Intro to American Sign Language By Jessica Miller & Taylor Pooley

What is American Sign Language? American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, complex language that employs signs made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the primary language of many North Americans who are deaf and is one of several communication options used by people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

LET’S TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!!

Myth or Fact? “All Deaf people can read lips, and as long as I speak distinctly and look at them, they will always understand every word I have to say”.

MYTH!!!

Deaf people are just like anyone else Deaf people are just like anyone else. They may not know how to lip-read. Have you ever tried lip-reading? Try saying “Island View.” What does it look like??? Does it look like “I love you?” BIG Difference!

Myth or Fact? “Deafness is genetic.  All people who are Deaf will pass Deafness onto their children.”

MYTH!!!

Deafness is NOT always Genetic. Although there are some cases in which families have deafness run in their family, there is actually a large portion of individuals who are CODAs. CODA stands for Child of Deaf Adult(s).

Myth or Fact? “Sign Language is universal.  People from over seas and people from America get together and can instantly understand each other.”

MYTH!!!

No one form of sign language is universal No one form of sign language is universal. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) is a different language from ASL, and Americans who know ASL may not understand BSL.

“Some Deaf people see deafness as a culture rather than a disability.” Myth or Fact? “Some Deaf people see deafness as a culture rather than a disability.”

FACT!!!

Some Deaf people do not consider it a disability to be Deaf Some Deaf people do not consider it a disability to be Deaf. They actually view it as a culture thing. There are many groups and organizations for Deaf people who are proud of their culture.

“The football huddle and baseball signs were invented by Deaf people.” Myth or Fact? “The football huddle and baseball signs were invented by Deaf people.”

FACT!!!

The football huddle was created by Gallaudet University football players in order to hide their plays from the other team since ASL is a visual language.

“Every Deaf person knows sign language.” Myth or Fact? “Every Deaf person knows sign language.”

MYTH!!!

Not all Deaf Individuals use American Sign Language. There are other forms of communication that are used by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals. Signed Exact English English Word Order (singing every word) American Sign Language Object-Subject-Verb (Store I walk--- I walked to the store.) Cued Speech a visual mode of communication in which mouth movements of speech combine with “cues” to make the sounds (phonemes) of traditional spoken languages look different.

Some Other Myths Deaf people can read Braille. Deaf people can’t drive, have a job, and be successful. Deaf people have an interpreter living with them. The louder you speak the better a Deaf person can hear. Cochlear implants/Hearing Aids allow Deaf people to hear like a hearing person. http://shelaza.com/links/what-do-hearing-loss-hearing- aids-and-cochlear-implants-sound-like/ Any Deaf person can have a cochlear implant.

Some Other Facts It is ok to disregard person first language for deafness. There are two types of Deaf people. Deaf and deaf. The capital “D” means that the Deaf person has accepted being culturally Deaf. The little “d” means the physical aspect of being deaf. They may not embrace the culture. How to get a Deaf person’s attention? Waving Tapping on the Shoulder Stomping Banging on the table From experience, Deaf people are LOUD Hand clapping Shouting Laughing Make sure you… Use eye contact Address the individual directly (especially when using the interpreter)

HOW MUCH DID YOU KNOW/LEARN?

QUESTIONS?

LET’S SIGN OUR NAME! FACIAL EXPRESSIONS “YOUR/MY NAME WHAT?” “YOUR/MY PHONE NUMBER WHAT?” FIND A PARTNER PRACTICE SPELLING YOUR NAME PRACTICE GIVING YOUR NUMBER

Resources http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/asl.aspx http://www.cuedspeech.org http://www.onestops.info/article.php?article_id=10