Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!385!14.0!Ann.Stalnaker
From: Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Again, just some thoughts!
Message-ID: <17223@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jan 91 17:22:47 GMT
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[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 > In a few hours I am going to a meeting of about a dozen
 > people.  There is NO WAY that you or I could lipread the
 > fast conversation going around the table.
 
Jay, we may have to agree to disagree on this.  Normally I don't 
have problems lipreading in small meetings but I do use an oral 
interpreter in large meetings or when I feel I need one.  I serve 
on several organizations as a board of director or officer and so 
far, there has not been any communication problems for me.
 
I've been oral for over 40 years (gee, guess that tells you how old 
I am - *grin*) and I know that lipreading and speech skills are possible 
for ALL.  While there may need to be signing skills along with this, 
it is still possible.  I guess the reason I object so much to ASL 
is that I feel exact English should be used.  I'm referring from 
past experiences with other HI individuals - mainly seeing how much 
they've missed out on and the fact they can't comprehend what they 
read.  Now...don't take me wrong here as I'm not referring to ALL 
in this situation, mainly putting the blame on the Oklahoma education 
system, especially the Deaf Education classes.  I don't believe in 
specialized classes, I feel all should be mainstreamed.  It would 
be nice to have classes (perhaps 1 hour classes a day) for HI students 
to have speech therapy, etc.  It is being done in several states 
and is very successful.
 
 > I'll have a sign language interpreter there so that I
 > can fully participate--not just listen and guess, but
 > *participate.*
 
An oral interpreter works just as well, if not better (IMHO).  I 
don't try to guess what someone says - if I don't understand, I ask!
That is a bad mistake so many make but I think it's due to the fact 
that so many are too timid to ask.  Very understandable.  Anyway, 
when there are meetings and social events, I think all modes of 
communication should be available.
 
I still feel new methods of communication should be implemented for 
the future.
 
One of my good friends attended a seminar several years ago about 
hearing impairment and speechreading.  She spoke up when an official 
made the comparison between signing and lipreading by stating it 
was not exactly true because there are some of us who actually lipread 
very well.  Lipreading skills can be taught.  Look at what AGB is 
doing for the senior citizens.  There is a very interesting article 
in Modern Maturity written by former Illinois senator Charles Percy
regarding this.  He has learned to lip read and tells how great it 
is.  I guess it's different strokes for different folks but nothing 
is impossible, Jay.
 

--
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