New and learning so I can communicate with cousin

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Mysterywriter22

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Hello! I'm new here and I'm just begining to learn Signed English from a book and over the internet.

I have a cousin, whom I have never met, who is deaf and going blind. I decided to learn "sign language" when my uncle, her father, came out this past August.

I went to Borders and got The Art of Sign Language: Phrases by Chisopher Brown. I didn't know that there was a difference between ASL and Signed English at the time.

My cousin can read lips (Thank God!) but she is going blind. I don't know how much Signed English will help when we finally meet. Does anyone know a way I can learn to communicate with her after she has gone blind?
 
Hi there,

First of all, Welcome Aboard to AllDeaf! :)

To communicate with a deaf blind person, You and your cousin would be using the tactile signs which means, She would be feeling your hands while you sign and to form some handshapes. It takes a lot of practice but once that goes on the ball, you both will be able to hang it in there.

You might want to read this article. This article has tips on how to communicate and to comply with a deaf blind person.

Tips On How To Communicate And Comply Effectively with A Deaf-Blind Person.

Hope that helps. :)
 
A newbie, eh?

You might want to find something that includes the blind sign language, I know a bit in my language in Australia. But does this girl get User Sydrome, correct?

By the way, welcome to alldeaf.com! :D
 
Welcome to AD! :)

I'm totally deafblind and some of the alternative communication methods I used (pre-CI) include tactile sign (PSE, ASL and SEE), print on palm (tracing block letters into the palm of the hand), TeleBraille (Braille TTY), Teletouch (a typewriter-like device with a QWERTY keyboard on one side and a single Braille cell display on the other; when a key is depressed on the QWERTY keyboard, that letter appears on the Braille display), Braille/raised print alphabet card (my finger is placed on each letter to spell out words), Screen Braille Communicator/SBC (a device that works similarly to the Teletouch except that it also has an LCD for sighted-hearing and a Perkins/Braille keyboard for input), typing in MS Word or Notepad and reading this information on a Braille display, communication card (indicates that I'm deafblind and need assistance crossing the street), Braille realtime captioning (a captionist's laptop is connected to my BrailleNote -- a PDA for the blind -- and I read information typed by the captionist on the BrailleNote's Braille display) and Fingerbraille (tapping out Braille letters on one's arm, lap or back). If you have any other questions about deafblindness or the alternative communication techniques listed above, let me know. :)
 
Jolie77 said:
Hi there,

First of all, Welcome Aboard to AllDeaf! :)

To communicate with a deaf blind person, You and your cousin would be using the tactile signs which means, She would be feeling your hands while you sign and to form some handshapes. It takes a lot of practice but once that goes on the ball, you both will be able to hang it in there.

You might want to read this article. This article has tips on how to communicate and to comply with a deaf blind person.

Tips On How To Communicate And Comply Effectively with A Deaf-Blind Person.

Hope that helps. :)
Click to expand...

Excellent article, Jolie! :)
 
She's not completely blind yet but, according to my uncle, "She walked into a building because she could not see it."

Yet he says she still has good enough vision to read lips. No promise on how long that will last.
 
Oh, i have just made a typo, it was supposed to be Usher's Sydrome! :o
 
Hear Again said:
Excellent article, Jolie! :)
Click to expand...

Thank You. :)

Mysterywriter22 said:
I've never heard of Usher's Sydrome either.
Click to expand...

Usher's Syndrome is where the vision is like a "tunnel". You know how you can see the outsides of your eyes on the corner, right? People with Usher's Syndrome have a limited vision whereas they sometime can't see the outsides of the corners of their eyes, or the bottom/upper vision. It varies with each individual.

If you want, You can check this one out as well - Usher Syndrome
 
Mysterywriter22 said:
She's not completely blind yet but, according to my uncle, "She walked into a building because she could not see it."

Yet he says she still has good enough vision to read lips. No promise on how long that will last.
Click to expand...

Does your cousin use a white cane? It might not be a bad idea for her to start learning orientation and mobility (O&M) skills. Even if she is legally blind, a white cane can help improve her mobility and alert others to the fact that she has a visual impairment.

Also, a resource you might find helpful for informational purposes is the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC):

Helen Keller National Center Home Page
 
:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. I hope you enjoy reading and posting all the threads here. Have fun with us. See you around. :wave:
 
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