Known as a child of deaf family (CODA), Jodee shared her experience as the only hearing in her family.

from Guardian Unlimited interview:

Jodee Mundy is the only person in her immediate family who can hear. Her mother and father are both deaf. Her two elder brothers, Shane and Gavin, are deaf. So too are her two sisters-in-law (one of who comes from a family with three generations of deafness) and her her two nieces and nephew (one other nephew, Oskar, can hear). Cast the net wider and Jodee’s family includes a deaf aunt, uncle, two great-great-aunts and a succession of deaf cats.

“The fact that most people think talking is the only way to communicate is so narrow-minded because hearing people are the ones who can’t communicate when they are on a bus and there is someone outside waving goodbye. They are the ones who can’t communicate under water if they are scuba diving. They are the ones that can’t communicate across the street or in a loud nightclub. It’s deaf people who can. I wish people would see the richness and the wealth of the deaf world.”

Cool. :-)

MONTVILLE, Conn.—American Sign Language is, by some estimations, the third-most spoken language in the United States. And students in Montville High School’s ASL classes have found multiple opportunities to use their skills.

The Board of Education formally approved the ASL program at Montville High in 2004. Now about 70 students take three levels of ASL there, including six students who either are deaf or hard of hearing.

The ASL 4 students also have conducted a mock trial in sign language, learned holiday-related signs and studied the signs of other countries. Last year, Bell said, students created an “ideal room” for someone who is deaf.

The cultural aspects of the deaf community extend beyond theater or art. People who are deaf or hard of hearing, for example, have more in-depth conversations about each other when meeting for the first time, Perkins said.

“You could walk away from the person knowing their history without knowing their first name,” Perkins said.

But the deaf culture has no food specific to it. So when the world language department had its ethnic food night, Bell said, the ASL students found themselves in a bind for a cultural dish.

But they found a way to take part in the event.

“We made finger foods,” Bell said.

BANKSIA Secondary College student Ashleigh Kedge is one of her school’s greatest success stories. And that was before she found out yesterday she had earned a study score of 49 out of 50 for one of her subjects.

Ashleigh’s feats are especially remarkable because she was born deaf.

Her dedication has taken her to the top of the state in VCE Auslan (sign language).

Ashleigh, who taught herself to lip read and speak as a child, said she was shocked by her study score of 49 in Auslan.

Wow.

I was working on a new version of DeafPulse.com (yes, finally!) and saw this post from Gizmodo about AT&T bringing back the data-only plan for the deaf after killing the plan because people were complaining about how unfair the plan was.

Ha, one Gizmodo staff wrote this:

We wouldn’t usually call people douchebags lightly (ok we would), but when you complain that deaf people are getting special treatment when they’re offered a $27.99 non-voice, data-only plan for their iPhone, you’re one huge douchebag. A Colorado AT&T store was offering said plan for the hearing-impaired—since they get very little use out of a voice plan—but got slapped down by AT&T Corporate Marketing because people were complaining. The upshot? No more data-only plan for the deaf community.

Then they posted again that an AT&T rep told them that there was no such moves to take down the plan but that they plan to offer data-only plan in the near future.

Somebody made a nice comment:

I’m a hearing AT&T iPhone user, and it would totally piss me off if AT&T required deaf people to pay for a voice plan that they cannot use.

I was about to fire off a nastygram to AT&T based on the earlier article when I had a rare moment of clarity and decided to check for an update…

Good call for AT&T to bring back the plan!

So, I’d like to ask if anyone has bought iPhone and has the data-only plan? With this plan, iPhone can go back on my Christmas wishlist. :-)

Kent Schafer, former student at ISD and now a webmaster at idhhc.state.il.us, sent me an article link to ISD’s increased enrollment number. It’s a refreshing news because ISD has been on the decline for as long as I can remember. It peaked at almost 500 students thirty years ago but now half the number at 252 students.

I was browsing around ISD’s website and read the letter by Superintendent Marybeth Lauderdale who was my old English teacher and an academic bowl coach.

She wrote:

Welcome to the Illinois School for the Deaf, where we celebrate a rich tradition. First, let me say that ISD is not an “institution.” it is a boarding school, where students attend school with other students like themselves, just like the Illinois Math and Science Academy, or IMSA, which is a boarding school in Aurora, Illinois for students who are gifted in math and science. Rich people send their kids to boarding school to be with other rich kids. Even Harry Potter went to boarding school! Children here go to school with other children who are deaf and hard of hearing, and discover their true potential and identity here, without some of the barriers that they may face in public schools. The Illinois School for the Deaf is a community.

I’m touched to see this example she used to explain that ISD isn’t really an institution. It’s a boarding school just like Tiger Woods’ learning center or Harry Potter’s boarding school. We had a conversation not too long ago and I was telling her that I watched Tiger Woods’ interview in a documentary video and I learned that he found a school called Tiger Woods Learning Center to provide a place for students with multi-cultural background and kids whose families couldn’t afford to send to private schools. So, that made me realize that deaf schools aren’t really an institution and are more like boarding school where students with similar background go to. She thought it was a great idea and used it in her Superintendent’s letter. Cool!

My alma mater, Illinois School for the Deaf, got published in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier about how ISD is seeing an increase in enrollment numbers. I think it’s got to do with the technology and more information available through the web.

ISD sees enrollment boom by Darrin Burn.

Rachel Sweigart heard the wrong words at the wrong time. Or maybe it was simply one word too many.

There wasn’t one particular incident at her high school in Somonauk, said her mother, Arliss. But one day, the normally stoic 15-year-old came home in tears and Arliss and Scott Sweigart knew it was time for a change.

Rachel will soon attend the Illinois School for the Deaf, and she will be one of 46 new high school students there this year. There are 63 new students overall.

“Deafness is a low-incidence disability, if you want to call it a disability,” said ISD Superintendent Mary Beth Lauderdale. “Very few people have it. Fifty-three percent of deaf students are the only deaf kid in their school. They are looking for other kids like them.”

The Sweigarts recently visited ISD and Rachel was impressed, but told her parents she’d think about it. By the time they got back to their town about 30 miles south of Dekalb, she’d decided to go.

The Sweigarts did not know about ISD. Public schools are supposed to inform parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing students of all the options for their children, but Ms. Lauderdale said it sometimes doesn’t happen.

“The dad got on the Internet and typed in ‘deaf school’ and found us,” she said.

ISD is allowed by law to passively market itself — brochures in audiologists’ offices, for instance — but it cannot recruit.

The school is more than equipped to handle the influx of 63 students, said Director of Student Life Randy Shearburn. Thirty years ago, the school had close to 500 students. With the new arrivals, it now has 252. ISD is searching for a new algebra teacher, Ms. Lauderdale said.

So, if it wasn’t for the Internet, the Sweigarts wouldn’t have found out about ISD. The web is the way to go.

I wrote a blog about my experience at ISD. You can read it here.

Someone linked my blog to her ‘Stumbleupon’ and she described that she and her husband own a coffee shop in Greensboro, NC!

I am born deaf in Japan. I came to USA for achieving dream since I found out that Mss. Heather who is deaf was honored as miss America. Now My husband and I own a cozy coffee shop for 2 years. I teaching American sign language and my husband teaches Japanese language at coffee shop. Also, I am looking for people who love to enjoy vacation, and share information how to get 3 things, money and time and health for vacation.

Wanted to pass this along: http://www.csun.edu/~sp20558/dis/deaf.html

Rarely is a person completely deaf, and a hearing loss could fall anywhere along the continuum from totally deaf to hearing. The amount of usable (or residual) hearing varies greatly from person to person. Depending upon the type of loss, the person may or may not benefit from the amplification that a hearing aid provides. Hearing aids only amplify sound, they do not make sound clearer. The severity of a person’s hearing loss could be different at various frequencies. Therefore, ability to hear different voices will vary depending on a number of factors, including the pitch of the voice. Also, it is important to note that a person’s ability to hear a voice is different than the ability to discriminate between sounds and to understand speech.

The life activity most affected by hearing loss is communication. Colleagues and friends must be versatile in finding an effective communication method. Pen and paper are handy communication devices in some situations.

Though not effective for all people who are hearing impaired, knowing some sign language and fingerspelling is helpful. Learn some elementary or survival signs from colleagues, coworkers, or managers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing, like people who are hearing, have different education levels. Knowledge of English grammar, syntax, and spelling varies from individual to individual. A person who uses American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language of communication may or may not be proficient in using standard English. For the most part, English is an oral/aural language designed to be spoken and heard. Therefore, it is quite challenging to learn and understand English when you can not hear, especially when it varies so greatly from the structure and syntax of ASL. The person who is not proficient in English is not stupid or illiterate; he or she just uses a different language to communicate.

Not all hearing impaired people are good lip readers and lip reading skill has no correlation to a person¹s intelligence. Even good lip readers may miss many words. Keep in mind that only 25-30% of spoken English can be lip read. Not all deaf people know how to speak sign language, or choose to use sign language interpreters. Some prefer to communicate through lip reading and some prefer sign language.

The need for an interpreter depends on the situation and the people involved. Interpreters can be described as a communication link. A telephone, for example, is a communication link; it does not add information or alter the content of the message.

Deafness does not, in itself, affect intelligence.

Ha, saw this on Facebook; thought I’d post in here.

You know you’re an ASL Interpreter when/if…

…You find yourself talking in ASL gloss

…You have a sidekick/blackberry/trio/pager with you 24/7

…You know who Peter Cook, Byron Yoder, Betty Colonomos, and Keith Wann are

…You know what “cha” and “pah” mean

…Your wardrobe consists of solid, plain colors… no patterns, no frills

…You find yourself distracted by and annoyed with “visual noise”

…You can have an entire conversation without saying a word or using a sign… it’s all on your face

…You find that none of your jokes make sense to anyone else but fellow interpreters or d/Deaf people

…You know the cultural difference between deaf and Deaf.

…all the games you play are vocabulary builders or word games (ie: Boggle, Scrabble, Crosswords, Upwords, Dictionary Dabble, etc.)

…You find yourself unexplainably attracted to hands

…there are no large floral centerpieces on your kitchen/coffee table(s)

…You wake yourself up while signing in your sleep

…Your spelling is impeccable

…Your closed captioning is always on

…You know the difference between a nod of assent or comprehension and “the nod”

…You’ve ever been mistaken for a Deaf person by a Deaf person

…You have a VRS # in your phone

…You accidently/automatically say “go ahead” in regular phone conversations

…You’ve ever had a conversation with someone and were signing unconsciously (until they brought it to your attention)

…You own a pair of white gloves

…Speaking about yourself third person is in no way weird, creepy, or unusual to you anymore

…You’re used to being stared at

…You’ve ever lost your name and identity to become, quite simply, “the interpreter”

…You can’t sit and listen to a lecture/sermon/speech anymore without continually asking yourself, “How would I interpret that?”

…You have ever flung your glasses off your face while signing, and wait for a natural pause before picking them up

…You have spent all day talking/singing about something you don’t understand or know anything about… like calculus, or electrical wiring, or __(fill in the blank)__

…You’ve ever been referred to as “the person in the corner of the TV screen”

In my recent interview with Google, obviously, I need an interpreter, so in requesting for one, I didn’t say “I’m deaf, I need an interpreter for our interview, so please get one for me.”

Instead, I asked “Do you happen to be fluent in ASL? If not, then we’d need an interpreter.” Then, she replied, “Unfortunately I don’t. Is there a way I can help to find an interpreter for us?” I answered, “Not a problem, I will find one for us, thanks.”

There are two reasons why this is important. First, it further shows that ASL is a natural, legitimate language and that both parties need an interpreter, not just for a deaf person. Secondly, it shows that I’m independent, not like a baby that screams for milk. The interviewer has too many things going on and I do not want to add one more thing to her list that she has to find an interpreter. Plus, she never worked with a deaf person before so she wouldn’t know where to go to find an interpreter.

That is tip #2.

Not too long ago, I actually thought about getting a cochlear implant so I can start talking to hearing people and maybe on phone but I realize there are no guarantees that I would be able to carry intelligible speech and my past speech therapy didn’t go so well either. Also, I didn’t have a desire to hear human voices that sound more like “a croaking dalek with laryngitis.”

I just read this article – “Better ear implant hope for deaf” – from BBC News. Suddenly, I know why I didn’t want a cochlear implant. It’s those kind of technology advances that discouraged me from wanting one. Why? because if you got a cochlear implant today, chances that in five years from now, it’s going to be pretty much out of date, just like your computer that got old and slow. Younger generations will have better, more powerful cochlear implants than you do. I’d imagine that at a C.I. convention, people with C.I. ask each other, “what kind of cochlear implant do you have?” “Oh, it’s 2.0, pretty old.” “Oh, mine’s 82.435 version.”

Also, I hate the idea that if you got one, you’d be more successful and able to fit into the “real world” better. That’s completely untrue.

I’ve been born deaf, raised by Deaf parents, went to a deaf school, then Gallaudet University, transferred to RIT and graduated there. So, even if I got a cochlear implant, I’d still hang out with deaf friends anyway, because ASL is my natural language and the one that I understand most easily. Besides, what’s wrong with teaching ASL to hearing people? There’s a lot of people who are interested in learning ASL.

I understand that we’re a nation that loves to fix anything that’s broken but being Deaf doesn’t mean your ears are broken. That’s just who you are and I’m quite happy with the way I am.

For the next five days, I’m going to write a tip that I think will help a deaf person to succeed.

My first tip is “get your own interpreter.”

I’ve had a fair share of working with different interpreters. Some were great, some good, and some bad. Some were certified, some weren’t. One thing to keep in mind when you’re working with an interpreter, anything you said is going to be used against you. What I mean by that is hearing people will believe whatever the interpreter has translated for you. And some of the translation may not exactly what you said but that’s what hearing people will hear and think that’s what you said. So, that’s why it’s important to work with interpreters that can really understand you and your ASL style.

There was one time during an interview. I had an interpreter whose receptive skill wasn’t good and she had a hard time understanding me and I had to change my ASL style to more of a PSE (Pidgin Signed English) and that resulted in a lot of clarification work and interruptions. So, the interview didn’t go exactly smooth and the interviewer probably saw that I was a difficult person to work with and that must mean I’m not an easy person to work with. Suffice to say, I didn’t get the job. From that moment, I learned my lesson. I will never let an agency or someone pick an interpreter for me. I’m going to pick an interpreter that I know I will work with well.

That’s exactly what I did when I got an interview with Google. I asked one male interpreter to see if he could interpret but he was busy so he gave me a reference to a lady interpreter. She turned out to be one of the best interpreters I’ve ever worked with. She had a B.A. degree in English and a MA in professional editing and writing, so I knew she wouldn’t have a problem translating ASL into a high level English. Also, she was straightforward; she asked right away if I had any materials, anything that will help her translate and during the interview, she asked for clarification instead of just making up words and made sure it’s not me, it’s just that it needed to be interpreted accurately. Not mean to sound sexist but she was a good-looking lady and all of my interviewers were males. She put us at ease and we were having a good interview, just talking, asking questions, and sharing my experiences.

Results? I got the job.

And recently when I was in Mountain View a couple of weeks ago for an interview, I did the same thing again, I personally picked an interpreter and she was good too. The interviews went pretty well, I’m still waiting to hear something from them.

One thing you should be thinking about when you want to get your interpreter is the attitude. It’s probably the most important trait for any interpreter to have and ourselves too. There are some interpreters who think they know it all about ASL, some just come for money like it’s just a day’s job without really want to help a deaf person to succeed, and some won’t admit mistakes, putting the blame on us. You don’t want to work with those kind of interpreters.

Personally, I think all interpreters should be certified, attend deaf workshops, carry memberships with different deaf organizations and stay in tune with the deaf world.

So if you have an interview coming up, you might want to think about getting your own interpreter.

Got this email from a friend. My alma mater, ISD, is one of the semi-finalists that could win $25,000 dollars from Expo, the maker of dry board markers. The one that has the most votes will win, so it needs every of your vote.

Click here to vote!

Hello Everyone!

The Junior High science room needs your help and it won’t cost you a thing- just a few minutes of your time! The science room is a finalist to win a $25,000 classroom makeover from Expo markers!!! How do we win? With your votes! There are five finalists from across the country- the classroom with the most votes will win the classroom makeover.

That’s how you can help! Please go to the link below and place your vote for my classroom. In addition- you can forward this to your home email and also use that email address(es) to vote. (One vote per email address). And also important is to send this on to your co-workers, friends, family, every one you know and ask them to vote also!

If you have students- please encourage and permit them to vote also!

(I’ll put something in the announcement papers).

Thanks for your assistance- your vote could make the difference!!!!

– Sherry Humphries

Thought I’d post this to help spread the word out.

Finally, Caption Playback on Google Video

“…however, this is exactly the same problem faced by the early proponents of CC, and it is this very issue which has compelled us to start with baby mis-steps sooner, rather than a giant leap of perfection later. Now that viewers can see the results, we hope that more people will be inspired to caption more videos, and that other services will be encouraged to support similar capabilities. The potential applications here for search quality, automatic translation, and speech recognition should also become more obvious.

Every time I watch TV I’m thankful to all of the many people who first developed and brought closed-captioning to fruition, and wish I could have helped them. So it’s enormously gratifying that Google Video has given me an opportunity to help carry on their work into new domains.” –Ken Harrenstien

“The learning process never ends, even on vacation.” by Megan Bode.

“My most important experience, however, had nothing to do with personal adaptation to an unfamiliar environment. On our first day in the hotel, we met a group of deaf kids across the hall. One of them, David, had some hearing, and was able to tell us that they were college students at Gallaudet, a school for the hearing-impaired. He taught us the American Sign Language alphabet, so that we had a rudimentary means of communicating. Clumsily using our hands, we made friends with the kids across the hall — inviting them over for drinks, playing games, and hanging out at clubs.”

It’s interesting that hearing people would have misconceptions about deaf people having some difficulty time to co-exist with their world. Of course we would find ways to get along, just a little patience and some open-mindedness are all it takes.