NaLa
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2012
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 1
Hey, just here to introduce myself. This is my first time here. I'm hearing from the Harlem area, NYC. Since 4th grade, I saw the ASL alphabet in the back of one of my english handbooks (first introduction to ASL,) ignorant enough or just unknowing I had no real idea as to what I was getting into but, I practiced the alphabet. Later learned to fingerspell, then with help from what used to be the place where everyone did research to learn things (the library,) I learned to sign simple words, then with help from the character, Heather from 7th Heaven, the movie Children of a Lesser God, MVP Most Valuable Primate, Blues Clues (Marlee Matlin guest-star), and other little signing on tv, I learned to piece sentences together. What I never realized until I got older is that what I put together looks broken (like someone speaking broken english.) Research let me know that its Signed Exact English (SEE,) I thought I was really doing something and then I get told my signing is a load of trash (and all I thought was at least I tried, I mean there are hearing people who dont even know how to say "Hi", "How are you?", "Nice to meet you")
That was a bummer. I stopped trying to learn to sign. In the "hearing world" (I guess thats how it would be put) there was no one who wanted to learn with me and then I basically got told my signing looks like an illiterate speaking English. When I got to college a spark hit when I had a deaf class mate. He spoke really well, and read lips. We were kool for a while but I never signed to him was too embarassed. Long story short, today I live with hearing problems of my own (not severe) I can hear, just not as well as I did when I picked up that book in 4th grade. I didnt mean to go on and on, but hey I guess this is my introduction.
That was a bummer. I stopped trying to learn to sign. In the "hearing world" (I guess thats how it would be put) there was no one who wanted to learn with me and then I basically got told my signing looks like an illiterate speaking English. When I got to college a spark hit when I had a deaf class mate. He spoke really well, and read lips. We were kool for a while but I never signed to him was too embarassed. Long story short, today I live with hearing problems of my own (not severe) I can hear, just not as well as I did when I picked up that book in 4th grade. I didnt mean to go on and on, but hey I guess this is my introduction.
