From A to Zed or Zee with your smart hands!

If you've been reading my blogs, whether here, or on FastCupid or BadSumo, you know my love for Sign Language.

So I put the DeafRead feed on this blog. There's also the link to DeafPulse, another source of infos. While primarly for the deaf and hard of hearing people, hearing people would benefit too.

Today on DeafPulse, there was a link to a fun YouTube videoclip from http://www.mysmarthands.com/ . To hearing people who must learn ASL and have to teach it to their kids.

Believe me, your hands are smart. A lot smarter than you think!

Cheers!

Footnote to my hearing friends: In ASL, -even though this is a sign language-, the 26 letters of the alphabet are present.

Letters are commonly use when there isn't a sign for the visual concept that you want to express, or that sign isn't known to you (which is likely my case!!!). So you have to rely on English words for those visual concepts, and you "fingerspell" those words.

There are other usage for fingerspelling. For instance in the US, the 50 states are often fingerspelled using their 2-letter abbreviations. Imagine a vacation trip on Cape Cod, it would be insane to fingerspell that I'm currently in M-A-S-S-A-C-H-U-S-E-T-T-S. With a state with a name _that_ long, it's a lot easier to sign "M-A".

(External link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMQHd1UBkeI )

Deafness and privacy...

Why the silence on my blog? Oh, I spent a week and a half of vacations on "the Cape" and around, err... I mean Cape Cod, and then I venture to Boston and to the Lowell Folk Festival before going back home.

While on the Cape, I went to the beaches, and I cycled along the backroads of Eastham (and on their great Rail Trail). I had a great time.

While cycling on one of these backroads (notice the traffic "congestion". It sure beats Route 6!), I encounter that sign: "Deaf Child Area".

I had to pause. There's always a good intent in everything, but the way good intents percolate into reality, things go awry and miss the target.

Maybe I'm fussy because of my own work, I see privacy issues everywhere, but if I were parents, I wouldn't like to advertise the fact that I've deaf children. It's not a matter that my neighbours would know (I'm sure they would know!!!), but about people passing on that road, period. That's none of their business... and that might even giving ideas to bad people who might take advantage of my kids *because* they are deaf.

Yet, I can see the good intent behind that sign, for drivers to pay attention that there are kids who won't hear you coming.

The problem isn't with deafness, the problem is the road. The problem is the crazy drivers on that road! The problem is that there's no one enforcing the slow speed limit on these roads!

As you can see, this is a fairly deserted road and it parallels busy Route 6, the main thoroughfare on the Cape. So, the temptation to bypass the heavy traffic and to floor the gas pedal on these winding roads is there. So whatever is on the side of the road, kids, adults, deaf or not, walking or cycling... they all are in danger.

As a cyclist, my ears are my rear view mirrors. Problem is, when there's a car facing me, its engine noise covers everything else. I might not hear a car behind me. Or that car behind me makes so much noise, that it hides the fact that there are *several* vehicles behind that car.

A few times there have been very close calls, everytime because of vehicle speeding in excess of 60mph on these winding roads, and at that speed, they were just too busy attempting to stay on that road without hitting anything to even notice your presence.

I consider these backroads, while to be enjoyed (and *I* enjoyed cycling on them!), as far more dangerous than a busy street in downtown Montréal as a result. And I am a hearing person!

A sign that reads "Deaf Child Area" won't do much to vehicle speeding on that road. The driver doesn't care, and even to hearing people, things happen so fast there's no time to do anything.

And in the week and a half I've been cycling on these little roads, I haven't seen a single police cruiser. They were all busy ticketing motorists on Route 6. Maybe that's where the problem is...

Cheers,

-E

Deaf world: Some debates that will never end...

I was reading DeafPulse (which you get the 10 most recent headlines on this blog), and reading other Deaf web sites...

CI, aka Cochlear Implant. It's a big thing in the deaf world. I guess that it is alike to a Christian seeing Satan in person. :)

I'm fighting all I can on behalf of my dad, and the last thing on top of many illnesses is deafness... it goes without saying, pun not really intended that I have to rely on Sign Language to get understood. Or words on a piece of paper, but even then you have to write in big letters, as his eyesight is also getting worse. Also a miracle that my dad was able to remember a few signs and to make use of them.

On top of other illnesses, it feels like the last straw. At least for me. But it's no use to get angered, frustrated, or anything. It's life as it unfolds, with the best and the worst and you have to take that.

One thing I notice how the world, so wide and infinite, gets narrower for him. While I have also my own 'bouts (I hear well, but decoding human speech is a nightmare for me, so I sometimes appear to others as if I were deaf), but I haven't realized what it means being deaf.

We're in an audible world, from the doorbell, the telephone, radio, even television, when all these audible infos become out of reach, you live in a strange narrowed world, because all those audible you depend on during all your life... are no longer there, and you realize the sheer void.

I had that in mind when I was reading several heated debates about CI. Whether parents who took decision on behalf of their children, or as a grown up, to go for cochlear implants.

For my dad, it's way too late of course, but I have been thinking that in the very audible world that we live in, if I were in that situation at my age, I'd seriously consider the option.

Which doesn't mean I'd stop using Sign Language, far from it, but I have to realize that 99% of the people around me, from friends to neighbours to colleagues haven't learned it. So I have very little use of Sign Language (but I continue to wish that Sign Language should be taught at school, just like other languages, because it *IS* a full fledged language, with its own culture. It's *NOT* a sub-standard language, just for the "disabled", with the double quotes! )

I'm a fervent partisan of "Vivre et laissez vivre". It's a French phrase to just say to let people decide for themselves. I feel in cases like that, there's no right or wrong choices to take. These are just... personal choices.

But in the deaf community, it isn't different than other communities. There are always some outspoken (?) people monopolizing as many means of communication as possible, and claiming high and low that we should all go their way.

When there's a language, there is a culture. There IS a deaf culture. The dilemma is when you are a minority, then you are in survival mode.

Incidentally, this is the debate we keep having in my province (Québec). Anyone who wants to understand the language debate there, the key to do so is to view from the angle that we're a tiny minority in North America, even in our own country. 24% of Canadians speak French. Stated otherwise, that's 76% who does NOT speak French, and the numbers have been steadily declining since Stat Can began to do statistics, a hundred years ago...

So I see in the deaf community the same patterns of self-defense. The debate against CI is also that. It is perceived as removing people from the deaf culture, which is not entirely false, but it isn't entirely true.

It is my understanding that the deaf culture while being a minority and having to beg from the majority for its needs, is far from going extinct.

The geek in me, who sees technology progressing, I have to say: Who could have thought a few years ago that there would be plenty of "vlogs", video blogs, people signing merrily in ASL? there are web sites in ASL, and already movies in ASL? Who would have thought there would be plenty of materials on the internet to feed things like DeafPulse?

Aren't these things... an expression of a *culture*, that is vibrant and dynamic? I would think so, and thanks to the technology, for providing a support for which a language can be transmitted. In this case, *visually* transmitted.

I was looking at the millions of channels on digital cable. I was joking a bit, but I am serious, what about an ASL channel? I'd sign for it right away. What about newscasts, game shows, sitcoms in ASL? There are millions of deaf and hard of hearing people across the US and Canada. Sorry, but closed captioning doesn't cut it.

There are TV channels that are on the air with an audience less than that. Besides, there are already linguistic channels, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese, German.

I think it's a matter of time someone who has the money will come up with a nationwide ASL channel? (and put closed captioning for the NON-hearing impaired? ;) )

I'd be the first to sign up, that's for sure.

So it seems that debates like against CI are so futile and such a waste of energy... it's being at standstill while the world keeps moving forward.

What else to say, or sign for? PEACE and ILY? Maybe...

That's a way to sign Vivre et laisser vivre, I'd say...

-E

Giggle of the day: Guess the ASL sign for government...

<--- Here is the answer from the LifePrint (ASL University) web site. It's a very good web site if you want to learn ASL.

Yup, they're all that crazy at the government!

Anyhow, I stumble on that sign tonight...

... and for some reasons, I just couldn't stop giggling. :)

Cheers,

-E

Sign Language revisited...

It's already re-run season on Radio-Canada.

Last November, I've blogged about "Le moment de vérité". On that edition of the show, contestants had one week to learn... 250 signs. No less. :)

I'm learning at my own pace, so between November and March, I've probably augmented my sign vocabulary by that much. These guys had to do that in just one week. Oops. :)

Last Saturday, I saw the preview for tonight show. The preview was presented... by René Simard. A popular singer and TV host here in Québec.

I was thrilled to see René Simard signing in LSQ (Québec Sign Language). The ASL signer would notice that there are some surprisingly similarities between the two sign languages.

Then, I was reminded that his two sons are... deaf.

If you want to learn more, I've done some searches on the internet. I've found this article (in French) about René Simard and Marie-Josée Taillefer and their two deaf sons.

On a personal note, I've been trying to teach some basic signs to my dad. He's completely deaf on one ear, and I might say that since his last exam, the other ear is quickly going deaf too.

Is teaching some signs to someone who is in his 80s and Alzheimer... Mission Impossible? To some extents... yes. :)

(But he has picked up some signs, like Toilet! Fine, Bad etc). The doctors approve my attempts. Actually, anything to keep him intellectually active is welcome, so why not sign language?

In a way... it's a labour of love. He's my dad... and it seems to me that what is the most precious thing in life... to someone who means a lot to you, someone who is in fact 50% of you...

Communication.

To stay in touch in him... Fighting with him... against all illnesses that are robbing my dad...

Sigh...

The love of a son for his dad.

-E

Signing in ASL... or trilingual woes...

It's been a while that I'm brewing this project: having a little "vlog" of my own, aka video blog.

In this blog, I've been mentioning that I'm learning ASL. At a slow pace, it's true. If life wasn't so busy, I'd spend more time learning.

Anyhow, I feel that I'm ready. I am at the point which... instead of watching others signing in ASL, it's *MY* turn to sign in ASL.

I have a vocabulary of ... about a 4-year old. But enough vocabulary to sign short sentences.

So I was thinking of a welcome message to my blog... in ASL.

My plan was to sign AND speak at the same time, in English. This would avoid having to do some post-productions (like adding closed captioning). I already have some editing softwares that would do that, if necessary.

By trial and error, I found out that the digicam I already have, in its "movie" setting give very decent results. It would quickly fill out the memory card, on the other hand for small projects like this one, it isn't a problem. The supposedly hi-res Logitech webcam was the worst. Oh well..

So I tried a rehearsal tonight... Yikes.

Well, I could sign... or I could speak in English or course, but I couldn't sign AND speak at the same time.

People who are interested in the way our mind works, this is interesting. Yeah I know, for everyone else, that's boring stuff.

It's a struggle for me to think in words. I think in images. So I have some affinities with a visual language, such as Sign Language.

I could think directly in ASL and French, my mother tongue... but English? I have to think in French and then translate in English.

So it means that at one time, I was juggling with THREE languages.

ASL: HELLO! NICE MEET-YOU. ME NAME J-A-C-Q-U-E-S. ME HEARING. I LEARN-LEARN A-S-L. CAN SIGN A LITTLE. WELCOME B-L-O-G MINE.

French: Bonjour, heureux de vous voir! Mon nom est Jacques. J'entends et j'étudie présentment l'ASL. Bienvenue à mon blogue!

English: Hello! Nice to meet you! My name is Jacques. I'm hearing and I'm learning ASL. I can sign a little. Welcome to my blog!

So going in my mind 3 languages at the same time. After a few words, I was overwhelmed!

Hehehe...

When I'll figure how to add closed captioning, I'll shoot a silent version with me just signing and upload it here.

If you see a guy in kilt doing weird things with his hands, now you know. :)

Cheers,

-E

Mobile internet... a tiny step closer...

In the meantime, we still do not have the iPhone nor the Sidekick...

I change my cellphone recently and I kept the old one as a backup. The beauty of GSM phones (which are also the lot of the iPhone and Sidekick), you just remove the SIM card from one phone, put in the other, and voilà!

The new phone was for the trip in France last January, so it would work there (and it did, and it was a lifesaver at Roissy / Charles-de-Gaulle airport. :) ).

The frustrating part is that nearly all new cellphones... are internet ready. Mine does that. It has some applications (web browser, Yahoo/MSN Messenger, mail, etc) and the phone itself can work as a modem to a laptop.

Sadly, our cellphone providers haven't beefed up their network, so they charge insane amount of money even for light use of the internet. This is why Apple didn't launch their iPhone in Canada, and this is why the Sidekick is being phased out. The use of a "Crackberry" in Canada can be costly. What an irony, considering that RIM, the makers of the Blackberry is... Canadian.

Frustrating.

Today, I was playing with my still quite brand new cell phone, and somehow I accidentally activated its internal web browser. I know too well what would happen next. A warning page that anything I would do past that point will cost me an arm and a leg.

It's the feeling of being at a candy store... empty pocket. :) All the candies you want are there... you have no money to buy just even one candy. :)

Lo and behold, this time the text has changed. I'm invited to sign up for their "unlimited internet" plan. Cost? $7 per month. (If you can read French, click on the photo).

What? No monthly 3-figure amount of money? Unlimited internet that is truly... unlimited? For just $7 a month? There must be a gotcha, somewhere, right? :)

Well, I checked. Indeed unlimited internet for $7 per month... with only the applications that are stored on the cellphone... and as long as the phone doesn't act as a modem for a laptop. For those purposes, the "arm and a leg" plan still apply.

A bummer, but that's a start, so I sign up for their somewhat unlimited.. Mobile dirt road access to the internet. It's still better than nothing. :)

I have issues about human speech, and voice over a cellphone, is my absolute nightmare.

South of the border, when you see the things deaf persons do with their Sidekick, and how handy such devices have become in their day to day life... It is difficult to imagine that these devices are just a dream here in Canada, and have to live... without them.

And for me, dreaming to have a Sidekick. Sigh...

Also as a traveler, whether checking planes, weather, or last minute searches at the place I'm going, I can vouch that internet on the go is very useful.

An iPhone or a Sidekick is a tad... more compact than a laptop, nor they need to be close to a Wi-Fi access point to work. :)

One last digression: When I was in France last January, one of my cousins had a French iPhone.

Their data plan? Unlimited internet for the equivalent of $35 CDN. Restrictions? After the first 500Meg, the service provider (Orange) reserves the right to slow down the access to the internet. Wow.

By the way, they are currently testing high quality video live conversations.. They openly invite deaf people to try their service. Yup, having conversations... in Sign Language.

This is how spiffy cellphone services have become in France...

What a contrast with Canada.

Sigh...

-E

Being hugged by a stranger...

The doorbell chimed in yesterday evening.

The snowstorm had subsided a bit, but it was still snowing and it was quite windy. No one is outside unless one has to. A neighbour? My landlord? Mhhh...

So I opened the door. I saw a tall man in his 60s, lots of grey hair and wearing worn out clothes. Mhhh... in this snowstorm?

Overall, the guy seems shy, and it's obvious that a lot of doors have been slammed on him.

He didn't say a word, but he waved a card at me. So I looked at his card...

A card, with letters A to Z, with drawings of a hand for each letter.

Dang, I immediately recognize... fingerspelling.

Fingerspelling is the alphabet... in *Sign Language*. The guy in front of me is most likely deaf.

On the other side of the card, there's a short text telling me that he's selling these cards for a living and asking me for a donation. I also noticed that it was for Valentine's Day. It's a bit late.

I was genuinely surprise, and he saw my surprise.

So I *signed*... DEAF YOU ? (with the proper facial expression for a Yes/No question). Textbook ASL. :)

You should see his face lighting up. Really, he didn't expect that someone who could sign!

What I didn't expect... he came to me... and hugged me!

Mhhh.. there are things in life which... you accept, no matter what. Can you refuse a hug? Of course not!

Hugged by a stranger, right at home. Home delivered hugs. :) Got to say, there are far worse things that can happen when answering the door!

Gee whiz, he isn't dressed warmly. He didn't want to come in nor drink something hot.

So I learn that he's born deaf, and he's trilingual, French, LSQ (Quebec Sign Language) and ASL (American Sign Language). He found absolutely amazing that I'm a hearing person and learning ASL for the fun of it during my spare time.

The conversation didn't last long... He wanted to continue his run. In this crazy weather? Yup...

So I gave him a substantial amount of money. That's the very least I can do.

So we "Muaaaaaaaaaahh" each other and he left. I stayed on the front porch for a little while, observing him, walking in the snow toward the next home...

In the snowstorm... I felt bad for him.

What can I do?

Now, it was me who was getting cold.

So I closed the door.

Sigh...

-E

Worst nightmare for a parent...

Since I have my own issues about hearing (and also the fact that I'm learning ASL), this is why from my blog, I subscribe to "DeafRead".

So, "automagically", everytime you read my blog, you'll also see the latest from DeafRead, with their selections of stories off the Internet. Interesting text readings. (To my non-signer friends, not all these links point to ASL video blogs. :) ).

So I saw this title, Every parent of deaf child's worst nightmare, from Berke's Outspoken blog.

Imagine, being in a school bus and you're deaf. The bus driver is a substitute, therefore doesn't know you nor understand sign language. The bus assistant who could communicate in sign language wasn't there either.

This is what happened to a 13-year old deaf girl, and she was dropped off 2-miles from home, in pouring rain. Everything that could turn bad, did. Thankfully, there's a happy ending, but it's been indeed a nightmare.

Maybe because of my own issues, I always carry a pen and a piece of paper everywhere I go. If in the unlikely event that I don't have these items with me and I don't understand something that seems very important, I often make the gestures of touching my ear and then writing on an imaginary piece of paper. That's something non-signers will understand right away.

Yes, I could have stated so verbally, but it seems the visual aspect while I stay *silent*... speaks for me louder than my own voice. :) Besides, with friends, it's the fun of being tangential. Being straightforward is too boring, but I'm digressing terribly here.

Anyway... what seems glaring in this story.. is the lack of attempts to communicate in *other* ways.

The schoolgirl is obviously under BIG stress and of course she could be forgiven for not readily thinking about it, but why the bus driver didn't come up with a pen and a piece of paper, so she could write down the address of her home? And for him, to write down other questions to her? Is she ok? Does she need help? Etc...

Conversely, if the bus driver didn't have a pen and paper (which is highly unlikely, as they seem to always have to fill out various reports while they are on the go), why he didn't make... the signs I've just mentioned? Such as the gesture of writing on an imaginary piece of paper.

Especially with someone who makes use of sign language, that person more than anyone else will catch the visual clue.

Deaf people aren't dumb, and deaf people do learn how to write, just like everyone else. Besides, going at school... don't we all have to carry pen and papers,... unless things have changed since my time? Very unlikely, but one can hope? :)

But I also remember my childhood years, and bus drivers too. Some were really super... and then there were those... which remind you that bus companies hire anyone, and they _really_ mean anyone.

So disasters are bound to happen...

Ay ay ay...

-E

Deafness is hitting home...

No, not me. (Although I may appear to you as hard of hearing. I wrote a long blog entry, a few months ago).

No, it's about... my dad.

Since he has Alzheimer, getting to know with the disease, one of the things it does, it affects the mood. It isn't just all about memory recollections. Far from it, in fact.

So when we saw the first signs, we all thought, me first, that he was playing games on us. "Don't want to listen, don't want to talk, I'm in my bubble, and that's that." Okay dokay...

I had some suspicions. But I had to battle. "Oh, you know, your dad isn't young, it's kind of normal to be a bit deaf". I've heard that many times.

Mhhhh... I had a hunch there has to be something else. My mom too it isn't buying that argument.

Well, today the results are in. Left ear: Completely deaf, and there's serious hearing loss for his right ear.

Sigh...

When you see someone slowly fading away... and that someone is 50% of you... There's _that_ shock.

Then... it comes quickly obvious that there's a very something that becomes paramount as times go by: Communication. When he's with us...

To the point you look forward, for *those* times that he's with us.

Tonight, it seems that I've been robbed.

A wall of silence is getting established between us.

Sure, a lot can be conveyed with touch. We're warm blood creatures, with feelings... touches and feelings...

Visually too. From body language to sign language, yeah I know all that...

So, there are ways to side-step silence.

But nonetheless...

Sigh...

-E

Seattle bound ? Maybe...

<--- Downtown Seattle, Pine Street near 5th Avenue, July 2007

Well.... it is not a sure thing, but it appears that I maybe in Seattle around December 15th for a couple of days. :)

If you aren't checking news at FC, December 15th is the birthday of TantrikaGoddess, and invitations have been sent.

It coincides with a lull in my work, before things pick up madly during the Christmas holidays. (Yeah I know, a bummer, I'll be working. On the other hand, I'm happy to still have a job!)

So to compensate for having to work during the holidays, I've been already thinking of traveling (well, I do so in January, visiting my family in France)... but I might be able to squeeze in a few more days in December. Seattle... why not?

Masochists. Being laughed at my pathetically attempt to converse in ASL. Oh well. :) Tantrika is good sport. I should see Crowfriend too.

I'm wondering... anyone willing to fly with me to Seattle? Hehehe...

- Ladies, I can show you where is that famous FlueVog store in downtown Seattle,

- Guys, I know you're shy, but I can escort you to that famous kilt store in Pionneer Square, the Utilikilts. ;)

Funny, I have never understood why guys are so shy about wearing kilts. Wimps. I do wear a kilt. The proper way. Ayup. Be a man, do it! :)

I'd bet they're even more shy to shop for a kilt, -in person-, at a kilt store. Hey, it's just a clothing store, not a sex shop! Oh well... They don't know what they're missing. ;)

(Last summer, there was an hilarious event happening while I was at the kilt store. I've blogged this at FC, but one of these days I'll repost here. It's just too funny).

So, that's how it goes. I'm VERY tempted to access the offer. I'm checking whether it's feasible (work, parents, flights, and hotel room).

Would be fun if I have a travelmate, there is that. Oh well... Catch the guy with the kilt!

Cheers,

-E

People who mumble in Sign Language. :)

I can't come up with a better phrase!

You know people who mumble. With their voice.

The same thing can happen... with signs.

Especially fingerspelling. Fingerspelling is the act of S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G a word using signs for each letter.

In ASL, this is happening on average once every 10-15 signs.

Whether the sign doesn't exist for a certain concept (or is unknown to the signer), or the sign does exist, but you want to I-N-S-I-S-T on something, therefore... you spell it!

(Usually, your facial expression will give additional clues. You rarely keep a poker face when you use Sign Language! ).

As the name suggests, contrary to other signs which the entire hand, and sometimes both hands have to move and therefore taking a certain time, fingerspelling means that *only* fingers are moving. Your "main" hand doesn't move. Only the fingers are dancing, with grace and at amazing speed.

As someone who is learning ASL, this stretch my receptive skills to the max. The mind has to rev up at insane speed to identify on the fly each fingerspelled letter. Visually, I see "in my mind" letters lining up one letter at a time on a buffer til a complete word appears.

If you are fluent in ASL, proper etiquette requires that you shouldn't even stare at the hand of the signer. You should continue to maintain eye contact with the signer, and use your peripheral vision to decode hand signs.

Try that!

Now... this would be all fine, if... IF...

The person takes the time to sign well formed letters.

Since it takes a lot of time to spell every letter of a word, signers would just whiz at letters without taking the time to do well formed letters.

For instance, letters A, S and T are extremely similar. All fingers closed, except for the thumb, which would be standing up next to the index for letter "A", or standing over the index and major for letter "S" or squarely standing between the index and major for the letter "T".

Letter "U" and "V" are extremely similar. The index and major are up. If they are close next to the other, it's the letter "U", if they are open, sometimes the sign we hearing people use for "Victory", as during WW2, the letter "V". Sometimes it's not that obvious.

Mumbling. :)

Thankfully, since I watch vlogs (video blogs), I can play the video as much as I want. I can slow down, play one image frame at the time. Even there, I'm not always sure which letter is being signed. Sometimes it's a sign done half-way for 3-4 different letters.

(However in person, there's a limit to ask a person to repeat again and again!!!)

So in my mind, I have to *visualize* letters that have been signed and to reconstruct the word by filling up the blanks.

And you have just a fraction of a second to figure out the fingerspelled word, because more ASL signs are on their way. Wheeeeee!!!

At Deaf Read, I've been reading some deaf blogs about fingerspellings. It's kind of reassuring to know that even deaf people who are learning ASL... are also struggling with their fingerspellings.

Somehow, I fear that being a hearing person could have been a big handicap! :)

Ooookay...

My turn! If you have some rusty notions of fingerspelling, here's the link to ASLPro's fingerspelling quizz. Try only 5 words at a time, and at slow speed.

GOOD LUCK!

So far I'm doing almost a perfect score at medium speed. (For the fun of it, give it a try! You'll see the difference with slow speed). You'll see where I am. Try to beat me! :)

And then see the fast speed. This is where I should be. Insane, isn't it? :)

Also, keep in mind that these signs are well formed and in "staccato". In other words (signs? :) ), this is fingerspellng done in an *ideal* environment. In reality, people never fingerspell that way. :)

There are transitions from one letter to the other, so fingers have to move to their final position for signing a letter and then moving again for the next letter, which isn't always easy to decode.

Also you have to clue the reader, whether there are consecutive letters, and sometimes you just have no idea whether clues have been sent at all.

That being said, I'm enjoying immensely learning ASL. This is not a chore, and often I'm giggling. Whether at a new sign that seems very creative... or squarely laughing at my own mistakes. :)

Cheers!

-E

Winter Storm Warning ?!?

<--- Environment Canada said so! That's what my weather radio has picked up when I arrived home tonight. (In case one is wondering, we're now using in Canada the same technology that is in used in the US for many years. If you happen to hear a S.A,M.E. alert when it is transmitted, you'll hear a "databurst" similar to a modem for a short period of time. This allow to display the type of alert (Advisory, Watch, Warning), a short description of the alert here, Winter Storm Warning, and for which region (FIPS code) is intended. I've set this weather gizmo to display weather alerts strictly for Montréal Island.

For my deaf friends, all tabletop models are required to have an external port, so you can plug in a flashing warning light, vibrer, etc. Not bad. :) (I wish a longer text message would be displayed on the LCD screen, but that's a step in the right direction!).

----

Winter, oh winter...

It's mid-November, winter is on time... except we aren't.

Spoiled by a nice weather, used to late winter arrivals...

Now we're back to ahem... normal?

Where's my winter boots?

Scarf? Gloves? Hat?

Where oh where?

I can't remember where I've put them last spring!

Ah, I know what it means!

Time for me to hibernate,

Time for me to say: "See you next Spring!"

(Well, I wish I could say so. ;) )

Cheers!

-E
PS: Where's my shovel? I'm just a clever Eskimo!

Great news about Gallaudet: They're safe!!!

This morning, I saw this news passing by: Nation's top school for the deaf taken off probation .

This is the continuing fallout of the BIG student protest that happened a year ago at Gallaudet. Things are taking a good turn. Finally!

Gallaudet University, the only university for the deaf was on the verge of losing its accreditation. The student protest last year has triggered a review by its accreditor... and the university was sent an ultimatum, err... put on probation: Bluntly, they have a year to straighten things up... or they'll lose their accreditation.

Accreditation is paramount for Gallaudet. Without it, no federal money. Since a whopping 80% of its budget is funded by federal money, it isn't a stretch to say that the very *survival* of Gallaudet University is at stake.

(By the way, in term of fundings, this brings Gallaudet quite in line with Canadian universities).

Governance, low enrolments, poor grades have been plaguing Gallaudet University for years, and under the ultimatum, those are some of the sore points which immediate solutions have to be brought in. Within a year. Ootch.

Unfair? Maybe... but it's counterproductive to bite at the hand that feeds you. So you have to play by their rules, and not by the rules you want to play.

(It's also the drama of being a minority drown in a majority, and the majority deciding what's good for you. If you understand that, you have also understood why so many conflicts around the world happen, but I digress terribly here!)

From the student protest...
Out was Fernandes,
In is Davila... at the helm of the university.

You know the hallmarks of a great leader?
-To take unpopular decisions... and still have the support of the community,
- To be able to turn around almost literally on a dime a big institution like an university.

He took several controversial decisions (such as making bilingualism official, English/ASL, raising admission standards, etc...)

And now this news...

So, I think that Davila is a great leader. :)

Cheers,

-E

----

Related links:
Gallaudet University: FAQ about accreditation and MSCHE
Washington Post, May 2007: Accreditation concerns remain for Gallaudet
Op-ed, Washington Post, July 2007: Gally's Choice

Overlooking the obvious?

Sometimes, I wonder.

I spotted this story from AP: Devices help deaf, hearing communicate. It's about the staff of an auto repair shop who told the owner that they have deaf clients... and it would be nice if there's anything to ease the language barrier.

*For months*, they looked for *electronic gizmos*. You'll read the rest of the story. :)

Somehow... it's a classic example of being "railroaded". Something that we, -as computer programmers-, are sometimes guilty.

When resolving a problem, you have to be open-minded. You have to figure out from which angle to view a problem, in order to visualize a solution. From there, you write a computer program that will solve the said problem.

To some extents, we're always railroaded in our thinking. The solution must be a computer solution. You're a computer programmer, right? Right.

The problem is... not all problems can be solved efficiently with a computer program.

I think this is a similar case. They wanted electronic gizmos, so they looked for... electronic gizmos, and nothing else.

Oh don't get me wrong! As a guy who is paid to play with technology, heh... gadgets will continue to fascinate me, and I will report them here (ie: IBM develops virtual deaf interpreter)

Somehow... if you have time and money to invest, like this auto repair shop...

How about... ASL classes for the staff?

I'm also thinking... of the humble piece of paper and a pen, and having those in ample supply. It certainly beats costly, fragile and intimidating electronic gizmos... for face-to-face communications, don't you think?

Don't worry, deaf people are used to the language barrier. It's part of their daily life, trust me! We live in a hearing world and there are so many frustrating reminders of that fact, therefore they are fully aware of the kind of world we all live in! ;)

So, they'll be the first to offer you a pen and paper... to break the language barrier!

They'll immensely appreciate if you have made the effort of learning Sign Language. It's not harder (and I might say, it may be even easier) than learning another "verbal" language, such as Spanish, the de-facto second language in the US.

Sometimes, technology isn't a solution.

Not yet. :)

Cheers!

-E

Busted ! Linguistic giggles on the road...

Maybe it has happened to you... maybe you are even the guilty party when you're travelling.

That false sense of... security when the locals do not speak your language, so with the people who are travelling with you, you can dare to say things which you wouldn't dare to say at home?

However, if you're a local, but you use a language that is little "spoken"... Mhhh...

A few days ago during my lunch break, I went to Air France's bureaus in downtown Montréal (just a few stops away, with the subway).

On my way back, I was at the Peel subway station, and there was a woman in her 50s and a woman in ther mid 20s. (Mom and daughter? Probably)

Dang, they are signing!

In deaf culture like in our hearing culture, it's not polite to eavesdrop. :)

However, at a subway station, waiting for the metro to arrive... it's difficult... to not look. On the other... hand (pun not intended!!!), since I'm learning ASL... there's an academic value to observe a conversation in ASL going on, right? Hehehe....

I'm not fluent enough to understand everything being signed, but I get the gist of the conversation. About Canadian politics, and it is also my understanding that they don't like the Conservatives. :)

Then about H-A-R-P-E-R (dang, fingerspelling)... with my limited ASL... I suddenly see before my eyes: "He's a dick".

It just dings in my head, and gone was my poker face. I couldn't stop giggling!!

Oh well... :)

(I'm skeptical whether this is proper ASL. The daughter signed "HE" followed by the sign of _that_ male attribute.

Maybe she's the hearing person, and her mom the deaf person? Often, I speak French in English (it's often reciprocal, by the way!) , using French idioms in English and vice in the versa. Can English idioms translate that way in ASL? Feel free to comment. :) ).

So I got busted... The two ladies were surprise at first, and then realizing what has just been signed, they too began to giggle.

At this point, if ASL was a spoken language, the conversation would have stopped there. The metro was arriving in station and the infernal LOUD noise that it makes would just make conversation, any conversation impossible.

Except in ASL, of course. Deaf people can't notice that, but as a hearing person, I do!

So we had some little extra time, enough to wave a friendly hello, and for me to sign "I HEARING, I LEARNING A-S-L.

And to get from both ladies, signs for GOOD/EXCELLENT ! They were all smiles.

And off we go, back to our respective path...

You know what? There are those little unexpected things happening... that lighten a day. Ok, not so little, Hey, I'm a man, after all!

If you've been wondering... I'm sure you are curious... about _those_ words. N'est-ce pas? :)

Here's a link to ASLPro video dictionary. From there, click on the letter P, and then complete the word... with the letter "enis". You'll see one of the signs for a certain male attribute. :)

As a man, I find the latter part of that sign, a bit... humiliating!!

As a sidenote: When learning a new language, it's interesting to see how things are perceived and understood by native "speakers" (signers, in this case!).

Some signs are really... well, amazing! Clever, really clever!

Don't take my word (sign?) that this is proper ASL for signing... how you feel about a person (ie, he's a d...ck), even if I have seen it being signed. I think the sign is just the clinical description of an intimate part of a male body.

Personally, I would fingerspell every letter, first to make sure that I'm understood, and second... to really _insist_ (therefore spelling it), how I feel about a certain person!

That being said... this is not a political statement about our beloved Prime Minister, by the name of mhhh... H-A-R-P-E-R. Nawww. :)

Cheers!

-E

Wow... Sign Language on prime time television!

Sometimes, there are gems...

I rarely watch television, but tonight the mood wasn't much for anything else.

So I happened to watch Radio-Canada's Le moment de vérité (The moment of truth, in French). Several teams, each with a different challenge. They have a week to practice... and then they return to the studio, and they have to show their newly acquired skills.

Whether to learn the first 1000 decimals of Pi... whether the ahem... joy and pain of archery... and to be able to hit a target at 15 metres away. In just one week. Can you do that?

Well, I almost fell off my chair tonight. For one team... their challenge was to learn 250 "words" in LSQ! The Langue Signée du Québec, our equivalent of ASL!!!! Learning Sign Language. Wowie!!!

In just... ONE WEEK... and tonight... *is* the night. Gulp...

I'm learning ASL, and I agree with the two LSQ experts (and judges for this challenge) they invited in studio .

Learning 50 signs per week is quite a rapid pace (I *fully* agree! :) ). . They were skeptical the candidates would be able to learn 250 signs in just one week. So do I !!!

So they show videos on how their week went. One candidate is a teacher and she took the whole week off to work FULL TIME on learning LSQ. I think that for all the members of that team, when they fell asleep, they were "nightmaring" in Sign Language. :)

In studio, they were asked 50 LSQ signs out of the 250 signs they had to learn. No mistakes were allowed and they have just 2 minutes. Whew.

Well... I was floored and at the same time extremely thrilled! Nor that I take a sadistic pleasure... nooooooo, well... a little bit, okay... I admit !!!

Hey, I'm a student, and I've been sweating heavily, here! Well, sort of... :)

Seriously, I don't know who has thought of this challenge, but a heartfelt *BRAVO* to Radio-Canada! A fun way (and very entertaining!) to introduce Sign Language, on a popular show and on prime-time. I can't remember the last time a major TV network did that. So, Bravo Radio-Canada!

Also, I was a little bit curious to see how close is LSQ to ASL.

I was surprised to see that signs like "father" (and presumably grandfather) are the same as in ASL. (with a "High Five" hand) .

But you know what? They won!!! All the 50 signs!

Personally, I got about half of all the LSQ signs they showed, and I haven't even studied LSQ!

Some of these signs were like their ASL equivalent... and ahem... yes, on other LSQ signs, I've done some guesses. Cough cough!!!

So I had a devil of fun watching television!

Later in the evening, I was thinking of that... Sometimes, I wish I could tell (sign? :) ) to my fellow deaf friends... the future of the deaf culture isn't in sterile debates on CIs (Cochlear Implants), nor the violent protests against AG Bell, telling them where to shove their audism, etc...

The future of the deaf culture... is about original works in ASL... It is also about dissemination ...

Gallaudet, the only deaf university in the US can (and actively) promote the Deaf Culture... but like any university, even one for the deaf people... there's so much an university can do.

When I visit the US, I'm floored by the zillions of specialty channels I see on digital cable. Many channels in foreign languages (hey, I was pleasantly surprised to see the French-speaking TV5! :) )

Why there isn't... a deaf channel? Even several channels? In the US alone, it is believed there are at least several millions of people who are fluent in ASL. In Canada, since we get a lot of your US channels, add the Canadian market to the list.

Besides, having a deaf channel, it means that you have to *feed* that channel, with new materials. You can't do re-run forever!

How's about some news bulletins in ASL? How about TV game shows in Sign Language?

Can you imagine the effects onto the Deaf Culture? I think this is the jolt it really needs.

"I'll take LSQ for $200, Alex".

Heck, I'm in !!!

-My 2-cent...

-E

Is ASL... a language?

I was doing my round of web sites. I like sites like DeafPulse, everything at a glance about the deaf community from several sources. This saves considerable time.

From there, I came to Kalalau's Korner. This a blog and vlog I like. I like his way of thinking.. and his way to make me thinking. :)

His latest entry: The American Sign Language Debate (part 2). I entirely agree with what he mentioned.

I'd like to share some tidbits...

-During the summer, Gallaudet University has announced, *officially* that they are bilingual, welcoming the English language onto their campuses. I relayed the news (along with some comments), to a friend who is interested by ASL and she's seeing my progress and everytime we see each other, I teach her a few signs. So her reaction was:

What bilingualism? They don't teach already in English? There's just one language there...

Ooooohhhh boy... So I have to remind her about the "L" in ASL, and this has to be accounted for, just like English, (hence bilingualism) and the whole shebang about "audism", etc...

But I'd bet her reaction is typical. ASL isn't considered as a real language, so words like "bilingualism" sound funny. What bilingualism?

Because ASL is taught in the United States, an English-speaking country, maybe the link between English and ASL is so strong... that it blurs some borders? Mhhh...

I'm a French-speaking native and I'm learning ASL. I know a dear friend who is a Spanish native speaker who had to learn ASL when she became deaf.

Conversely to some people, ASL *is* their native language, and they learn English as a second language.

So, I see no reasons why there aren't textbooks in French, in Spanish, or in any language about learning ASL. They probably exist, but I haven't looked for them.

To me, the "A" in ASL simply means the region which this Sign Language is used. In... America, period.

In England, they have BSL, British Sign Language, and to have seen some BSLs, they quite differ from ASL, and yet, this is two Sign Languages which are used... in dominant English-speaking countries.

In France, they have LSF, Langue Signée Française and back home, LSQ, Langue Signée du Québec. I have seen some LSQ (thanks to the Parliamentary Channel, the only channel which I can see LSQ! French is the dominant language here in Québec, and a lot of signs in LSQ... are also defined in ASL, either "verbatim" or with minor variations. So, Sign Language isn't subordinated to a spoken language, such as English. I'd say it is defined by the geographical region where this language is used. In America, in England, in France, in Québec, etc. That makes sense.

Also, if you have some relatives living in Europe (my case), you may chuckle a little bit. When Laurent Clerc came to America, he brought with him, some of the European culture.

When you count in ASL, say from one through 5, it is the same thing as hearing people do when they count on their fingers. Except for the number 3. Between hearing people all over Europe, if you want to show the number 3, you'll raise the index, the major... AND THE THUMB. We don't do that in America.

However, in ASL, this is the *proper* way to sign the number 3, with the thumb's up! Just like the Europeans do! So, if you don't pay attention, and you sign 3 the way you've been taught at school, you'll likely to sign the letter "W" or the number 6. Oopsie!

A language isn't static. It borrows words from other languages, and adapt them too.

Borrowing words in ASL... means signing spelled words. For instance, if you want to sign "pizza", you'll sign a "double z" with the major and index and then it is followed by the letter "a". The last 3 letters of "pizza". There isn't a genuine ASL sign for pizza. Shocking, I know!

If you want to sign an all-encompassing "all", there are several signs for that, but on one sign , you begin to sign the letter "L" (index and thumb at 90 degrees, visually looking like the letter L) and you make a wide lateral move with your hand. Hence, "all".

This is sometimes called "lexicalized signs"... and this has also been a rather hot debate. This is not pure ASL, and to some people this is another (bad) influence of the English language onto ASL.

I chuckle, because we Québecers, we often lecture our "cousins de France" of their use and abuse of English words... while conveniently forgetting that here too... we use English words. So this isn't only in ASL that there are such language debates... nor only in ASL that the English language is considered the big villain. :)

At some points, a language has to be practical. I'm well aware of that, as an ASL student. So many signs to remember, so many signs to associate with visual concepts!

So any visual clue will help.

A "double z and an a", because when I sign this, I *visualize* the word pizza, this is fine with me. The association between the two is obvious.

If I sign "T" (all fingers closed, except for the thumb that is placed between the index and the major) and I wiggle my hand.. it means toilet and mostly I or someone I know need to go there real... QUIIIICKK!

Therefore, the letter T for toilet, and the dance (wiggle) we all do when the bladder is full ! Then, you remember for the rest of your life the sign for toilet. The association is so easy to make.

Not all ASL signs are easy to remember... but my point is,.. there are thousands and thousands of signs to remember. So... why not making it easy to remember... when it's possible to do so. :)

Kalalau later went on with this vlog (sorry, only in ASL) about language decay. This is a problem all bilingual / multilingual people have to face. It also affects ASL and all Sign Languages as well.

I've felt that with my sign language when I took a few weeks off recently. My signs were rusty.

I feel the same with the English language, and even with my mother language, French. True, it's always easier to catch up with the mother language.

A tale: I've been on the go for 5 months, always in English-speaking countries... so, when I returned to Québec for good, it took me a little while to adjust. Because I was then thinking in English and no longer in French.

Anyway, just my little 2-cent of ramblings. :)

Cheers!

-E

Communicating in silence...

There was this interesting story about teaching ASL. Communicating in silence. The video is quite amusing to watch (don't worry, there's also a sound track. :) ).

The idea is to teach ASL dynamically... and a way to do so is to have *two* deaf teachers in front of the class... and to have them interact... in ASL, of course.

As for myself, I'm quite happy because it is one of those videos in ASL which I could understand what was signed (with the sound off. Otherwise, this is cheating, heh! :) ) ! Those online ASL classes finally begin to pay off! (I'm still at ASL University and ASLPro , in case you're wondering).

I was pondering about that... There are lots of deaf bloggers on the Internet... many are doing video blogs... signing in ASL (American Sign Language). At first, I was frustrated, because I couldn't understand a word, err... a sign. :)

Many of you have learned a second language and perhaps more. Don't you feel the *freedom* to be able to read a text written in a language that was previously foreign to you? If you travel, you have certainly felt that freedom. Gone is the language barrier !

I consider ASL as a "full blown" language, just like English, French, Spanish and so forth. It isn't just a "disability language", a kind of sub-standard language that exists solely for the purpose of bridging a communication gap.

Understandably, ASL is often taught that way, and perhaps as a result, it gets deeply rooted in the mindset of many of my fellow deaf and hard of hearing persons.

The mindset is that in order to learn ASL, you have to be deaf or HoH or someone close to you and you need to bridge that communication gap...

An indication of that mindset , is for instance the hot debate about CI (aka Cochlear Implants) that continues to rage.

The rationale is this: If you can ""hear"" (with many doublequotes, CIs are no ear substitutes), then it is perceived in the deaf community that there isn't a need to learn ASL Why learning Sign Language if you can hear? Therefore, if less people are learning ASL, there will be less signers, "obviously". That's how CIs get decoded as a threat to ASL... they bring people from the deaf world to the hearing world...

I'd say they are "obviously" wrong! (and on both counts too)

There are plenty of ASL students knocking at your door... but they've been ignored.

From my side of the world, I'm not alone. There are plenty of hearing people like me who'd love to learn ASL... if there are some materials in ASL readily available to us. We don't have friends or relatives who are deaf or HoH after all.

Why we would want to learn a new language? For the same reasons other people are learning French, Spanish, German, etc... No more, no less. It's not crazy to learn a new language and everyone has his/her motives. So, why it would be different with ASL, as if it is shameful to do so because I'm a hearing person?

It is this close-knit, and almost close-minded mindset in the deaf community that bugs me from time to time.

For the same reason that not all German speakers are German... Not all signers are deaf! I wish it is a message... that wouldn't be met with deaf ears, double-entendre (triple-entendre?) intended.

So I think the Internet is bringing opportunities to us, hearing people. You'll see more and more materials in ASL.

(PS: I even brought here the URL of some vlogs (see the links on the right)).

As for myself, those vlogs in ASL titillate my curiosity. I don't know about you, but I want to know what they are saying! I'm curious, what else can I ahem... sign? :)

My little Canadian 2-cent.

Cheers,

-E

PS: In case one is wondering, yes I am thinking eventually of having a vlog in ASL, next to this one. Don't worry, beside seeing my pretty face (!!), perhaps a kilt (oooohhhh!!!), there will be subtitles too, so you won't miss a word. :)

This is the ultimate way for me to learn ASL. :) The reasons I'm not doing it right now are technical (A decent videocam would certainly help. :) and the fact that there are many things going on, I can't set time aside inorder to get that project started).

Are you fluent in ASL? There are some job opportunities...

This week, I wasn't in the mood for my weekly ASL lessons. The good thing about online courses... you can skip classes all you want, heh. I wish I could have done that when I was at the university. Sigh. :)

So I was "spinning the bottle" at Google... wondering what web site with the keyword "ASL" (American Sign Language) would turn out.

This is how I arrived at Deaf Casting . com .

My first thought: Gee whiz, why not ?!? They have to recruit deaf actors, somewhere, no?

How about deaf movies?

How about English-speaking "mainstream" movies with deaf actors? In real life, there are plenty of deaf and hard of hearing people who are happily co-habitating with the hearing population... so why they wouldn't appear in mainstream movies as well?

As you know, I'm multilingual. I'm a native French speaker. I pretend to speak English (heh heh). I know some Italian, some German, some Spanish. Now, I'm learning Sign Language.

It has irked me a few times to see in American movies some people speaking in "fake French" (say, a waiter, err... "garçon" at a supposedly French restaurant). The idea is that it would sound French... to English speakers. They don't give a hoot that there are also people who are fluent in French watching this movie, and what the guy has uttered is just gibberish.

So why hiring hearing actors who would fake that they're deaf? A language is a language is a language, and American Sign Language is a language, just like French, English, German, and so forth.

I'll be offended, just like my fellow deaf and hard of hearing brothers who see actors "faking" that they are deaf. Don't sign in gibberish...

Respect our language, respect our culture.

I think this is also why Deaf Casting is there.

It goes without saying that they provide job opportunities to deaf and hard of hearing people.

Wow...

At the time I'm writing these lines, there's a movie by the name of "Sweet nothing in my ear"... (bravo for the great title!), a movie for the television, and you see big names like... CBS. No less. They're looking for deaf actors, fluent in ASL...

Also there were some auditions in Seattle, for a 3-month movie shoot... to be done in Toronto and Montréal. Sigh... three lovely cities I know quite well. :) Being fluent in ASL is also de rigueur...

Sometimes, I'm wondering...

I imagine that I can be classified as a hard of hearing person. :) However, never in my life I thought that learning a new language would become _this_ useful. :)

I would also bet that many deaf and hard of hearing persons have never considered an acting career... nor that in their wildest dreams, ASL would be the ticket to do so.

I support organizations like Deaf Casting and the least I can do is to write about them, here.

I suspect that there's no deaf Tom Hanks nor deaf Helen Mirren celebrities. I figure that you earn just modest amount of money. :)

However, if you know a deaf of hard of hearing friend, maybe they haven't thought that they could consider acting... nor even thought that the knowledge of ASL would open such big doors... so feel free to pass these infos. Who knows? A great movie star is born, thanks to you. :)

Cheers!

-E