What do you think of this?

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Keeyamah

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I've been reading the big long threads about annoying hearies and deaf culture do's and don'ts and then found this while doing my research for my ASL 101 class project.

This is Job Accommodations Network on employees with hearing loss (their words, not mine)
http://askjan.org/media/Hearing.html

(bolding mine)

Difficulty Communicating Face-to-Face


  • Write notes with pen and paper, tablet PC, dry erase or chalk board, etc.
    • Note: Some individuals who are deaf may not be able to read or write English. A language barrier can exist when American Sign Language (ASL), or some other form of manual or visual communication, is the primary or only language the individual uses. If the individual does not read or write English, written communication will not be an effective form of communication. When written communication is not effective consider providing a qualified sign language interpreter on an as-needed basis.
  • Use a computer and keyboard to type messages back and forth
  • Use a computer and speech-recognition software to communicate one-on-one
  • Send e-mail or text messages as an alternative to face-to-face communication
  • Hire a qualified sign language or oral *interpreter, or *video remote interpreter (VRI) on an as-needed basis (e.g., during a job interview, orientation, benefits seminar, training, or disciplinary meeting)
    • Note: The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) offers an interpreter/agency referral service. Visit www.rid.org to locate an interpreter/agency by state or zip code.
Click to expand...
Could the bolded part explain some hearies "can you read and write?" I don't know, but the assumption in that part annoys me for some reason. I understand that many deaf have poor English skills, but poor is different than none, which is what I read in the bolded section.


And I've read my post a couple times and don't think what I'm trying to say is really coming across, dang it.
 
I never been asked if I can read or write but I had been asked if I can drive a
a car. :roll:
 
Some people, deaf or hearing, are functionally illiterate. That means, they know the alphabet, and they can recognize and write simple words but they can't put those words together in a meaningful way when they try to read or write.

So yes, having "poor" English skills can be just as bad as having "none" when it comes to filling out forms, signing contracts, following directions, understanding a medical diagnosis, etc.

It can be very dangerous to substitute note-writing for interpreting, in certain situations.
 
I think that question of our ability to read and write, is because hearing people were taught to read-write at the same time as hearing the sounds associated with that letter. So to think someone can do that without knowing what it sounds like, surprises some hearing people.

I've met one guy who was genuinely confused as how we can read/write without sounds. I told him we do the same thing but without sounds, we use handshapes.
 
Keeyamah said:
)

Could the bolded part explain some hearies "can you read and write?" I don't know, but the assumption in that part annoys me for some reason. I understand that many deaf have poor English skills, but poor is different than none, which is what I read in the bolded section.


And I've read my post a couple times and don't think what I'm trying to say is really coming across, dang it.
Click to expand...

I know some deaf people who really have no English skills, so really it shouldn't annoy you.

It's not completely commonplace, but it's not a non existent phenomenon either.
 
Deaf not having English skills doesn't annoy me, the assumption in the accommodations suggestion page did. Or what I read as an assumption.

My professor had told us that most deaf just memorize words, which when I put that together with what another poster said about just because you know the alphabet an have some words memorized doesn't mean you can put them together into a sentence or understand a written English sentence makes the accommodation page make more sense.

Thanks for helping me figure that out :).
 
The assumption that it's ASL that inhibits English fluency is VERY offensive....there are a lot of oral kids who do not have fluent written English abilty!
 
deafdyke said:
The assumption that it's ASL that inhibits English fluency is VERY offensive....there are a lot of oral kids who do not have fluent written English abilty!
Click to expand...


Yes, I think this is what I was trying to get at. But at the same time, this could be written for any person who speaks/uses a foreign language. I had a student in my English 101 class that to hear him speak, you'd never know he hadn't spoken any English until kindergarten, but his writing was obviously influenced by Spanish being his first language. The same kind of barrier could exist with someone just starting to learn English and trying to write a note.
 
deafdyke said:
The assumption that it's ASL that inhibits English fluency is VERY offensive....there are a lot of oral kids who do not have fluent written English abilty!
Click to expand...

yes yes sooooooooooooo true.I find it offensive bc some of us split our infinitives don't or do use compound sentence or when to do double or even know why use double parenthesis do not mean they don't know. Sometimes come on to chill not do English essay.People who sign first English second read books fully aware the beauty in words if they don't then hearing wont make a difference
 
deafdyke said:
The assumption that it's ASL that inhibits English fluency is VERY offensive....there are a lot of oral kids who do not have fluent written English abilty!
Click to expand...

The text in the first paragraph does not assume that ASL inhibits English. I think they did a good try to explain the need for interpreters. Before I became HOH I just assumed that all deaf were fluent in written language. I think many hearing believe that. When encountering poor written language they assume there must be something wrong with the person.

Here in Sweden younger deaf persons usually do read and write well. The goal is that deaf kids should be bilingual. Historically this has not been the case. Deaf children learnt sign language from friends, but since sign language was not used in education, they could not really learn much about written language or other subjects. When not knowing the history it is a surprise when captioning and writing is not enough. Of course even deaf with good written language skills should have access to sign language interpreting if wanted and if sign language is their primary language. That part is maybe missing from the text, but in general I think it is neccessary to inform hearing about that not all deaf communicate alike.
 
caz12 said:
yes yes sooooooooooooo true.I find it offensive bc some of us split our infinitives don't or do use compound sentence or when to do double or even know why use double parenthesis do not mean they don't know. Sometimes come on to chill not do English essay.People who sign first English second read books fully aware the beauty in words if they don't then hearing wont make a difference
Click to expand...

Ah, no... I wasn't even talking about common grammartical errors. It's more like they can't even write a coherent sentence with proper syntax/grammar....and this isn't just limited to Sign users...lots of raised oral people have those issues too!
 
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