Hello! I'm Anja, and I am learning ASL. Aside from the fact that I think it is a beautiful language, I want to normalize ASL in everyday life and I want to ensure that those who are Deaf or hard of hearing have the same access to information as everyone else. Interpreters sometimes miss information unfortunately, that is part of why I want to be the best interpreter possible so that everyone in the situation knows what is going on. I tried to learn ASL on my own years ago but gave up because no one believed in me and that I did not have too many uses for it at the time. I hope to meet fellow learners/teachers, Deaf and hard of hearing individuals on this site!
I never learned ASL. I learned Cued Speech, which is invented by R Orin Cornett in 1966 at Washington DC. I used to go to a deaf school as a child in Silver Springs, Maryland, called Flower Valley Elementary School back in maybe the late 80's, early 90's. ASL uses 2 hands to sign and arm movements and everybody pretty much moves their mouths to form words like speaking when signing, which got me to read lips. This is on Wiki:
Cued speech is a visual system of communication used with and among
deaf or
hard-of-hearing people. It is a phonemic-based system which makes traditionally spoken languages accessible by using a small number of
handshapes, known as cues (representing
consonants), in different locations near the mouth (representing
vowels) to convey spoken language in a visual format. The National Cued Speech Association defines cued speech as "a visual mode of communication that uses hand shapes and placements in combination with the mouth movements and speech to make the phonemes of spoken language look different from each other." It adds information about the
phonology of the word that is not visible on the lips. This allows people with hearing or language difficulties to visually access the fundamental properties of language. It is now used with people with a variety of language, speech, communication, and learning needs. It is different from American Sign Language (ASL), which is a separate language from English. Cued speech is considered a communication modality but can be used as a strategy to support auditory rehabilitation, speech articulation, and literacy development.
Right now, Cued Speech language has been adapted in 60 world languages and dialects.
In ASL vs Cued Speech: The topic of deaf education has long been filled with controversy. There are two strategies for teaching the deaf that exist: an aural/oral approach or a manual approach. Those who use aural-oralism believe that children who are deaf or hard of hearing should be taught through the use of residual hearing, speech and speechreading. Those promoting a manual approach believe the deaf should be taught through the use of signed languages, such as
American Sign Language (ASL).
Within the United States, proponents of cued speech often discuss the system as an alternative to ASL and similar sign languages, although others note that it can be learned in addition to such languages. For the ASL-using community, cued speech is a unique potential component for learning
English as a second language. Within bilingual-bicultural models, cued speech does not borrow or invent signs from ASL, nor does CS (Cued Speech) attempt to change ASL syntax or grammar. Rather, CS provides an unambiguous model for language learning that leaves ASL intact.
My Take: Learn both if you want. Take your time. Go slow and when you are confident, speed up to normal use.
