I also
was confused on sign songs. I didn’t know if the videos we had watched in class
were considered this or not. I learned that sign songs are to “present a visual
harmony and counterpoint that complements the purely auditory dimension of a
voice choir” (pg. 385). I decided that that the videos we watched in class were
not considered sign songs. I came to this conclusion after reading that sign songs
are “not a traditional part of ASL culture” (pg. 386). The ASL equivalent to
this would be ASL sign-mime performances. “Signsongs, then are more of a
Hearing form of expression than a Deaf one” (pg. 386). Another reason I came to
the conclusion was because I read that “most signsongs are performed in
straight signed English” (pg. 387). The videos we watched seemed to be pure
ASL.
I agree that it would be more
appropriate for a Deaf student to sign a song rather than a Hearing one if
given the option. I agree that it is “their
language”. I thought it was clever that the authors compared this to “Cultural
Piracy” (pg. 386). I was glad to read about Sherry Hicks (pg. 387). I think it
is awesome that she is hearing but yet signs so beautifully in ASL because of
her background.
Chapter 67:
Never before had I heard that there
may be some difference between a hearing person and a deaf person in their
facial anatomy. I thought that this idea was pretty ridiculous. The authors
pointed out that “Deafness has been called ‘the invisible handicap’” (pg. 389).
They also say that they “found no evidence that they have thinner or more
upturned upper lips than hearing people do. Or that their nostrils are unequal”
(pg. 390). I wasn’t surprised by the author’s response. I never had thought
that there might be a difference. The authors brought up a valid point by
reminding everyone that this is why “so many deaf children get misdiagnosed”
(pg. 390).
“We do
note, however, that deaf people (on the whole) use their facial muscles
differently from hearing people” (pg. 390). After I read this sentence, I began
to wonder if the person who wrote in asking about the difference in facial
anatomy was confused by the difference in facial expressions. I too have noticed
how a person using ASL uses more facial expressions than a hearing person does.
In class we learned this was because they use their face as a grammatical marker.
This chapter discusses that a little bit. “The eyebrows, for example, are used
to indicate questions, and the way the eyebrows are raised or knit and the head
tilted specifies what kind of question it is” (pg. 390). This idea was completely
foreign to me before taking ASL.
Chapter 68:
I have noticed that when I go
somewhere such as plays or church services the interpreter is typically wearing
something very plain. This chapter states that interpreters do not always have
to wear dark colors, “just as long as they provide an appropriate background to
their signing” (pg. 393). I understand how this would be very important. You
wouldn’t want your clothing to be distracting and lead to miscommunications. The
authors go on to say that “any relatively quiet, unobtrusive color that makes a
good underpinning to the play of the hands and face” (pg. 393) is acceptable. The
most important thing is to make sure that your clothing does not interfere with
the visibility of your signing.
I had
never heard of a “shadow” interpreter before. I learned that they are the ones “onstage
right there with the costumed performers- clearly visible to Deaf viewers, but unobtrusive”
(pg. 394). These interpreters are known for wearing black. Overall this chapter
really just explained what most people would find to be common sense regarding
appropriate clothing to wear while signing.
Chapter 69:
I found this chapter was very
interesting. I never thought about how sensitive deaf people were to light. Not
because their eyes are in particularly sensitive but because they are used to
having light in order to communicate. Therefore, “Deaf people associate light
with the need to be awake and alert” (pg. 397). After I read this it really did
make sense. “We can only sleep in darkness- when there is a complete absence of
visual stimuli” (pg. 397). This made me think about how important light is for
a deaf person. Not only do they have to have light in order to see each other
sign but also light can be used to signal an emergency. When there is an
emergency one may flicker the lights in order to get their attention.
I thought it was extremely
fascinating to read about the Deaf children who went to residential-schools. “Deaf
children don’t choose to sleep in
complete darkness; they’re forced to”
(pg. 397). I also didn’t know that “some deaf people install red or blue bulbs
in hallway fixtures near bedrooms” (pg. 398) because “red and blue lights are
more easily ‘ignored’ by deaf sleepers” therefore the “colored light won’t be
as bothersome as regular white light” (pg. 398). I learned a lot of new things
from this chapter.
Chapter 70:
I have heard before that deaf
people have more heightened visual senses. “They simply become more alert about
taking in and processing visual messages. Paying close attention and noticing
easily overlooked details is a survival skill” (pg. 401). This idea seems
logical to me because they seem to be making up for a loss of one of their
senses. “Deaf people use their eyes as hearing people use their ears” (pg.
401).
I had heard of Usher’s Syndrome
before. We had talked a little bit about this syndrome in my biology class last
semester. The chapter describes this as “a fairly common form of genetically
linked deafness and progressive blindness” (pg. 402). “There is no cure or
effective treatment” (pg. 402). I think that it would be extremely difficult to
have this syndrome. Since it is the loss of two of your senses, I think that
these people would rely a lot on touch. I agree that they should tell children
who have this syndrome early on in life so that they can learn to cope with it.
I thought it was really cool that “a person with US typically acquires a solid
ASL/ Deaf Culture background” (pg. 403).
After reading this book for two
semesters now, I have learned so much more about Deaf Culture. I have enjoyed
reading this book and really think that it has opened my eyes to culture I didn’t
know much about before.
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