How can hearies included the Deaf?

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LovingLife

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How can hearies included the Deaf?

I see blogs on how the Deaf feel ignored by hearing people or annoying ignorant hearing stories. I don’t find blogs on how hearies can help to improve things. Here’s your chance to educate one willing to learn hearing person.

1) Knowing ASL is a given but what more??
2) Group Conversation talking happening by many people, how does a hearing person that does not know ASL help the HOH/Deaf person understand the conversation/stay in the loop on the conversations?
 
that is a good question. by the way, may i ask, do you have any deaf relatives in your family?
 
Sunshine - ASL class starts next month, in the meantime I'm learning ASL from books and internet. Even then it will take me time to learn to communicate via ASL and until then I watch my deaf coworker being left out on conversations. What more can I do in the meantime to help include her?? I also want to take this info and help educate other hearing coworkers so she feels part of us.
 
I have a deaf cousin, he was born profound deaf. As a child I would see him maybe once a year but he is 12 years older then me and was not interested in playing with a girl. Now as an adult I have not seen him in 8 to 10 years. I left my hometown and never go back.
 
Looking directly at the person while speaking so that he/she can read your lips. If he/she uses an interpreter, look at the Deaf person while speaking and not the interpreter.
 
My department at work has 2 deaf, 2 hearing who can use ASL pretty fluently, one awkward fingerspeller, and like 5 who don't sign at all. Always have interpreters at the meetings. We set up "Working Agreements" for our meetings (always a good idea) and they includes standard stuff like "start and end on time" and "no cell phones/texting" and "food is good". They also include "raise your hand before you talk". Not that you have to wait to be called on, although some do, but just wave so that it's clear it's your turn.
 
If there's a person trying to read lips then when there's a conversation people should take care to face inward so the deaf person can follow the entire conversation. Don't exaggerate but speak clearly (don't mumble), and if you have a big mustache, time to trim it! :)
 
Never never ever tell the deaf person, "Never mind" or "I will tell you later" when he/she askes what everyone is talking about. That is like a rejection for many of us.

Glad you are asking these questions.
 
Things you shouldnt say

shel90 said:
Never never ever tell the deaf person, "Never mind" or "I will tell you later" when he/she askes what everyone is talking about. That is like a rejection for many of us.

Glad you are asking these questions.
Click to expand...

I also hate when they say "just forget it". Makes me feel like I'm not worth taking the effort to tell me something.
 
Thanx LovingLife! I am also hearing, and have just finished 2 years of ASL classes at Purdue. I also took the Culture class, but some of this was not covered there. So I am learning from your questions too!
 
I’m very happy people are taking the time to give me and my other coworkers great tips. Change can happen one person at a time. Thank you for your time and I hope you keep posting.

Interesting little story… My company has hired an ASL translator to come in once a week for our team meeting making it very clear we will need the person every week for 1.5 hours and at what times. Our meeting only last an hour but want to make sure we have enough time with the translator. The first week went great, I met with the translator and my coworker. I gave them both an outline of the topics for the meeting. The second week the translator was 15min. late. Not a big deal since we requested the translator 15min. early. The 3rd week the translator no showed. I called each week the day before our meeting confirming a translator would be here. This week we try out a new translator! Wish us luck.

Thanks again for all your help!
 
LovingLife said:
I’m very happy people are taking the time to give me and my other coworkers great tips. Change can happen one person at a time. Thank you for your time and I hope you keep posting.

Interesting little story… My company has hired an ASL translator to come in once a week for our team meeting making it very clear we will need the person every week for 1.5 hours and at what times. Our meeting only last an hour but want to make sure we have enough time with the translator. The first week went great, I met with the translator and my coworker. I gave them both an outline of the topics for the meeting. The second week the translator was 15min. late. Not a big deal since we requested the translator 15min. early. The 3rd week the translator no showed. I called each week the day before our meeting confirming a translator would be here. This week we try out a new translator! Wish us luck.

Thanks again for all your help!
Click to expand...

Hope you have better luck with this new interpreter!
 
1. I am hoping to take some ASL classes. I also have a Google search for "learn ASL" bookmarked on my computer, so I can do it on my own time.

2. In this case, I can only speak for myself. I am learning to sign, but it's my BF teaching me, so it's piecemeal, and it's mostly Signed English. I have trouble understanding ASL, especially when the people signing are really fast; however, I have found I'm able to pick up "context" or the gist of what they are saying. What I do in that case is I summarize for my BF. He knows more ASL than I do, though, so it's usually the other way around.

3. I remind myself to be patient. If I am having a bad day and am not feeling patient, I stop and take a deep breath, and I just repeat myself if he did not understand me (my signing.)

4. I make it clear to the deaf people that I meet that I am open to learning sign language and learning about the culture. I am not embarrassed about indicating that I did not understand their signing or that I need them to please slow down.

5. I don't take "stuff" from other people where my BF is concerned. If I feel they are being inconsiderate regarding his deafness, I say so. For example, when we visit people and turn on the (CC) for him, sometimes, they will turn it off. I'm not embarrassed about or afraid to say, "Hey. My BF needs the (cc) left on, please."

Jen M.
 
as a hearing person, I'm finding that resources are kind of hard to find for learning ASL on your own. I don't have unlimited access to the internet (I work on a cruise ship and we have to buy internet cards, which gets expensive) so I'm trying to find an offline computer program. Has anyone found one that they would recommend? I really want to learn but I don't want to bother people with my questions or assume that someone is willing to teach me just because they know ASL :) So any advice on computer programs or something would be greatly appreciated!
 
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