Can *all* deaf people read and write?

DragonYoga said:
Off topic - yes I do Yoga. :D I was lucky enough to get that as a credited course this semester *YAY*!!! There's actually a DVD out called Deaf Yoga. Try to google for it, it's interesting. :) My only tip is to relax, take your time, practice meditation and just have fun. :D I love dragons too and I want to have a tattoo one day of a dragon in the lotus pose. :)

And Jolie, on the math observation? I am so the exception to that rule. I can read and write with the best of them, but give me a math problem above the 6th grade level and I couldn't solve it correctly to save my life!
Click to expand...

Off topic...but I do yoga, as well. I had no idea there was a Deaf Yoga DVD, but I will certainly look for it! Thank you for that information.:ty:
 
Jolie_77 said:
This is an interesting thread.

We often get that question from time to time when we encounter a person who has no knowledge or exposure to the deaf community. For some, it is offensive but for some, it isn't. If a person is asking in a nice manner, I wouldn't be offended but however if someone asks me that question in a rude manner, then yeah it'd be offensive.

Everyone has pretty much nailed it in this thread. Illiteracy and Literacy is a huge problem everywhere across the globe. Not everyone is able to read and write. For those who can are fortunate. I, too, am aware that my english is not perfect but it doesn't mean that we're no better than others. It varies by being able to read/and or writing at different levels.

I have seen some deaf people who are very good at fixing things but when it comes to writing, they are clueless. There are some who are good at writing/reading but not so good at being a "handyman". The same thing applies to mathematics. From what I have noticed, deaf people are usually better in mathematics than they are for writing/reading. I'm not saying all of them are like that but some of them are.
Click to expand...


I suck at math but excellent with reading and writing despite having limited access to language growing up. However, thanks to my job, I am getting better at math.

I have 4 students who are like that. 2 of them are my top for language arts and the other 2 are my top for math. It is interesting to see that with them.
 
shel90 said:
I suck at math but excellent with reading and writing despite having limited access to language growing up. However, thanks to my job, I am getting better at math.

I have 4 students who are like that. 2 of them are my top for language arts and the other 2 are my top for math. It is interesting to see that with them.
Click to expand...

There are gender differences that come into play as well. That doesn't mean that all women or girls suck at math, but that across the board, boys and men generally excel at a greater rate than women. I know statistics and calculus nearly killed me!
 
Anyways, as for deaf people being able to read and write. The key to achieving literacy skills is early full access to language during the first 5 years. Most deaf people get partial or slim access to language due to their families not knowing much about deafness and putting them in programs that focus on their weakest sense (the ears) rather than their strongest sense (the eyes). What happens is that several children are seriously deprived of language access and end up with language delays leading to difficulities in achieving literacy skills.

That problem has been ongoing for over a hundred years and despite with more knowledge and awareness of deafness and sign language, it is still happening too often.
 
shel90 said:
Anyways, as for deaf people being able to read and write. The key to achieving literacy skills is early full access to language during the first 5 years. Most deaf people get partial or slim access to language due to their families not knowing much about deafness and putting them in programs that focus on their weakest sense (the ears) rather than their strongest sense (the eyes). What happens is that several children are seriously deprived of language access and end up with language delays leading to difficulities in achieving literacy skills.

That problem has been ongoing for over a hundred years and despite with more knowledge and awareness of deafness and sign language, it is still happening too often.
Click to expand...

BINGO!
 
DragonYoga said:
And Jolie, on the math observation? I am so the exception to that rule. I can read and write with the best of them, but give me a math problem above the 6th grade level and I couldn't solve it correctly to save my life!
Click to expand...

:giggle: I am the same way too. It's no wonder why trigonometry gave me a massive headache.

shel90 said:
That problem has been ongoing for over a hundred years and despite with more knowledge and awareness of deafness and sign language, it is still happening too often.
Click to expand...

Agreed. You'd have thought the more the awareness comes out, things would have to be better but it isn't the case. I am still amazed as to how things can be so monotonous after all these years. It just saddens me, despite of the "word" that gets around.
 
Jolie_77 said:
This is an interesting thread.

We often get that question from time to time when we encounter a person who has no knowledge or exposure to the deaf community. For some, it is offensive but for some, it isn't. If a person is asking in a nice manner, I wouldn't be offended but however if someone asks me that question in a rude manner, then yeah it'd be offensive.

Everyone has pretty much nailed it in this thread. Illiteracy and Literacy is a huge problem everywhere across the globe. Not everyone is able to read and write. For those who can are fortunate. I, too, am aware that my english is not perfect but it doesn't mean that we're no better than others. It varies by being able to read/and or writing at different levels.

I have seen some deaf people who are very good at fixing things but when it comes to writing, they are clueless. There are some who are good at writing/reading but not so good at being a "handyman". The same thing applies to mathematics. From what I have noticed, deaf people are usually better in mathematics than they are for writing/reading. I'm not saying all of them are like that but some of them are.
Click to expand...

I'm one of those uncommon deafies who's good at writing/reading but sucks in math. I rarely discuss anything to do with stats cuz I don't want to look like an idiot. lol.
 
jillio said:
Off topic...but I do yoga, as well. I had no idea there was a Deaf Yoga DVD, but I will certainly look for it! Thank you for that information.:ty:
Click to expand...

I actually have that Deaf Yoga DVD a couple of years now and I know the person that is in the dvd whom I've met in person already at a DeafYoga Retreat back in October.. it was awesome...

smile..
 
Some deaf (especially those who don't speak) would have a hard time understanding what a hearing person wrote if he wrote phonically -- like 'here' when he meant 'hear' or vice versa.

I am laughing at the memory of a deaf friend trying to understand the note from a hearing neighbor.
 
Canuckian_Chick said:
I actually have that Deaf Yoga DVD a couple of years now and I know the person that is in the dvd whom I've met in person already at a DeafYoga Retreat back in October.. it was awesome...

smile..
Click to expand...


I met her too, at a Deaf event in Austin, TX. I wish I had the money then to buy it! :D She seemed like a nice lady.
:D
 
Buffalo said:
Some deaf (especially those who don't speak) would have a hard time understanding what a hearing person wrote if he wrote phonically -- like 'here' when he meant 'hear' or vice versa.

I am laughing at the memory of a deaf friend trying to understand the note from a hearing neighbor.
Click to expand...

I can pass for hearing speech wise and sometimes I have a hard time decoding what a hearing person writes phonically. One of the reasons why I loathe L33t speak is that you have to decode some of it phonically. Still other parts of it you have to decode by sight. I'm never sure which way to decode it.
 
deafskeptic said:
I can pass for hearing speech wise and sometimes I have a hard time decoding what a hearing person writes phonically. One of the reasons why I loathe L33t speak is that you have to decode some of it phonically. Still other parts of it you have to decode by sight. I'm never sure which way to decode it.
Click to expand...

Ah, the inconsistencies of the English language. One of the reasons that a phonetic approach to reading and writing also produces inconsistent results.
 
jillio said:
Ah, the inconsistencies of the English language. One of the reasons that a phonetic approach to reading and writing also produces inconsistent results.
Click to expand...

Don't get me started on THAT, Jillio! XD I tolerate phonics at best, but I absolutely DETEST the new testing craze from the 9th circle of Hell known as "DIBELS". :rifle::rifle::rifle:

I will admit, though, phonics have been shown in research to be a direct link to gaining literacy in reading, but COMEON!!!

*forces self to shut up NOW*

:D
 
deafskeptic said:
I can pass for hearing speech wise and sometimes I have a hard time decoding what a hearing person writes phonically. One of the reasons why I loathe L33t speak is that you have to decode some of it phonically. Still other parts of it you have to decode by sight. I'm never sure which way to decode it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when a hearing person misspells a word (like hear for here or your for you're), I just look at the context. My husband is TERRIBLE with that. :giggle:

As for l337 (elite-speak), I first heard of it from my ex-boyfriend and I learned it pretty well. If I see it in a word, I can figure it out pretty good. Ofc, for me, the problem is if it's a Japanese word... in l337. I remember staring at a MegaTokyo webcomic, where a character was saying "baka" in l337. I had to IM him and ask him what it was... XD
(baka is idiot in japanese, apparently)
 
DragonYoga said:
Don't get me started on THAT, Jillio! XD I tolerate phonics at best, but I absolutely DETEST the new testing craze from the 9th circle of Hell known as "DIBELS". :rifle::rifle::rifle:

I will admit, though, phonics have been shown in research to be a direct link to gaining literacy in reading, but COMEON!!!

*forces self to shut up NOW*

:D
Click to expand...

Only in hearing children, and several other methodologies have also been linked to increases in literacy. Phonetic approaches are not the only avenue to literacy. They, in fact, work best with auditory learners. Visual learners and kinesthetic learners need other approaches.

And I will shut up now, too!:giggle:
 
TheHalfWayMan said:
Excellent guys. Thanks for clearing things up.

I really am here to learn, so if I say anything wrong again, please don't be offended and just let me know that what i've asked or said is offensive.

With the exception of you guys, I don't know anyone who is Deaf and I really don't know anything. I'm sure there are millions, if not billions, of people like me and I hope that I can do something to get other people like me more aware, give them a better understanding and try to reduce (or git rid of) the isolation.
Click to expand...

I might have missed something here. I am not writing to you to attack you. But there is ONE thing made me VERY curious... What made you interested in participating in AllDeaf? I mean, why did you choose to post on this site? Because there are not that many people out there who do such thing.
 
skm4441 said:
I might have missed something here. I am not writing to you to attack you. But there is ONE thing made me VERY curious... What made you interested in participating in AllDeaf? I mean, why did you choose to post on this site? Because there are not that many people out there who do such thing.
Click to expand...

Halfway Man isn't around anymore. He started posting because he had a business venture to promote.
 
Back
Top