Limelight Training & Consulting LLC

As someone that has been around Deaf people my entire life, I’ve been asked many questions on what is it like to be Deaf while living in our hearing world. I could probably ask these questions before they do. I routinely am asked “can he/she lipread”?

I’ve wonder why so many people ask this question. Today during church, I think I figured it out. While settling into a study after the service one of the parents commented on how they love to watch me sign. We got onto the issue of Deafness and she said, “can’t he lipread the pastor on the stage”? When I explained, no, not only because he is about 20 feet away, he is also wearing a microphone that comes across his face and more importantly he isn’t looking right at my husband. Her answer was what clicked for me. She replied with “I just assumed because they always say Deaf people can read lips”. My initial response that went through my brain was, who is they, and when have they been saying it. But realisiticly, there just isn’t enough diversity when people are exposed to deafness on TV or in the movies.

I did go on to explain there are so many factors when it comes to lipreading. Enunciation, articulation, facial hair, accents and speaking style whether it be fast or slow. Also take into mind the content. I can’t even understand the stock market let along lipread about it.

In my research to give you resources, I found an alternative to the term lipreading, which is speechreading. I like this term, as it makes sense taking into consideration of all those items that can affect clear communication. On this website, Ms. Gonzalez is a professional lipreader. I was going to use the statistic that even the most advanced lipreaders can only get 30% of the content, however Ms. Gonazalez posts a study and goes on to explain that this statistic is an urban myth. You can find this on her FAQs page.

I did find the most fascinating idea in my lipreading research. Wanna be a spy? Researchers are now working on equipment that can be used to fight criminals. Here, you can read about how the ultimate goal is to automatically convert lip movement in videos into text.

Ever since watching this clip last Thursday Talk Talk Talk, sorry it is not closed captioned. This has been bugging my brain.

A study says to help your child grow academically your child has to hear SEVENTEEN THOUSAND spoken words per day, and don’t just plop them in front of the the TV, that doesn’t count. To complicate matters the study says they have to hear this between the ages of 0 to 3 years of age. Never mind the attention span of an infant/toddler, let alone the stress and exhaustion of trying to meet up to this challenge. Thinking back to my kids at this age they were taking naps constantly and fortunately sleeping through the night. Even if I committed to ensuring they hear SEVENTEEN THOUSAND words, I couldn’t get it in between their sleep time. What if you work out of the house, how do you ask day care providers to increase their vocabulary for each child they care for?

To quantify this, I just browsed through this children’s book I have on my nightstand and estimated there are about 1500 words. So in essence to this study I have to read 11 books a day to each child. But for those parents that want to track how much their babies are hearing, you can buy a gadget for a mere $400!

I think the point is to engage your child by talking to them. I know there has been a study done, but I just don’t think the added stress of trying to count 17000 words a day is worth it.

(insert sound effects of a record scratching to a screeching halt)

What about all the educated D/deaf people. Famous educated Deaf individuals include Beethoven, classical music composer, Helen Keller, deaf-blind American author, activist and lecturer. Other individuals include Juliette Low, founder of The Girl Scouts in America, Laurent Clerc, introduced sing language in America and but the most interesting individuals I found in my research were those that were…um, rocket scientists!

I’m pretty sure they didn’t hear 17000 words a day.

Don’t you think a child has a certain bit of “hardwiring” along with language stimulus to be an academic scholar? Speaking of language stimulus, that’s what sign language does!

Studies of using American Sign Language with children have found to boost vocabulary, increase IQ scores along with lessening frustrations of communication. The sign language studies do not suggest that a child must be fluent in sign language and isn’t learning 17,000 signs. Between the ages of 0 to 3, a child is not able to always clearly communicate verbally, using sign language will help bridge the communication gap along with infusing excitement for vocabulary.

So when I see forums and blogs suggesting using 17000 words a day, I say use sign language!

What an awesome first class last night! I just wanted to give a shout out to the families. We had so much fun. We have 7 families and two day care teachers. I start my classes with music, signed of course and I LOVE to see those little faces gazing in awe to my hands. I’m so excited to be involved with a very proactive daycare owner. She is really above the competition by providing the parents with this class. Seems as though the families wanted to do a fun class, they also learned the benefits of ASL with hearing children.

I just had to say what a joy it is to see these smiling kids signing my language, even just for fun! Looking forward to next week’s class!

In my mission to inform our hearing world about deafness and becoming more aware, more Deaf-friendly, I’m finding a very interesting thing. Throughout my lifetime people of all ages for different reasons feel compelled to tell me they have always wanted to learn sign language. Some say it’s just a beautiful language to learn, others have a friend, cousin, neighbor or co-worker that is Deaf. With American Sign Language being the third most used language in the United States chances are you’ve seen someone signing.

When I look back on the majority of these conversations, questions always arise about Deaf culture. Questions about my parents (Deaf) way of life, how does my Deaf husband adapt to the hearing world or what caused the deafness. I have to admit when I was a child, I was overwhelmingly responsive to answering everyone’s questions. Then in my rebellion years I would answer people’s curiosities very bluntly and with some attitude. I was so tired of the same old questions. My son is now 16 and we have discussed scenarios he has faced that are eerily similar to my experiences. This shows how much more work we need to do for deaf awareness.

On the bright side, when I do talk about sign language and deafness, people do really want to talk about it. So now, in an attempt to bring more awareness to my culture, I answer questions about learning how to sign and the questions that come after with an excitement that shows the passion I have for this. I also probably give them more information than they were planning on suchas, the different kind of sign language users, the different people that make up the community of Deaf and hard-of-hearing and even some cultural characteristics.

The one question I often wonder about… of those that are wanting to learn sign language… how do they view or treat Deaf and hard of hearing individuals? Do they just share with me they want to learn sign language out of obligation? Because according to my list, I’ve met over a thousand people that have told me they want to learn sign language. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has heard this, and if it has happened to you too, then that’s two thousand. Then I think of the explosive effect of gathering those that have heard it countless times, how many people do you think have shown interest in learning sign language?

Making me conclude, perhaps they aren’t just saying they want to learn sign language but it’s more of a way to express an interest in another culture. Perhaps they are hinting they would like to know more about deafness and learning some signs.

What do you think? Post a comment and tell me your thoughts.

Here is the link to the story. If the link has expired, here is the article. technical-college-lawsuit-4-2008.pdf

First, I can understand difficulties in finding an interpreter but the delay was unnecessary. It was the school’s lack of becoming educated in the process of addressing this issue. They also were uneducated in finding the proper “accommodation”. The school couldn’t assess the deaf man’s needs, causing delays and decisions on their own without knowledge. Not every Deaf or hard of hearing individual has the same needs for communication.

I was a bit curious, I took a look at their program, it runs 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 42 weeks. Hiring an interpreter at $35 an hour (I went middle of the road) would have cost the school approximately $44,000. Much higher if they scrambled and hired an interpreter from an agency. This would have cost them only 1/4 of the settlement. Many businesses and schools may bawk at the price tag associated with providing access to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. It’s a mute point. It’s simply the law.

However, being aware of the Americans with Disabilities Act gives you the knowledge to assess the situation and create alternatives to providing needs. Each individual is different and you’ll find that being wise in the options can alleviate the costs and struggles to providing reasonable accommodations. In this case, during the morning lecture, a certified interpreter should be hired. In the afternoon “hands on” class, hiring an interpreter in a training program could have been sufficient.

Currently, businesses simply do not know their responsibilities or neglect to provide access for Deaf and hard of hearing people. In the article, it is quoted “It is only recently that deaf people have begun to feel empowered to start bringing these lawsuits,” said Smit, who noted communication difficulties in the past created limited access to the legal community and school systems for deaf individuals.

While businesses fail to learn the Americans with Disabilities Act laws, more Deaf individuals are learning their rights. But more than knowing their rights, they now have the courage to stand up for their rights. Will your business be affected? Are you aware of your responsibilities under the ADA?

I LOVE IT! Just as I knew it would, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is creating some buzz and putting Deafness in the limelight. Since DWTS began season 6, featuring Marlee Matlin there has been a frenzy in the media, blogosphere, vlogosphere and with everyone I meet. It’s doing exactly what it is supposed to, it’s heightening Deaf awareness. Well, I don’t know if it is awareness yet, but people are starting to have conversations.

All week, I’ve gotten people commenting about the show to me. I took my daughter to a birthday party and one of the parents said to me “I was gonna send you a video, it was of this Deaf woman dancing”. “Oh yea, Marlee”, I said. He went on to gush, “yes”! I finished up the conversation about it’s a great start to showing what Deaf people can do.

Assumptions are being thrown all over the place, like on the message board for DWTS and for us bloggers, we take the time to educate. It’s not easy. Emotions run high with comments that are not thought out first.

My husband is Deaf and I am constantly getting the same questions over and over (sure wish I had a dime for every time…).

“You’re Deaf just get a cochlear implant. You’re Deaf, learn to speak and you’ll be fine. You’re Deaf, can you lipread?”

At my husband’s workplace, I taught a sign language class for his co-workers. I told them, it’s NOT about how the Deaf person can fit into your world. They have been doing it since they became Deaf. They already adapt to the hearing world. It’s about hearing people learning how to understand Deafness.

It’s a start! Let’s continue to talk about it my favorite subject, deafness!

Oh and Marlee, yes she is Deaf but let’s face it the girl has got talent too! I’m hearing and I can’t shake it like that!

Hat tip to Mishka for community board at ABC.

This is an amazing and fascinating story. This cutie can really sound out the words that host Ann from the Today Show writes down her on cards. I’m sure this little one was blessed with a gift, but her parents also exposed her to sign language from day one.

Today Show clip

Can you believe how the world opens up for those with language? Giving a child a language early on makes them so much more confident. Hearing children can communicate before verbally talking from learning sign language.

One thought I always like to share is that, parents shouldn’t let this language drop as the child learns to speak. Learning can still continue after they know how to speak. Many children are visual learners, sign language fills that need.

When my daughter was 2 and we were learning to identify colors, I would always test her. I would sign them or I would ask her to verbally identify the colors. When she was to name her colors, she had a much easier and quicker response when recalling the colors only in sign.

Also, American Sign Language is recognized in most high schools as a foreign language. children interested early on can seek careers in sign language areas. A great tool has been given to kids early in life as babies, don’t let that language slip if you can help it.

There are so many reasons why I love sign language. It can be applied in so many situations. Today, I am enjoying it from a mom’s perspective.

My youngest daughter is 4. We called Grandma today via our Video Relay (VP). Grandma is Deaf. I put her in front of the VP and waited for my her to answer. They said their hellos, as I sat watching off to the side. Grandma continued to ask her questions and my daughter responded. It was so great seeing my daughter try to communicate as much as possible in sign language. When she didn’t know a sign, she tried to talk through the lens of the camera. I always find it fascinating how knows she doesn’t need to raise her voice. Both the younger girls have known this since they were toddlers, but I can’t get over it at times. They talked for about 5 minutes with minimal assistance from me. It was slow going at times and grandma had to repeat the entire sentence to get the whole concept. Probably because she forgot what the first word was by the end of the sentence. It was funny.

I have 3 kids, 15, 6 and 4. It just amazes me, taking into all of their levels of signing that the youngest is actually better than all of them. My oldest is “lazy” when he signs. It’s the attitude of teenagers!

Today, I was in awe of my daughter. It’s days like today that I cherish! I’m blessed to know such a beautiful language.

I have been volunteering for my daughter’s kindergarten class since October. I’m so proud. The kids have really enjoyed it and sign language is a part of their daily curriculum. One day last month, the teacher and students surprised me. They said Mrs. C. please sit down. So I watched as they all did the entire calendar time in sign language. Not a sound was made. This included 2 songs and some question and answering. I was so thrilled. It was so amazing to see their little minds grasping another language right in front of my very eyes.

As I left the school that day, I knew I wanted to share this language with little minds everywhere. Flying Hands classes is the new series of classes geared for children of all ages, from 1 to 100. Classes are offered locally as well as through learning institutions such as daycare and pre-school settings. I’m excited for the journey to begin.

Thanks for stopping by my Sounding Off blog. I’ve created this blog to facilitate open communication between my readers and myself.

My love of the Deaf culture has started me on this new journey to share with others. I hope to address issues that not only include the culture, but also technology, research, Americans with Disabilities Act and much more.

I’ve always been a person that believes in “the more the merrier”. So this blog isn’t just for those who have a hearing loss, it’s geared to help the wider population bridge the gap of communication between Deaf and hearing worlds. Chances are, you’ll know someone that could benefit from this blog. That’s my wish, at least.

There are two things that I will be keeping in mind when doing my service on this blog.

1. Communication is unique to each Deaf and hard-of-hearing person. It’s common to connect ASL to Deaf people however there is a unique story for each individual that has shaped them into the person they are, which includes their preferred mode of communication.

2. The majority of people I have met that face communication barriers daily are the most spirited people I know. In fact, I can’t really recall meeting anyone that wasn’t exceptional. Because most Deaf people don’t see their hearing loss as a disability, rather just an inconvenience at times.

Join me on the journey of Sounding off for Deaf Awareness.