The American Sign Language Journey

I’m sitting in a restaurant in Northbrook as I type this.  I have just dropped off my daughter at the International Center for Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) and I’m passing the time as she practices for the upcoming Peter Pan play.  Three, sometimes, four times a week, we make the one hour trek from our home to the tiny theatre where she joins a group of deaf and hard of hearing kids of all ages.  Each and every time, she’s so excited to go and hang with her friends.

“Hey Mom, look at this neat ASL phrase I learned today!” she signs. 

She’s picking up the lingo, learning the slang and gaining more and more confidence each day as she converses with the kids.  This is from the kid who spoke entire sentences at the age of fourteen months and wanted nothing to do with ASL when her hearing suddenly went south at the age of four.  She’s the hard of hearing kid who spends time yakking on the phone with her best friend from Texas, the one who is quick to raise her hand at school and jump into a hot debate– the child that I thought would never embrace sign.  

And here she is, surrounded by a group of kids who are signing faster than the speed of light and she’s not shying away– she’s right in there asking them to repeat.  Sign it again, she signs, when the rapid-fire signing “goes over her head.”

With a start, I realize she’s applying the same advocating technique that we’ve taught her over and over throughout the years– when communication doesn’t happen, change it so that it does.  Ask for a repeat, ask for a re-phrase, ask for it in a way that gets the message understood.  She’s soaking up the ASL and incorporating it– and loving it.

There was a time she hated it.

“Mom, don’t sign.  I don’t need it.  I can hear you just fine.”

It has been fun watching the metamorphasis over the years, how the diverse communication modes have weaved in and out of her life and how she’s grown and changed.  I love how she’s been able to find her niche with a variety of friends– hearing, hard of hearing, deaf/Deaf. 

I’m often reminded of something that I first heard from Janet DesGeorges and Leeanne Seaver about the parenting journey when it comes to making choices for our kids:

Nothing is set in stone.

Sometimes when we set out on a certain path, we think we’re heading down that path for a long time.  And sometimes our kids lead us down a different path or change the direction in our sails. 

Sometimes the time is just right for a new direction and as parents, we just have to give our kids the opportunity to explore all the different paths.

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Tags: Raising Deaf/HH Kids by DeafMom
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Wordless Wednesday– It’s a Slam Dunk!

Wordless Wednesday:  It’s a slam dunk off the side of the boat!

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Why I Love My Z-150 Made by Tandberg

Just a year ago, I was making phone calls mostly by text relay or a Captel phone and occasionally by webcam using video relay.  In January, I took a position as a Sales Manager for Zvrs and I was introduced to the Z-150 videophone which is made by Tandberg.  Tandberg is a world leader for videoconferencing and apparently Cisco feels the same way– they purchased Tandberg in a recent deal for three billion dollars.

I think they got a great deal.

My life took a huge change when the Z-150 came into my life.   I was introduced to single-line VCO:  when I make a phone call, I use my voice to talk directly to the hearing person on the other end of the connection.  I don’t need a second phone to do this, I speak directly into the videophone and the person can hear me.  Perched on the screen in front of me is a Zvrs interpreter.

A few weeks ago, for the first time, I called my friend Cassie to talk about plans for our kids.  In the past, we always texted or used email but I decided to give her a call because we wanted to discuss something in detail.  It was the first time that she experienced a VCO call and she was simply blown away.

“How are you keeping up with me so well?” she asked.

“I’ve got a great interpreter in front of me and he’s doing a great job!” I explained.  The interpreter grinned.

“It’s almost like you’re hearing,” she said.

The neat thing is that people can call me up using a regular ten-digit number.  I don’t have to explain anything to anyone when I give out my number.  I just tell them, “Call me,” and they do.  When they dial the ten-digit number, it automatically routes through Zvrs and my Z-150 alerts me to the call with an email and then the videophone flashes on the screen.  I press a button and answer with, “Hi, Karen here!”

I’m not kidding when I say that my life changed after getting a Z-150– because now I’m on the phone all the time.  I used to dread making phone calls because the other person would become impatient and hang up.  I still work as a Deaf Mentor on the side and I love being able to call up families and connect with them.  I use the Zvrs Spanish-speaking interpreters to connect with Latino families.

Now that Cisco has Tandberg, it won’t be long until most of America has a Tandberg sitting on their desk.

How cool is it that a deaf person is ahead of the phone trend?

Update: Tandberg picked up the blog on their site: Videoconferencing Changes Deaf Mother’s Life.

Tandberg Telepresence Helps Deaf Mom Communicate Better

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Tags: Uncategorized by DeafMom
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