Infinite8811 had a legitimate question.
I know there are often ASL students here who ask "silly" questions.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I think we should take any opportunity we have to educate hearing people about deafness.
When people ask questions it means that they are curious. They WANT to learn more. If we always expect them to already know everything about Deaf culture (I grew up with it but I still get nervous with new deafies) we are setting them up for failure and preventing them for learning more.Ty
Infinite8811 is d/Deaf. Why is he/she being attacked for a legitimate question?
I learned spoken English about a year or two before I learned ASL but that is because I have progressive hearing loss.
To answer Infinite8811's question- I learned spoken English first but that is because my parents are hearing. My grandpa was Deaf but forced to be oral. He had NO choice.
I learned ASL when I started school at age 4. Sign was the most natural thing I have ever experienced. I was safe when I was around people who knew ASL. To this day I dream in ASL though I attempt to exist in the hearing world everyday.
Basically, there aren't so many Deaf people that we can afford to be judgemental. Some deaf people may have been forced to be oral as kids. When they ask questions we shouldn't judge them or assume that they are hearing. They are just like us.
I think it is safe to say that we have all encountered ignorant people. We have all had to prove ourselves when we know that a hearing person could just coast through.
We need to embrace all sorts of deaf/Deaf/hard of hearing/and hearing people. When people ask questions it is because they are curious.
We can't afford to alienate possible allies with snark and sarcasm.
Maybe I am silly in thinking that D/deaf people would be more accepting of others who share a similar experience and those who are curious.