Visual Frame Sign Language and Multiple Disabilities
What is Visual Frame Sign Language? I've never heard of tactile sign language being abbreviated as TSL.
Visual Frame Sign Language is Sign Language used within the Low-Vision person's visual frame. The interpreter wears a shirt to contrast the skin color and makes the signs smaller, to compensate for the vision of the Low-Vision person. I've seen TSL used on many intepreting service websites.
Is it also possible that a Deaf person who is in Deaf culture and whose speech is understood by a "hearing layperson" is also Deaf?
Yes, someone who is signs ASL and is in Deaf culture is Deaf. If that Deaf person is oral, then that Deaf person is also Oral Deaf.
I know a person who was born Deaf, uses ASL, lipreads and can also voice. Would she be considered Deaf and Oral Deaf?
She'd be orally skilled Deaf, or Deaf with oral skills.
Yes, I agree with deafdyke. If your deaf friend signs ASL and is in Deaf culture and has speech understood by a Hearing layperson, then your friend is Oral Deaf. You could also say "a person who is Deaf and does speak". When I picked up a pamplet on correct terms to use for people with disabilites, it showed that "deaf-mute" is incorrect, and you should say "a person who is deaf and does not speak" instead. The pamplet explicitly showed that you should indicate that the deaf person does not speak. They also showed other terms, for people with hearing, speech, visual, writing, mobile and other disabilities.
I agree with Tariq about the definition of oral deaf......someone who has the abilty to be somewhat understood by hearing people via voicing expressive spoken English.
I'd say that someone who can lipread but who has very minmal oral skills, would be minmally orally skilled. I'd call a lipreader, a lipreader, since lipreading doesn't have anything to do with expressive language.
Well if they chose to learn Sign, later, they would be orally skilled.
Tariq, I'm a little confused........why capitalize Oral Deaf for the ones who also use Sign? I know you're thinking capitalization equals cultural signifier,(eg big D vs small d) but it could be seen as signifying the actual cultral state....(like AG Bell types are Oral deaf,) but but I think I'd call those people orally skilled, but also Deaf. Maybe we need a new term for people who both Sign and speak.
You conclusion is interesting as signifying the actual cultural state, but I capitalize it for this reason. Do we say that a Hearing person who speaks is Oral Hearing? No, of course not. "Oral" specifies speech, while the "D" in "Deaf" specifies that a person signs ASL and is in Deaf culture.
In the case multiple disabilities for a Deaf person who speaks with an impediment, for example, if the Deaf person had a larynxectomy due to cancer of the throat or has cerebal palsy, I would say "a person who is Deaf-Speech-Disabled" or "a person who is Deaf and has a speech disability". If the person is Hard-of-Hearing, such as Kirk, who has cerebal palsy, I would say, "a person who is Hard-of-Hearing-Speech-Disabled" or "a person who is Hard-of-Hearing and has a speech disability." However, the use of the dash (-) must be used with carefully, as it cannot be used for a multiplicitive disability. For example, Low-Vision-Speech-Disabled is acceptable, because the person can still receive information by hearing and send information by writing, however, DeafBlind is prefered to Deaf-Blind, as the person can neither hear nor read to receive information. The person must rely on a third sense, such as touch or use residual senses.
I hope DD will respond to my questions because I'd really like to know what criterions she thinks define someone who is orally skilled as opposed to an oral "failure." I'd also like to know if she agrees with me about the definition of oral deaf -- and the fact that oral deaf does not define a person by their success or failure.
