lot more people will speak english in the city if you're struggling. I adored it there as a child.

Have you visited Japan before?

Yes, JSL would be excellent for you to learn - really handy. Well, I went to mainly gaming related events in malls and such that others told me about. That's why having friends is really important as you can find out so much more about things you can go to. I also went to several really fun get-togethers at public baths and festivals. I've heard nowadays there's lots more organised by official companies though, so maybe a good google and you'll be able to find some.

As for resources, I actually don't. Most of events I regularly attended were by invite or word-of-mouth. So, all I can recommend is when you are in Japan, is to ask around, or google? Also, that facebook group that you're in, will also be helpful for information. Ask them, I'm sure they'll be able to point you in the right direction. As for general JSL - There's tons of Youtube videos out there that are useful. I personally can't help in that aspect either as I learnt from friends and private tutor as School did not teach JSL when I was there, instead oral speak was encouraged.

Definitely, I'd love to stay in touch. Like I said, if you have anymore questions, feel free to PM and I'll do my best to answer them.
 
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