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yohomama212
03-08-2007, 06:47 AM
Okay, I posted this question on the "how busy" thread and no one is answering there, so since I had other questions I thought I'd start a new thread. How busy will the parks be this Saturday for this? Will DTD also be busier?

My brother's girlfriend is in a Sign Language class this semester and has chosen to go to the parks for one of her required assignments. I took Sign Laguage as my foreign language in H.S. and still use it with my kids and in noisy situations with my sister who did the same. I would love to join them but we really can't do the $30 each to get us all in on a blackout date, but said I would meet them at DTD in the afternoon.

Anyway... other question... as someone only barely introduced to the basics of deaf culture, is there anything I should let the girlfriend know now to prepare her for the day? I've never been so I can't give her any information on what to expect. She's never been exposed to large groups of deaf people and from what I understand, it's going to be a very large group!

Thanks tons,
Liz :cool:

Malcon10t
03-08-2007, 07:08 AM
I'm a little confused. You said she is going, is she taking a group from the school? Disney offers a LOT in the way of hearing impaired, they have reflection boards, amplification aids for those that just need louder sound, closed captioning, and even little boards that will display what is being said on the rides (like POTC.) They even offer interpreters but you need to call in advance. How many people is she taking?

Koukla
03-08-2007, 07:25 AM
I didn't even know DLR had a Deaf Awareness Day until your post, Liz. When is it? If it's a blackout day for you, then it must be for me, too. :crying:
I can imagine the parks will be more crowded, especially if the weather is good. On par with Gay Days and Bat Days, and whenever other days there are large concentrated groups, I imagine. I hope it's not on a Saturday when the cheerleading competitions are going on! Sorry, I'm not able to answer that question for you.

I can dispel a myth about hearing-impaired people, especially large concentrated groups, though. It will not be a quiet event! Especially if they are having loads of fun. Expect noise and lots of it! :D As you know, hearing-impaired folks do have residual hearing, at varying degrees, and most are able to talk and do use their voices when feeling comfortable doing so. I had to stay in a dorm at Gallaudet University in DC for a week for a conference, and I'm telling you, if I'd had the money at the time I'd have transferred to a quiet hotel. I got very, very little sleep in that week. The noise was unbelievable, and at times unbearable.

If your brother's girlfriend is meeting and talking to new people and they start signing very fast, it's okay to sign SLOW+SIGN+PLEASE and ASL+NEW+LEARN or STUDENT+ME. When they discover she is a new hearing signer, they will take great joy in that. The deaf community loves seeing new people learning to sign, even if it's SEE, especially when they find out that person has no hearing-impaired people in their family.

You didn't say the extent of her assignment. Is she required to interact and report on that interaction?

Feel free to ask me any questions. I've been signing since I was ten, have gone through college interpreting programs, and worked as an interpreter many years ago (pre-ADA). I no longer interpret or teach, and residual skills are extremely rusty, but I'm still able to communicate despite not having used it for a long time.

It is so great to hear that ASL is being offered on the high school level! I had no idea. Way back when I was in high school (gheez I sound old!), I had to get special permission from my high school in order to take ASL classes at Fairview in Costa Mesa through Coastline Community College. Those were the days when ASL wasn't even considered a second language on the college level. At least some things are changing for the better! :D
Take care,
Kimberly

Malcon10t
03-08-2007, 07:34 AM
Deaf Awareness Day is March 10th. They had special pre order tickets for it for $45. The park will be pretty crowded based on past years attendance. This has been going on for a number of years. Is the OPs friend scheduled to work a signing area or is she there to just see what is going on? I know they bring in extra ASL interpreters for this event. Disney does a pretty good job with hearing impaired to begin with. So, this will be fun. I wish my daughter and I could drive down for it.

AVP
03-08-2007, 08:20 AM
Yoho, I think a lot depends on what your friend is scheduled to do that day. If she's just hanging out, there won't be a lot to tell her. For past events there has been a registration / information tent outside the entrance of Disneyland, and a smaller tent somewhere inside the park. You can pick up a special schedule there that will list the times when interpreters will be available for the narrated attractions like Jungle Cruise and Storybookland. Disney also provides interpreters for specific showings of the stage shows, and they will have the usual assistive devices Malcon10t mentioned.

If she's actually working as a volunteer at the event, tell her to expect to spend much of the day sitting at one of the stations. Unless things have changed, Disney does not rely on the volunteers to interpret the shows and attractions, though I've seen volunteers do exactly that if they happen to be somewhere where there is no Disney interpereter scheduled. Most of the volunteers I've seen at past events (identified by buttons they wore) were at one of the stations.

Hope she has fun. At my best my sign skills were probably never that of Koukla's at her worst, but I've enjoyed being at Disneyland during the events in the past. (Koukla, ASL wasn't a class when I was in HS either, and I also had to take evening classes at a CC)

AVP

Koukla
03-08-2007, 10:52 AM
Hope she has fun. At my best my sign skills were probably never that of Koukla's at her worst, but I've enjoyed being at Disneyland during the events in the past. (Koukla, ASL wasn't a class when I was in HS either, and I also had to take evening classes at a CC) AVP

Oh I highly doubt that, AVP. I was a pretty lousy interpreter (knowing the language and being able to interpret it are very different!) and I've gotten very rusty in my *old* age. Just like any other language, if you don't use it, you lose it. I still enjoy interpreting music, but if I was asked to do another wedding, I'd have to politely decline!

One of my clients, a middle-aged retired DEA agent, is taking an evening sign language class and has no one in his circle of friends/family who is hearing-impaired. I think it's so cool when people like that take an interest in the deaf community and the language. Even if one doesn't become fluent, just knowing a few signs to be able to help someone out, or to introduce yourself, etc., is great to someone who can't hear. I personally believe all law enforcement personnel, emergency responders, etc., should be taught some basic ASL, just in case it's ever needed.

I know this is totally off topic, but it brings to mind something I want to do with my renters across the street and I may even volunteer some time at their church doing this. They have two sweet little boys, ages 3 and 5. I'm going to start slowly working with them whenever I see them, teaching them a few signs here and there. That is the absolute best age to start learning a new language. Once they get beyond 7, 8 years old, the ability to learn a new language becomes harder and harder.

Thanks, Liz, for bringing this topic up. You've given me an idea on how I can spend some of my time now that I'm down to one job and not commuting into OC 4-5 hours a day! :D

yohomama212
03-08-2007, 02:23 PM
Okay, bro's gf is going for school, but independent of her class, she's a student and is required to attend a certain number of "deaf events" this semester. (As cool as it was, I would have rather gone to DL for my assignments than the show at Deaf West Theater!) Since I have a few semesters of signing and a bit of "cultural experience" (for lack of a better term), she has asked me to go along with her. My brother called me this morning and told me that they're going to pay for my blackout ticket so I will be in the park that day! ($30 isn't usually such a big deal, but t-ball just started for DS and DH is coaching, so that's two full uniforrms, all the equipment, and I have a women's retreat coming up next weekend that I still have to finish paying off!) My understanding is that she will have to have a certain amount of interaction.


(I remember being set up by an interpreter friend of mine when I had to do this... she had a friend of her's approach me at the coffee shop and ask me if I was "hungry" and if I wanted some "coffee", except it was my first semester and those weren't the signs he used! A very embarassing few minutes followed!)


So she's not going to be working or interpreting for anyone in any capacity, though it's helpful to know that there will be a schedule of interpreted events for her to experience!

Now, my brother is a film student and has decided to take this opportunity to work on a project he had been sitting on. He needs an interpreter and has decided I'm qualified enough! AAAAAHHHHHHH!

On another side note, ASL was not offered at my HS, I was in a special program in HS where half our classes were through the CC, that's where I took ASL! I took it because as an Italian it was easier for me to do ASL than learn French! We had an interesting mix, some people alrady knew some from casual interations with deaf or HOH aquantances, one guy was a cop who would get a raise after taking so many classes, and there was even one couple who had just had a baby and he was born deaf.

Thanks for all the input!
Liz :cool:

AVP
03-08-2007, 05:55 PM
one guy was a cop who would get a raise after taking so many classes, That's why I started learning - my mom would get a raise if she could act as an interpreter at work. The only foreign language she spoke (French) wasn't in demand at her job, and they had way too many Spanish speakers. She had a lot of choices - Vietnamese, Romanian, Filipino / Tagalog , Khmer / Cambodian - along with ASL. Since she was taking it, she thought it would be a good idea if I also learned it, so she brought books home and I started to practice. We had a sign language "unit" in my elementary school GATE program, but that teacher taught SEE. I didn't know why the signs I learned there were not the same as the ones my mom learned (the teacher never mentioned that she was not teaching ASL, and I didn't learn there was a difference for years), and I still have some bad signing habits as a result.

I had an elementary school friend who could sign, and we signed all the time. We signed in class, signed when we didn't want to be overheard, signed when our bus driver made us all be silent for the ride as punishment for something. Then I moved to another city, and nobody I knew there signed at all. My mom and I still used it alot, but I started to forget most of it.

There was an evening sign class offered through the community college when I was in high school, and I registered for that with a group of friends. We had a lot of fun, but the instructor taught us nothing but vocabulary. As a result, I know a lot of words, but I don't feel comfortable having a conversation - I guess it's best described as using SEE with an ASL vocabulary. I don't have the ASL syntax, and I have a hard time conversing with someone who doesn't sign English.

That said, I sign a lot - much to the annoyance of my friends and family who don't understand the few dozen signs I frequently use. I've really thought about going back and taking classes again because I would like to become fluent, but I'm also trying to decide if I want to start to learn Japanese.

Anyway, I'll be in the park this weekend Yoho, so perhaps I'll run into you!

AVP

adriennek
03-08-2007, 06:11 PM
That said, I sign a lot - much to the annoyance of my friends and family who don't understand the few dozen signs I frequently use. I've really thought about going back and taking classes again because I would like to become fluent, but I'm also trying to decide if I want to start to learn Japanese.

Well, don't count me on that list. I love it.

Of course, I don't know how anyone can know you for any length of time without knowing learning "No" and "Later". :rolleyes: ;)

Adrienne

Malcon10t
03-08-2007, 06:24 PM
Well, don't count me on that list. I love it.

Of course, I don't know how anyone can know you for any length of time without knowing learning "No" and "Later". :rolleyes: ;)

AdrienneMickeyDogMom signs. She had a deaf friend and learned in HS. She is also hard of hearing. I know enough to know what she is complaining, I mean signing about. We sign sometimes to annoy one of her instructors and sometimes we sign at home to avoid the other kids from knowing what we are discussing.

Ones I know to respond quickly to are "I'm hungry" and I'm tired. Ones I know how to sign well are "Sorry" and "Thank you".

shna
03-08-2007, 06:26 PM
I learned how to sign the alphabet ages ago. My Jr High best friend & I used to sign across the room when we were separated for talking out loud. I can still use the alphabet if I have to, but I'm s...l...o...w.

There is a lot of interesting information out there (cyberspace & bookstores) about teaching signing to infants. Many can apparently communicate with signs before they gain the ability to speak. We bought a DVD & booklet to use with my daughter because she seemed slightly speech-delayed. Of course, once the package arrived, her speaking picked up. She still learned a couple of signs. Friends of ours taught their baby boy quite a few signs -- things like "hungry," "thirsty," "change" (for diaper needs), "pain" (so he could let them know when something hurt & what part of the body hurt). Pretty amazing stuff.

I've heard that at least one elementary school in Santa Clarita has an ASL program (or at least classes). I'd love it if my daughter could learn to sign while it's still easy to learn a second language. I'd love to learn to sign as well. It seems like a really nifty skill to have. :)

yohomama212
03-08-2007, 07:18 PM
There was an evening sign class offered through the community college when I was in high school, and I registered for that with a group of friends. We had a lot of fun, but the instructor taught us nothing but vocabulary. As a result, I know a lot of words, but I don't feel comfortable having a conversation - I guess it's best described as using SEE with an ASL vocabulary. I don't have the ASL syntax, and I have a hard time conversing with someone who doesn't sign English.

Anyway, I'll be in the park this weekend Yoho, so perhaps I'll run into you!

AVP

ASL signs in English word order is known as Pidgeon Sign. (Don't ask me where the name came from, I have no idea!) Most hearing students will learn Pidegeon Sing in the early classes and then transition to true ASL form in the advanced and interpreting classes. It's usually not a problem when it comes to commuication, and really handy when it comes to interpreting, or so I've found. SEE sign is rediculous in my opinion. I had to take a semester of SEE sign and nearly lost my mind. In theory it's supposed to help deaf children learn English better. I haven't studied the results of this, so I can't say how effective it is.

If you are there on Saturday, I would love to arrange a meet with you if you are comfortable with that. My brother might have a use for you in his film project, but you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with! PM me if you're interested!

Liz :cool:

adriennek
03-08-2007, 07:23 PM
We sign sometimes to annoy one of her instructors and sometimes we sign at home to avoid the other kids from knowing what we are discussing.

This is why I want to know how to sign. :~D I know, it's sick and twisted. I also like it because it's easy to "speak" in loud situations.


Ones I know to respond quickly to are "I'm hungry" and I'm tired. Ones I know how to sign well are "Sorry" and "Thank you".

My kids know a few signs still from when I taught them a few when they were infants. We can tell when they REALLY mean please because they still rub their stomachs off.

Adrienne

Koukla
03-08-2007, 09:06 PM
ASL signs in English word order is known as Pidgeon Sign. (Don't ask me where the name came from, I have no idea!) Most hearing students will learn Pidegeon Sing in the early classes and then transition to true ASL form in the advanced and interpreting classes. <snip>

I hope you don't mind if I correct you just a little? The word is actually pidgin and is used in reference to all languages, not just ASL. My Greek is what you'd call pidgin Greek b/c although I know vocabulary, my usage of verbs and correct sentence structure, etc., leave a lot to be desired. Basically, it's an elementary use of language.

And there are two forms of Signed Exact English: SEE1 and SEE2. They're not languages, but rather signing systems. And you're right, both are a pain. I'm of the school that believes it does help HI children learn English, more specifically I believe it helps in their ability to read English. ASL comes very naturally and that's what they'll use on the playground, but when learning how to read I do think SEE helps.

If you ever want to read/study further, or get a chance to meet or sit in on a lecture or class by Mel Carter or Ella Mae Lentz, I highly recommend it. These are two of my heroes from my *former* life, and I believe both are still active in the community.

Little piece of advice taught to me and one I've since passed down to every sign language student I know. Don't ever assume those around you don't know sign language! In other words, if you ever want to talk about someone behind his/her back or are signing instead of speaking because you don't want to be overheard, think twice about it. I've heard some hilarious stories over there years, including having experienced some of my own very embarassing situations! (Should be a new thread. . . most embarassing situations.) :D

yohomama212
03-08-2007, 09:40 PM
I don't mind the correction at all, I knew I was mispelling it, didn't know there was more!

I'm teaching my kids sign language. I've know of the benefits of signing to children long before it became the popular thing to do and there was mass media on it. DS4 can now sign what he wants when he's in the mood and often asks me the sign for new words. His latest question was "how do you sign cucumber?" I told him I didn't know what it was, but I'd look it up for him. I now have an ASL site bookmarked on my browser! DD (20 months old) can tell me all the color signs, though she doesn't quite know her colors yet! She could sign "banana" before she could say it! DH was skeptical at first about the benefits of teaching the kids sign language and even resistant to it when DS was born, but even he's coming around and reinforcing the signs I'm teaching! If anyone is interested in more information on this check out www.signingtimekids.org !

Liz :cool:

Koukla
03-08-2007, 10:00 PM
I don't mind the correction at all, I knew I was mispelling it, didn't know there was more!

I just didn't want to come off sounding like an annoying know-it-all. :D I do get excited by this subject, mostly because I've been *out of it* for so many years and am excited to see people learning not only how to sign, but about deaf culture in general. Plus I'm a closet teacher at heart.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to have to check that out. I don't know sign for cucumber, either.

That is so cool what you're doing with your kids! I'd be doing the same thing if I had them. Since I don't, I think I'll practice with the neighbor kids. I tried teaching my German Shepherd (he's a smart one), but he's picking up my Greek (which I use in public to discipline him) better than my ASL.

One thing you might notice on Saturday at DLR are different signs being used for some words. I always asked a student where they went to school before interpreting for them. If they went to Fremont, I'd use certain signs (like the sign for swimming is different). If they went to Riverside, I'd use another sign altogether.

Be prepared for a crowd! I looked it up on the internet and found there's even a student group coming from Utah. I usually work on Saturdays, but I have to take a trip to Anaheim, even just to DTD. If Drew is performing, I could easily interpret for him (no vocals!) :D

Take care!
Kimberly
P.S. Sign name = circling K, moving down from top of head to shoulders. One of my proudest days was when deaf students at Golden West assigned me my own sign name, b/c of my long curly hair. I thought at first they meant 'cause I'm crazy! :eek:

yohomama212
03-09-2007, 06:40 AM
One thing you might notice on Saturday at DLR are different signs being used for some words. I always asked a student where they went to school before interpreting for them. If they went to Fremont, I'd use certain signs (like the sign for swimming is different). If they went to Riverside, I'd use another sign altogether.

Be prepared for a crowd! I looked it up on the internet and found there's even a student group coming from Utah. I usually work on Saturdays, but I have to take a trip to Anaheim, even just to DTD. If Drew is performing, I could easily interpret for him (no vocals!) :D

Take care!
Kimberly

Yeah my first instructor told us all about "dialects" and "accents"! I have found in my small sphere of influence that the most elitist accents come from the kids from a local High School. They have almost recreated their own culture and rules, it's both fascinating and annoying all at once.

Are you talking about Drew Tretick, the violinist? He's an old aquantance of mine! Last time I was at DTD he wasn't there. We haven't spoken in a while, but I still love to listen to his music when I'm at home.

I want to extend the same invitation to you that I did to AVP, I would love to meet you if you do decide to come over. Even if it is only to DTD. PM me if you're interested!

Liz :cool:

Koukla
03-09-2007, 08:56 AM
. . . kids from a local High School. They have almost recreated their own culture and rules, it's both fascinating and annoying all at once.

Pretty much how I feel about teenagers in general. . . fascinating and annoying! :D

And yes, I was talking about Drew Tretick. I missed him last Sunday, but introduced myself to him Friday and he promised to autograph a CD I have of his. A former coworker of mine knows him and has worked with him at DTD for several years that I know of. My 93-year-old grandmother used to play the violin and I really want to take her to see him some night, but not on a busy Friday night. Are Sunday evenings any less busy at DTD?

I, too, would love to meet you. Not sure about tomorrow, though. Depends on how much of my caseload I can get through today. I've taken too much time off this last week (2 DLR trips, too!) and the clients are starting to get restless. PMing you right now. :cool:

Take care,
Kimberly

jillshumway
03-09-2007, 11:15 AM
Asl was not offered in my schools until college and I went to a hearing impared elementary school. All the Hearing impared students from the district went to our school. This was in the 70's and they seperated us. I wish we had had more interaction it would have been easier to learn then.

Jill

MickeyDogMom
03-09-2007, 01:24 PM
I know enough to know what she is complaining, I mean signing about.

I do NOT complain!!! My ear hurts BTW, hehe.

I had a deaf friend in HS and my best friend in HS could sign, so pretty much any one of my HS friends could sign so secrecy was useless. Especially when you have an interpreter in most of your classes that will tell the teacher what you are saying. Even one of my teachers was fluent, it sucked, she'd tell us to 'shut it' in sign if she caught us. It only worked in the classes where we had no interpreter, no teacher, and no fluent friends.

My best friend and I did go to Disneyland together and to annoy my mom, siblings, and sibling's friends, we'd chatter together too quick for them to pick it up. We had to make up a few new signs for that trip. :~D I find DL to be a pretty accessible place and if I didn't know all the attractions and most of the spiels or get seated close to areas , I would probably get a CC device for myself.