DEAFinitelyDope

Commonly Asked Questions about deafness / deaf culture:

Were you born deaf or did it happen later?

A: I wasn’t born deaf. I was born prematurely on NYE (33 weeks and 3 days). A week later, I was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). I was placed in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for 10 weeks after birth and underwent major stomach surgery - an ileostomy and an appendectomy procedure as a newborn - surgical removal of approximately 40cm of small intestine and of the appendix; a stoma was made where a hole was made on bower abdomen and part of small intestine was exposed so feces from the intestine can pass. Due to that and the heavy use of antibiotics to fight infections early on, I later experienced hearing loss. I was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss at age 2 and later underwent a cochlear implant procedure at age 9 at UNC hospital in Chapel Hill, NC.

Do you know ASL (American Sign Language)?

A: No, I know ASL based signs. ASL is a legitimate language with its grammatical structure - the structure is the inverse of spoken English.  When we use ASL based signs, we use them in the spoken English structure. The teachers at St. Rita’s told my mother that I wouldn’t sign back - I was 4y.o. then.  There was one Deaf teacher & one hearing teacher who was fluent in ASL, as well as, Deaf, HH, & very few hearing children.  I always responded to ASL in spoken English instead of ASL. That was my preference and still is today. The teachers suggested to my mother to not put me in Schools for the Deaf because I didn’t want to sign and I had the ability to talk.  I don’t mind people signing to me. Sometimes, I do my best to teach people ASL based signs here and there. ASL based signs help in situations where I don’t have my hearing aid on. Me and my mother use SEE - Signed Exact English. This is part of the main reason why my mother made the decision to have me undergo a cochlear implant procedure - If I wasn’t going to sign, I needed to be able to hear better.

What is SEE?

A: SEE stands for Singing Exact English. It is a sign language system that represents English on the hands. It aims to visually represent all aspects of the English language, including vocabulary and grammar, making it a manual sign system that closely follows English syntax. SEE borrows some signs from American Sign Language (ASL) but modifies them to align with English word order and grammatical structures.

SEE vs ASL:

A: While SEE borrows some signs from ASL, it is distinct from ASL, which is a complete and independent language with its own grammar and syntax. ASL is not a direct translation of English. SEE, on the other hand, aims to be a visual representation of the English language.

Purpose of SEE & How it Works:

A: SEE is used to help deaf and hard of hearing individuals, especially children, learn and understand English. It provides a visual equivalent pf spoken English, including grammatical markers, prefixes, and suffixes. SEE uses signs for each word in English, SEE uses signs for each word in English, including articles, prepositions, and verb tenses. It often uses handshapes that correspond to the first letter of the English word.

Can deaf people drive?

A: Yes, deaf people can drive just like anyone else. We just rely more on visual cues.

Can deaf people read lips?

A: Some deaf people can, but it’s not always accurate. Lip-reading is hard because many words look the same on the lips. To visualize what it looks like reading lips, imagine playing tennis or ping-pong and there are many balls coming at you at all different directions and you’re trying to hit every single ball you can. Also factor in wearing headphones while working out while someone is trying to talk to you.

Do all deaf people use sign language?

A: Not all. Some use sign language, some speak, and some use both, depending on how they grew up (their family background) or what works best for them.

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Understanding Natural Hearing