Lip reading....

dereksbicycles

dereksbicycles

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My girlfriend wrote on her Facebook status....

Derek and I are going to our first Saint Patrick's day party on Friday! We are soooo excited! I must say, I am always so very inspired by Der as he keeps a big smile on his face and has never once complained about not being able to hear while at an event such as this. He spends a lot of time in my hearing world with me, and that's why I am soooo very passionate about becoming fluent in ASL and being part of his deaf world too. Whenever we're at events, I always try hard to interpret everything going on around us so that he doesn't feel left out- I think that's so important! Now, it's time for me to do my ASL homework, speaking of which! ;-) ;-) I have to sign five who, what, when, where, or how questions in front of class tomorrow evening- piece of cake! :D :D

Someone wrote:

he can't read lips? i feel like if i were in that scenario i'd really want to excel at that, so as to not feel completely dependent on someone interpreting for me

My girlfriend wrote:

Reading lips is a VERY difficult concept, Ron- I've learned about it in my asl class. It's actually a big myth that deaf people can all lip read. For instance, say "cat" and "bat" while standing in front of a mirror- they both look the same. A lot of focus is being put on an oral-education driven environment for deaf children, but I don't always think that's the best thing for them. Why not have oral AND sign language together? Sign language helps deaf people communicate and is so much easier for them than lip reading. Yes, it can make it more difficult for them in the hearing world not being able to read lips, but Derek has always managed and done very well- I'm very passionate about spreading awareness about how deaf people are not impaired, they just can't hear. Other than that, they can do anything they set their minds to. I don't mind at all interpreting, I have never felt it was a burden or too heavy a load. I always say, love is all you need! :) :)


Sometimes, I like attention. Sometimes Not.

So much about lip reading.
 
I guess I do need the attention.


My girlfriend also told me:

I love you, Derek! ♥ ♥ Remember, you are somebody! God didn't take time to make a nobody. Don't worry so much about what other people think- you know that I love you and so do many, many others! We won't let those stereotypes put us down. People have stereotypes about depression too- at first, they angered me, but I've learned to just accept that there are going to be stereotypes. But I have my friends and family and you who love me and that's all that really matters! ♥ ♥ Don't spend time being too angry. It's okay to be angry, but don't let it consume you. Remember, every minute you spend angry is a minute you'll never get back again. Life is too precious and short to spend too much time being upset- focus on the good things going for you! ♥ ♥ And remember that I love you!!
 
She also told me to not worry about what her cousin said. After all, she never really cares about him much. She jumped to defend me after hearing what her cousin said.
 
Seems as if you really have a "gem" Derek!....and tell her that I said "Thank You" and she is absolutely right about lipreading and anger issues....If only more hearies would adapt this attitude, the world would be a much better place for us deafies. :ty:
 
Aww, thats sweet.

I do have to say that I think it's a bit odd that she used "cat" and "bat" as an example. I personally think that is a terrible example. Better examples:
- Crate vs Great
- Dead vs Ted
- Fifty vs Fifteen
- Pee vs Bee
- Maybe vs Baby

and so on.....
 
George HW Bush said "Read my lip..."

Guess what? He didn't win on second term.

Just saying...
 
Tousi said:
Who? PowerOn and his alternate self? :lol:
Click to expand...

:giggle: Derek and his girlfriend.=)

I liked reading his girlfriend's responses. This weekend an older woman came up to me and asked me why the deaf do not meet hearing people half way by learning to lip read.

I was flustered and did not feel like I handled it smoothly. I did tell her that lipreading was a lot harder than it looked on television, and that it was harder still if you'd never heard sound to really give it good context, and that I understood that even good lip readers miss a lot. There's a LOT more I wish I had thought to say.

Like:
If the deaf learning to lipread is meeting the hearing halfway, what should the hearing be doing for their part of this meeting 'half way?'
You just told me you're becoming hard of hearing and always have to ask your grandkids to repeat themselves. Have you thought about meeting them halfway by learning to lip read?
Could you learn to lipread Swahili if you've never heard Swahili spoken? How easy would that be?
 
Keeper!

(I'm learning a lot about speech reading -that is what I was "informed" it was called now?- and I watch my 2 year old, who did have some hearing and some speech before her deafness. If you mouth "mama" & "papa" it looks the same. Such a subtle difference. It's so not fair to make people rely on that method alone.)
 
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