Something you may not know about me….

I used to be quite fluent in sign language. But, like most things, if you don’t use it, you start to lose it.

I had always been intrigued by the language that didn’t require an accent, so when I saw it offered in college I decided to take a course. Well, I’m an animated person by nature,  so naturally, I ended up liking the expressive communication. I liked it so much, I  signed up for a second year.

Well, as fate would have it, when I was finishing up my second year of American sign language, a funny thing happened. I got stopped in the hallway at school, by a young man that quickly wrote me a note. It said something to the effect of, “I’m sorry, I’m deaf, but I like your perfume, what is it?”

Well, he had no way of knowing I knew a little sign language, so he was quite surprised when I smiled and signed back, “Thank you. The name is …. ” He fanatically started signing back and I had to stop him and tell him I was still a beginner. But, a friendship began.

As we hung out more, I was forced to learn more, and as is true with many languages, the more immersed in it you are, the faster you learn. So soon after, I was using sign language after two years, with much more success than the four years of high school French I took.

American Sign Language is a very straight foward form of communication, and each sign makes a lot of sense in it’s own way, so it’s easy to learn. And as I said before, there’s no accent to master!!! One cool thing that sticks out in my mind is a night at the Toledo Deaf Club. I had my mouth full of pizza and saw a friend all the way across the room. We spotted each other. and struck up a conversation. So there I was, a long distance away, with my mouth full, and still able to communicate, through sign!! It was great!

The deaf world is very proud of their language. They don’t consider themselves handicapped because they have their own way of speaking, and other than that, are just the same as the “hearing.”

Now, as some friends do, my deaf friend and I drifted apart, so I’ve lost the language to a certain degree, from not using it as much. But I started teaching my daughter signs, starting from infancy. It’s helped keep me in practice, and it’s been very beneficial to her in several ways.

One, babies can learn to communicate before their mouth muscles are fully developed to form words. I believe Ivie’s ability to tell me from about 8 months old that she wanted “milk,”  “food,” or to say “please” for other wants, saved me from tantrums. Tantrums usually at early ages from the frustration of not being able to communitated desires.

Also, since she’s always been encourage to communicate, beginning with sign language, I believe it gave her the confidence to speak sooner. At just two-years old, she constantly gabbing in full sentences, and I think sign language is partially to thank for that.

Anyway, I just wanted to sign the praises of a language that I find beautiful. And I hope that with modern technology making advancements in hearing repair/improvement, that it will never be to the extent of making sign language die.