Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!681!853.1!Stephen.White
From: Stephen.White@p1.f853.n681.z3.fidonet.org (Stephen White)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Sign language  Part 1
Message-ID: <15003@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 17 Oct 90 04:30:54 GMT
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Index Number: 11133

 CS> In america The deaf  are looked on in different ways. Most hearies
 CS> are afraid of us deafies. (as if we are gonna buite em or
 CS> something)

Tell them that you prefer your meat cooked. I don't think a male
deafie could say that though! ;-)

 CS> minute a person finds out about my deafness the attitude sudden;ly
 CS> changes, they start moving their lips  in funny shapes  and even

Yup! Exactly the same here! I politely inquire if they have a
toothache, and that usually stops them...

 CS> For myself , I was  thought to ne retarded until I was age  eight,
 CS> at which point some  brainy teacher finally persuaded  the
 CS> schools to test my hearing. She pointed out that considering the
 CS> fact  that I was reading fluently by the age of five, without
 CS> formal schooling,, there is no way in h*** I could be retarded.

Man: XXX, tell me the answer to the following questions. Feel free
     not to answer if you don't know the answer to the question. Do
     you understand?

XXX: <watching a fly, and it drops downwards> Nods.

Man: What is the capital city of America?

XXX: <silence>

Man: Who is the president of America?

XXX: <silence>

Man: What is one plus one?

XXX: <bored - starts picking nose and working out an interesting
problem in quantum mechanics>

Man: <frowning a bit> What colour is the sky?

XXX: <Yawns - solves problem of how to have faster than light
spaceships running off an AAA cell>

Man: Hmm, I guess she's retarded...

                 ******** The following day ********

Dear Mr and Mrs YYY,

We have subjected your daughter, XXX, to the most stringent and
rigourous scientific testing available in medical science, and we
regret to inform you that she is significantly retarded. Her IQ is
as follows:

<Bit of computer printing to make it look snazzy>

                43.141592654

You may contact the National Health Department for further
information - they can assist you in the purchase of a wheelchair
and a very large microwave oven.

                          Yours,
                            Dr Bladdensnort, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

                 ***********************************

 CS> I am curious as to the Australian Methods of educating the deaf.

What methods? The idea basically seems to be to shove them into
little sub-schools, provide teachers that are barely capable of
signing the alphabet let alone Signed English or Auslan, and get
them to translate the odd word now and then from the teachers who
are teaching the hearing students.

They consider their job well done if the students get a job making
cars. (Yes, a bit sarcastic here, but...)

 CS> I still have some trouble with signs even though it has been ten
 CS> years  or more now since..

What parts of signing do you have trouble with? My main problem is
relaxing enough, and trying to sign too fast.

 CS> Part of the reason  for this is that when one uses voice they are
 CS> in reality speaking two  languages at the same time.  A feat i'd
 CS> like to see  some hearing people  do with voice.

Listen to a woman sometime, any woman, but over 50 is preferred.
They can fit a years worth of FidoNet transmissions into 5 minutes
of nagging.

<deliberate provokation - I'm a cheeky sod, I am!>

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