Literacy of Deaf People

This is just the opinion of a person. Take it out of context, do with it what you choose. The longer Im deaf the less I care about grammatical differences or cuturally accepted jargon. He may not like what he sees on a paper or manuscript, but, I'll bet he understood it just fine. Isn't that the point, to be understood?

You can't make everybody happy. It's impossible. Sometimes, though difficult, one just has to sigh and understand we are all different. If they will not politely hear out your point of view just move on and appreciate those who are close to you and those who do.

 
Oh, well .... life is too short. Why worry ? Let this person be happy for who he/she really is. That person who created this video have to learn to accept deaf people who don't write in English very well. Accept them. :)
 
While the creator of this video may have seemed a bit too blunt, I do agree with him in many ways.

I've dealt with some NTID students who were ignorant against themselves.

There was one student who was hard-of-hearing. She refused to hang out with deaf people because of their intelligence and English skills. She felt she was better of with the hearing community. She only hung out with hearing people and preferred a hearing boyfriend. Well, one night when I was cooking some food in the kitchen (this was in a dorm building)... I saw her hearing boyfriend there reading something. It turns out that he was proofreading a paper that she had done for her English class. He had spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to edit it without rewriting it in his own words. Apparently, the grammar and spelling on it was so bad that 30 minutes was not enough time to fix a 1-page paper like that. I even tried to help him and I had a hard time. So, she was a hearing-wannabe... with grammar skills worse than those who are more deaf than she is. :roll:

There was another student who grew up ASL. She worked her ass off to get through NTID and get her AAS degree. She continued through RIT and got her BA. Then she continued more to get her MS. Now, she's a teacher. Even though she makes a mistake here and there... she's still done a lot better and worked hard to get where she is today.

So, saying... "I'm sorry, but I'm deaf and ASL is the deaf way." should be a bad lazy excuse for not learning English.
 
would someone be so kind as to tell me the gist of what was said in this video?
 
Hear Again said:
would someone be so kind as to tell me the gist of what was said in this video?

.
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It is a video but all in text.

The person starts out commenting how lame and uneducated netspeak is. Things like txt instead of text. Then goes on, using an Alldeaf thread as an example, to talk as though D/deaf people can't do any better than this. And states that the written word is no one's first language and that everyone, including D/deaf should master it.

Then ends with a comment that there is a sound track in the background of two people having sex, but "you" can't hear it. (btw there is no sound)
 
Byrdie714 said:
I thought it was a good opinion until the smart-aleck comment at the end of the video in regards to the sound file of people having sex and that we can't hear it.

Made me lose total respect for the said opinion.

If one wants to present a respectable opinion, they should without the expense of making fun of the Deaf community.



I think so too.
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I agree with you on that one.


As for deaf people learning to write proper English without too many grammatical errors or spelling errors, I can understand cuz too often so many deaf children go to school with a weak language foundation due to not having full access to language during their first 5 years. However, if one refuses to want to improve their English skills as an adult, then they made the decision to set lower standards for themselves. I cant force adults what to do with their lives but I can encourage all deaf people to read at least 30 minutes daily and try to writie in a journal. To each to its own.
 
First off I doubt if the percentage of willfully illiterate D/deaf is any different than that of willfully illiterate hearing and there is several football stadiums full of those. A couple of months ago a hearing high school kid told me he did not see why they taught reading at all, "If a book is any good somebody will make it into a movie."

Second off netspeak is used by net and text users and is no indication of what they are capable of outside the net. There are far more hearing users of netspeak than D/deaf users simply because there are far more hearing people. Love it or hate it netspeak will be here as long as there is a net.

The person also discusses a couple of druggies who are willfully illiterate and sucking off the government teat. The implication is they are deaf, but it is not stated. Once again I'm sure the percentage of druggie D/deaf is no different than the percentage of druggie hearing.

The person is very angry and many of their points if they were not directed directly at the D/deaf community would be valid.

However the person's anger is not constructive as it is a waste of time and emotional effort to tell someone who does not want to be literate that they should become so.

I feel sorry for his D/deaf girlfriend.
 
This creator of Youtube cannot just overgeneralize on the D/deaf community based on what he saw on Alldeaf.com and his wife.... The couple he knows that are drug addicts... I am sure there is reason behind being addicted to drugs... but that has nothing to do with being not grammaticially advanced....
 
Berry said:
It is a video but all in text.

The person starts out commenting how lame and uneducated netspeak is. Things like txt instead of text. Then goes on, using an Alldeaf thread as an example, to talk as though D/deaf people can't do any better than this. And states that the written word is no one's first language and that everyone, including D/deaf should master it.

Then ends with a comment that there is a sound track in the background of two people having sex, but "you" can't hear it. (btw there is no sound)
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:mad2:
 
skm4441 said:
The couple he knows that are drug addicts... I am sure there is reason behind being addicted to drugs... but that has nothing to do with being not grammaticially advanced...

.
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Good point!
 
here's a transcript -

An open letter to the deaf community. First and foremost, these are merely one person's own opinions and suggestions. Either take it or leave it. If you feel offended by anything I say, then you really need a wake-up call. Second, don't assume I don't know anything about deaf people. I have lived with a deaf girl for almost five years now, and have been married to her for two years. The main thing I want to talk about is the overwhelming lack of grammar and spelling by the majority of the deaf community. Let's take a look at a few posts on the AllDeaf forums...

U guys can make a confession..
let me start mine
i have a confession to make.... i stayed in 5 grade twice
what abt you?
this is kinda a game
ppl can learn abt urself that no one knew abt
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??? I don't understand confession mean help more talk to? I am confused
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The first picture is a prime example of netspeak. I don't know how lazy someone has to be to not type out an extra two letters to correctly spell 'you', but it reflects badly on the person. The second picture is a prime example of bad grammar. Yoda spoke better than this drivel. The English written language is just that: a written language. It is nobody's first language. From the moment we are born, we slowly absorb everything around us, and the first language we learn is the spoken or signed language of our parents. Because of this, we learn the written portion of our language a little later in life when we can comprehend what the words mean. this holds true to everyone, deaf or not. As an adult, there is no excuse for having bad grammar and/or spelling. Nobody's grammar is perfect, but making something simple to write turn out to be incomprehensible to someone else is just plain lazy. As an adult, you have ample opportunity to learn and improve, but some choose to not do so for one reason or another. I know of a couple in Dover, Delaware by the names of Amy and Daniel who simply refuse to learn. The woman is clearly an adult, and has yet to take the GED. Her spelling and grammar are so atrocious that success on the test is nigh-impossible. But considering that they are jobless drug-addicts who prefer to suckle on the government teat rather than expand their ambition, I do not believe they will make it very far in this world. I implore you, deaf community, to pick up an English study guide and LEARN.

Thank you for your time.

PS, the sound file in the background are two people having sex. Too bad you can't hear it. :)

Just kidding. Or am I?
 
Berry said:
It is a video but all in text.

The person starts out commenting how lame and uneducated netspeak is. Things like txt instead of text. Then goes on, using an Alldeaf thread as an example, to talk as though D/deaf people can't do any better than this. And states that the written word is no one's first language and that everyone, including D/deaf should master it.

Then ends with a comment that there is a sound track in the background of two people having sex, but "you" can't hear it. (btw there is no sound)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the translation Berry and Jiro.

I don't agree with this. I know born ASL user who's comand of english is much better then mine. He can express himself better then I can.

It sounds just like more audist nonsense to me.
 
dreama said:
Thanks for the translation Berry.

I don't agree with this. I know born ASL user who's comand of english is much better then mine. He can express himself better then I can.

It sounds just like more audist nonsense to me.
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yes but look at AD. there are several ASL ADers who have trouble with writing English writing language properly and I don't blame them. It's this damn confusing education system for deaf that has yet been established by federal government. :mad2:
 
Jiro said:
yes but look at AD. there are several ASL ADers who have trouble with writing English writing language properly and I don't blame them. It's this damn confusing education system for deaf that has yet been established by federal government. :mad2:
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The person I have in mind is born deaf to deaf parents and is now deaf blind. His language is excellent.

The deaf people with the worst grammar tend to be oral failures.
 
skm4441 said:
This creator of Youtube cannot just overgeneralize on the D/deaf community based on what he saw on Alldeaf.com and his wife.... The couple he knows that are drug addicts... I am sure there is reason behind being addicted to drugs... but that has nothing to do with being not grammaticially advanced....
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Absolutely. I know many well educated and literate people who have a wonderful command of the English language that have battled substance abuse problems.
 
dreama said:
The person I have in mind is born deaf to deaf parents and is now deaf blind. His language is excellent.

The deaf people with the worst grammar tend to be oral failures.
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Your last comment - I don't know about that I'll leave it to that.
 
Jiro said:
Your last comment - I don't know about that I'll leave it to that.
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I mean people who were raised using the oral system but for some reason they never mastered it. So until someone cottoned on to that they were left with no language skills to speak of. Even oral 'successess' have some problems. I know from my time at PHU and my deafblind friend Kerry. Her dad was very big on the oral only way of doing things. She could speak but her comprehention skills left a lot to be desired.
 
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