I'm not entirely deaf, but have lost 80% hearing.
I'm a 52 year old British man living in the USA.
How I started to lose my hearing is unknown, but it happened when I was living in the UK 30 years ago, and has become gradual over the the years. Way back, when I had pretty good hearing, for some unforeseen reason, I started to learn BSL, British Sign Language, at the Oxford University, I then started to teach BSL at local schools for deaf children, then fate had a turn and I ended up here in the USA, and got married,,, my wife is not deaf, my guess is that I'll be completely deaf by the time I reach 55 or 60.
After searching on the net and found ASLPro.com I realised that ASL is a lot more complicated to learn that BSL, and as I'm already (not really a professional) highly conversed in BSL, I started teaching my wife BSL, as it's a lot more easier to learn.
A few years ago, I met a deaf friend of mine named Wolf, but communication had to be by lip reading, even though he could sign, it wasn't the language I understood, but basically, he said it took him nearly 20 years to master ASL, but compared to only 5 years for BSL, I would probably be way into my 70's before I could even hold a decent conversation in ASL.
I do have Skype if anyone wants to compare the differences in ASL and BSL.
As I haven't literally used full conversational sign for a very long time, I'm a bit rusty lol, and because of my age, my fingers are not as fast as they used to be.
I'm a 52 year old British man living in the USA.
How I started to lose my hearing is unknown, but it happened when I was living in the UK 30 years ago, and has become gradual over the the years. Way back, when I had pretty good hearing, for some unforeseen reason, I started to learn BSL, British Sign Language, at the Oxford University, I then started to teach BSL at local schools for deaf children, then fate had a turn and I ended up here in the USA, and got married,,, my wife is not deaf, my guess is that I'll be completely deaf by the time I reach 55 or 60.
After searching on the net and found ASLPro.com I realised that ASL is a lot more complicated to learn that BSL, and as I'm already (not really a professional) highly conversed in BSL, I started teaching my wife BSL, as it's a lot more easier to learn.
A few years ago, I met a deaf friend of mine named Wolf, but communication had to be by lip reading, even though he could sign, it wasn't the language I understood, but basically, he said it took him nearly 20 years to master ASL, but compared to only 5 years for BSL, I would probably be way into my 70's before I could even hold a decent conversation in ASL.
I do have Skype if anyone wants to compare the differences in ASL and BSL.
As I haven't literally used full conversational sign for a very long time, I'm a bit rusty lol, and because of my age, my fingers are not as fast as they used to be.