Crossroads...

At the age of 38, I still don't know what I want to "be when I grow up." Is that normal? For various reasons having to do with money and family, I did not go to college right after high school. Rather I went to work full-time and took some junior college classes at nights. I was 18, and like most my age, thought I knew everything. I was making really good money and had my own apartment, plus a new car. Why on earth would I want to quit work and go to school full time?

Now I know why.

To go to school now is a pain in the ass! There is no winning lottery ticket in my pocket, so school has to fit around full time work and two teenagers. The thought of writing papers and researching and reading and studying - oy!

I did crank out about 38 units at the junior college, before I got married. At least SOME of it is out of the way. But - get this - I still need to take a PE class! Pleeezzz. Can't 15 years of chasing children count as phys ed?

I am really enjoying my ASL classes, and am starting to look at continuing education past the ASL classroom. I took the plunge and registered for ASL and something else this Fall. Cultural Anthropology. Apparently it is something I can mark off the requirement list somewhere.

So I finish the general ed classes I need for a 2-year degree - then what? My boss here in the HR department is not going to do anything different or pay me any more.

I need to find my passion, and then perhaps the required education will seem worth it. Maybe a mentor who can help me define what it is I want to do. For right now all I want to do is learn to sign...

Summer Enrichment 2007

Now that I have finished ASL 2B at LasPo, I have maxed out on classes available close to home. It is important to me to keep my signing skills current, so I enrolled again in a summer series at Berkeley City College. This is the same school had a vocabulary class with in Summer 2006, just a new name and fancy new building.

This class is intermediate level conversational skill building. The 5 week series is taught by Ramona Galindez, the same instructor I had for vocabulary class last summer. Ramona is like a Deaf Whoopi Goldberg, dreadlocks and all. She is funny and has the best facial expressions. I really enjoyed my classes with her last year, and look forward to this year as well.

I am taking the class with a very dear friend of mine. We spent the 45 minutes or so on the BART laughing and signing. We got a few looks from the weary evening commuters, but not many. Signing in public helps me to get more comfortable with my facial expressions and body language. I know that some people will be curious and look, which I am learning is fine. Since I am a basically shy and introverted person, it is a bit of a stretch for me to sit there making "funny faces" during my conversations.

Anyway, last night we covered ASL Idioms. I especially like learning things like this - things not in the text books. It is the "real life" slang and phrases that I want to understand. Helps me keep up with the conversations at Deaf events.

Next week is going to focus on fingerspelling and ASL numbering systems...

ASL 2B… (Rated PG for content)

Approximately 2 years from my return to Las Positas for ASL 1A, I started what would be my last class as LasPo. As it turns out, mine would be the only ASL 2B class as they are not keeping it available due to lack of enrollment. Spring 2007 rounded out my 4th formal semester of ASL, again with Melinda teaching.

This class was more challenging than the others, but then it should be. Melinda would remind us that we are in our 4th class and should be challenging ourselves!

The big shocker came when Melinda told the class that we had to do a midterm presentation to last 45 minutes! Okay so let me say now that I have NEVER stood up in front of a group and talked for 45 minutes, with my voice or hands. This freaked out a lot of the students, and was the first real assignment we have had. Melinda was pretty flexible on the topic and content. She wanted to see proper ASL grammar and signing (no voicing!). She wanted the presentation to demonstrate something and required it to have class interaction.

Most students chose to do a PowerPoint presentation with either still images of them signing (which was ineffective) or with video of them signing. A few of us stood up in front of the class and presented live.

Fortunately for me, I had recently attended a workshop by Sandra Amundsen on a topic that I could use for my midterm. (See Sandra's link in my Distractions section). So lucky me, I was the very first student to present and had to stand up in front of the class and demonstrate the material from the workshop.

My topic was “HANDSHAPES: COMMON MISUSES IN ASL” Below is the text from my midterm handout listing the signs I had to demonstrate and use in a sentence or story. I am amazed I was able to pull this off!

Sharing of information learned at “HANDSHAPES: COMMON MISUSES IN ASL” workshop. This workshop was taught by Sandra Amundsen, owner of Sandra’s ASL Services.

Sandra explained common misuses of handshapes, where the signs are similar but have hugely different meanings.

Please note: Some signs are of a graphic nature, but necessary to show the vastly different meanings for similar signs. If you are uncomfortable with signs of a graphic or sexual nature, you are welcome to skip this presentation.

Common Misuses of Handshapes

1. APPLE / COOL
2. BLACK / SUMMER
3. BREAKFAST / BITCH
4. CHEESE / MOVIE
5. CHURCH / CHOCOLATE
6. DUTY / DOCTOR
7. EXCUSED / EXCUSE ME
8. FRENCH FRIES / PEPPER
9. HUNGRY / HORNY
10. JAPAN / VAGINA
11. MEET / FUCK
12. MUMPS / MEASLES
13. ORANGE / BLOW JOB
14. PINK / PENIS
15. POPCORN / STRIPPER
16. RECENT, RECENTLY / SEX
17. RETIRE / VACATION
18. SALT / VOCABULARY
19. SHY / PROSTITUTE
20. UMBRELLA / MASTURBATE

Well I lived through the "colorful signs" and got the class to participate with me and sign sentences back using some of the words. Melinda gave me a near perfect score, which is always nice. More importantly, this presentation taught me that I could stand up in front of a group of students and spend 30+ minutes signing coherently...

Name Sign…

One thing that many hearing signers don't understand are the "rules" which govern the granting of an ASL Name Sign. Within the Deaf community, there are certain traditions and guidelines which must be respected. Name Signs are one of those things that hearing people absolutely should not take upon themselves to make up.

Following are two quotes which illustrate my point very well:

"Culturally, Deaf people are the only people who should make up any sign. It doesn't matter if it is a name sign or any other sign. We hearings are not natives to this language and should not take it upon ourselves to create any new words even if it is our own name. Culturally, Deaf people are the only ones who should give you your name sign. If you wait and get to know a Deaf person, then it will feel more special having your name sign come from someone who is a native speaker. Being an interpreter, I was taught about the importance of NOT crossing cultural lines in the Deaf community." --NTIDDEARIE

In the Deaf world, assigning name signs is generally considered to be the prerogative of Deaf people. The word prerogative means "an exclusive right or privilege held by a person or group" (dictionary.com). Which is to say, traditionally "Hearing people" should not give themselves name signs. Instead they should get their name sign from a Deaf person skilled in ASL and active in the Deaf Community. This helps insure that the new name sign doesn't conflict with existing local name signs. --Dr. Bill Vicars

So imagine my surprise one night in when Melinda referred to me with a name sign! I actually was not sure that is what she signed, so I emailed to ask. Since I knew the *rules* about name signs, I wondered if I had been officially granted my name sign. She said that she used it without even realizing it. ("I use it as you have a "Deaf Heart" and very passionate about learning our culture. That probably why I signed it without thinking it. Hope you liked it.") Melinda's comments made it all the more meaningful, especially since she was able to see how much ASL has grown to mean to me.

Now, over 20 years after I started learning this language, I officially had my own Name Sign. While there are others that select name signs for themselves for a variety of reasons, I respect the Deaf Culture and traditions enough to wait until I "earned" it from a member of the Deaf Community. It means much more to me that way. Of course that is just my perspective, but given the fact that I am an outsider in THEIR community, I would never presume to step on their customs or traditions...

ASL 2A...

Finally, Fall 2006 semester was open for registration. I was able to get back into my routine with the ASL 2A class back at Las Positas. Melinda was again teaching which was wonderful for me. I felt like I was just getting to know her, and looked forward to the review of materials learned in the ASL 2 combo class. Back at LasPo, the 2nd year of ASL is broken up into two semesters. I hoped to have a chance to dig deeper into the material from the spring class.

Melinda was charming and effervescent as ever. This class was much smaller and felt more connected. Some of the same ladies were still in the class with me, along with some new folks. Again, I hoped that the people taking their 3rd semester of ASL were in it for serious study. Most of them were.

We went through more of the vocab in the book, and spent time learning the associated signs for the Fall and Winter holidays. More Deaf Community events were required and an extra credit project. I did mine on a "Deaf Culture Trivia" type of slide show.

For our final, we had a written portion and then had to stand up in front of class and sign "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" This was not only amusing, but gave me a chance to compare/contrast my signing style and skill with my peers. Some students were really good at it, some sucked. I was starting to see that signing comes more naturally to some people, and thankfully I think I am one of them...

Summer Enrichment 2006...

I found myself really missing my ASL class once the Spring semester ended. Las Positas did not offer any ASL summer class at the 2nd year level (and goodness knows I didn't want to take ASL 1 for a 3rd time) so I started looking around for some ASL summer enrichment. I found it through Vista Community College's summer class series. The only down side was that the class was quite a way from home in Berkeley.

I enrolled in a "conversational vocabulary" class that met one night a week for 5 weeks. It was a no-credit class, but thought it was a good opportunity to keep practicing and keep my fingers limber. The class was scheduled to be taught by Jennifer Ann Cook (JAC) but ended up with some sort of scheduling change. I was delighted to meet Ramona Galindez, a wonderfully funny deaf woman.

The format of the class was to pick a topic each night, then brainstorm vocabulary related to that topic. One night was medical signs, the next legal, etc. There were no tests or homework, just a few hours to sit and learn some new vocab. I also got to meet some new students from another ASL program, and reconnect with a few ladies I had met previously at the ASL Immersion Weekend.

This week (tomorrow in fact) I start another summer enrichment series at the same school. This class is "intermediate conversational skills." Hopefully I can keep up! It is a good way to keep practicing over the summer months…

Meetup.com

A friend told me about a social group website called Meetup.com. There you can find a vast array of monthly social gatherings on tons of subjects right in your own area. I did a search on ASL and found a few different groups. One in Sacramento, but they meet for breakfast and that is too far to drive. There is another ASL Meetup in the San Francisco area, but again that is a bit far.

I registered on the site and asked to me notified if any new ASL groups were started in my area. Apparently there were about 35 other people that wanted an ASL Meetup in my area also. A few months went by, with all of us waiting for someone to start a group. I thought it would be a great tool to connect with other ASL students and kept hoping there would be enough interest to start a group.

I got tired of waiting, so I started it myself. (See link in my "Distractions" section)

Now I host a monthly ASL Meetup group at our local Starbucks. There is a nice group of "regulars" that tend to come, with some new folks sprinkled in from time to time. It also helps that Ed will give his ASL 1 students credit for showing up to fulfill their deaf event requirement.

At most of the gatherings, we sit and chat (in ASL) about what classes we are taking, talk about instructors, and answer questions from the new signers. Last month we all played an ASL card game loosely based on the game UNO. The two hours flew by while we socialized and learned more about handshapes and signs with this game.

I can't believe it was March of 2006 that the group started - time has passed so quickly. I am very thankful to have this group, as it gives me not only a place to practice, but an opportunity to meet some amazing people...

Queer Deaf Community Exposure...

Unlike any other culture, the Deaf Community is comprised of people from all races, religions, ethnicities, countries of origin, and sexual orientation. Of course there would be a GLBT Deaf Community!

I remember seeing a Deaf/HoH area at SF Pride in recent years. I knew there were interpreters at Pride and spent the prior year watching the Queer Deaf folks and interpreters. When Pride 2006 came around, I decided to volunteer. I figured it was a good way to meet some members of the Deaf Community, plus I got more of the unneeded class extra credit.

Volunteering at Pride was such a cool experience. I got to work at the main stage area, which afforded me a great view of the entertainment, and help the interpreters and staff. I got to see Sherry Hicks again (met her at the ASL Immersion Weekend) and meet Michael Velez. They are both fabulous CODA interpreters. This was my first chance to see the interpreting process in person and up-close. The trade off was a horrible orange t-shirt, but it was still great to get to hang out with the group...

Deaf Community Exposure...

Part of the ASL class requirements are to attend an outside event in the Deaf Community. This was a scary proposition at first. It was one thing to sign with the instructors, who knew our skill levels and experience. It is a completely different scenario to take my few semesters into THEIR world and hope to be able to communicate.

More than anything, I have always been afraid to sign something wrong or embarassing! Looking back now, it was a valid fear as there are many many signs that look the same but mean something completely different. I did my whole midterm presentation on this very topic (which I will save for a later post).

I feared I would stumble my handshapes or sign something insulting. I had already read where some Deaf folks are resistent to the hearies "invading" their communities and space. While this was a generalization, it is the one that substantiated my fears.

Thankfully I have come to find that most Deaf people welcome the genuinely interested hearies who are trying to bridge communication barriers.

Towards the end of my ASL 2 combo class, I learned about an "ASL Immersion Weekend" to be held a few hours drive from home. Melinda said she would give me extra credit if I attended - not that I needed the extra credit because my grades and participation level were always really high.

ASL Immersion 2006 was great. I met some wonderful people and got to spend a whole weekend signing. It was great for my confidence. I attended workshops, socialized, and shared meals - all in ASL. It was over much too quickly, but thankfully it is a yearly event...

ASL 2 Combo...

When I had finished Ed's ASL 1B class, I presumed I could continue to ASL 2A in the Spring of 2006. Unfortunately, Las Positas did not offer 2A that semester. That was a huge disappointment, because until this point I had taken the same two semesters I took so many years earlier. I so wanted to move on to new material and feel like I was advancing.

The solution was an ASL 2 class at the community college in another town. This ASL class was the highest this school offered, which basically merged the materials for ASL 2A and 2& together. I was happy the did have the class as night (all my classes are at night) taught by instructor Cole.

Cole! How lucky for me. I did great in Rick's class a year earlier so I was ready to see him again and continue.

Surprise - surprise... The instructor was not Rick, but rather his wife Melinda.

I had heard about her previously. Supposedly she was a much harder teacher, who signs beautifully yet really fast. Looking back, I am not so sure she is that much harder than Rick or Ed. Her style is different, but I find that to be a good thing. Just like hearies have different vocabulary and speaking styles, deaf folks have the same variations in their communication. If I wanted to move forward and learn something, I figured that a different set of hands to watch could only be beneficial.

The first night of class, I sat with a group of ladies who had taken the previous two classes with me. ASL 1A & 1B are typically fuller classes because they fulfill a language requirement for students. Moving on to ASL 2 meant that the students would be (should be) genuinely interested in learning, otherwise why would they continue to study it??

Melinda came in and her hands started flying right away. She had an interpreter the first night, which was almost more confusing. I have a hard time learning the signs by watching, only to have the English equivalent filter through my ears two sentences behind.

Melinda's style was graceful and beautiful, and fast. I don't know if it was her signing speed, or knowing that I was in the land of "new material", but I started second guessing whether I could keep up. It reminded me of how I felt back in 1988 when I started my 3rd semester of Audiology, only to drop the class. I had always regretted that, so I was determined to stick it out.

Once she ditched the interpreter, class was much easier for me. I enjoyed learning the new material and getting some Deaf Culture info sprinkled in.

In stark contrast to my sign semester in 1988, during the DPN Protests at Gallaudet, this semester Melinda shared with us the new protest happenings at Gallaudet. I was able to follow along with her stories, supplemented by reading blogs and vlogs. It felt good to be able to talk with Melinda about the current situation. I enjoyed adding her perspectives to the ones I was collecting. I think Melinda was pleased that I cared and spent my own time learning about her culture...

ASL 1B...

So where did I leave off? Yes, I finished my first semester of ASL with Rick Cole and was ready to move on to the second semester, ASL 1B, in the Fall of 2005. I was anxious to learn some new material, since everything the previous semester was really a review for me. Most of the vocabulary I already knew, but the review was good (and it assured me a good grade in the class!)

ASL 1B was taught by Ed Copra. Now Ed is a character. I adore him. At the time I knew a little about him from a friend who had taken his classes before. I knew ahead of time he was hearing. I also knew he did not want the students to know he was hearing.

Ed's class was a bit of a review in terms of vocabulary, but at least we started learning some real ASL grammar. We also had to attend a Deaf Culture event and start to get out and use our hands. It was in this semester I attended my first DINGO game and started joining web groups. I also started watching vlogs and reading blogs of deaf folks. This semester also began my collection of books related to signing and Deaf Culture. (More on my ASL library in another post)

I have never known a teacher like Ed. He is quirky and funny and holds your attention. He has a way of getting his message across by having fun. He is the first person to make fun of himself and lets me tease him unmercifully.

He also has an addiction to chocolate and beer! Every test or quiz, the first question revolved around beer. He also always incorporates chocolate into his tests and stories. It is what makes him "famous" in ASL student circles, he is the teacher who always talks about beer...

One night, after class, we were chatting outside and he spoke! You know how your mind's ear sort of assumes a voice for someone, based on their characteristics? Well Ed's voice certainly did not fit my imagined voice for him. It was my secret, as he continued to maintain a no-voice classroom.

I learned a lot from Ed and still see him. At least once a semester I pop in to one of his classes for a visit. We also keep in touch via email. Ed made the class fun, which is an important part of the learning process.

My first exposure to signing...

It seems like ASL has been an important part of my life for such a long time. I am not Deaf. My parents are not Deaf. I have no deafness in my family (aside from late onset hearing loss due to age). Until recently, I had no Deaf friends. Yet I have ASL under my skin.

It has been over 20 years since the first time my high school friend showed me some signs she had learned for a song. I thought it was so cool. She began teaching me the alphabet and some very basic signs. A couple more friends learned the alphabet with us. It was like a fun “secret code” we had between us for talking in class. The more I learned, the more I was hooked. I even took a semester class in the Adult Ed department to learn more. Soon I knew more than my friend.

In 1988 I took my first official college ASL class at Las Positas College in Livermore. It was called “Audiology” then and taught by a hearing teacher, last name Slack. I had to go home and look it up, because until I saw it on my transcript, the name completely escaped me. It was taught in voice, and basically showed vocabulary only. Looking back, this class was happening at a hugely historic time for the Deaf Community (the DPN protest at Gallaudet), yet this hearing teacher never shared any of that. If memory serves, the instructor was normally a science teacher, but knew enough vocab signs to “pass” as a Sign teacher then. I say “Sign” because we were not taught ASL then. I finished Audiology 1 & 2, which basically gave me a year of Sign vocab, but no exposure to ASL grammar or Deaf Culture.

Yet it still stuck.

It would be 17 years until I went back to an ASL classroom…

ASL 1A...

Once the kids got a bit older, and my life settled down, I decided to have a look at the Las Positas catalog for any sign classes. It was Spring 2005. Now the classes are not called “Audiology” but rather ASL.

I re-enrolled in the same school I had taken the classes at so many years earlier. I think they had to dust off my file from some store room. I seemed to take forever to dig up my student number so I could register. Once the hoops were jumped through, I was able to register for ASL 1A. I did not know what to expect after so many years away from a classroom. I did know they were using a different textbook, which was good. I was desperately hoping for a better instructor than the last one.

I did not know anybody who had taken any classes with this instructor. The first night of ASL 1A we met Rick Cole, a Deaf instructor who teaches not only the local community college class, but also full time at the School for the Deaf in Fremont.

Rick was a wonderful instructor for us “baby signers”. I sat back a bit and watched him teach the alphabet and basic signs to students who had little to no prior knowledge of ASL. I did not tell him that I had taken classes previously, but I am sure he picked that up after the first few classes.

Rick was patient and animated, and not hard on the eyes! Many of the ladies in class thought he was quite handsome, perhaps even gay. He had a flair in his step and dressed so well. His wife calls him “metrosexual”

metrosexual (met.roh.SEK.shoo.ul) n. An urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time on his appearance and lifestyle. A man who seems stereotypically gay except when it comes to sexual orientation.

Yes, wife. He is married to a lovely Deaf woman named Melinda, who I am proud to now call my friend. More on her later…

Signing hiatus...

During my signing “hiatus” I never really stopped signing. Just couldn’t take any classes or pursue it further. I continued to sign to myself here and there, often to music in the car.

It was a busy 17 years. I got married at the age of 20. Not my brightest move, but hey we learn from our past! I had my son when I was 23, daughter at 26, and divorced at 29. All during this time, I continued to use the sign vocabulary and alphabet I learned as a teenager. Just a little here and there, nothing much. Still no Deaf friends or any “real” reason to keep signing.

Looking back, I wish I had taught it to my kids when they were toddlers. Now “Baby Signing” is all the rage, but not in 1992. Parents are fortunate now to have the resources available to teach signs to their babies, and all the benefits and research that have come from recent years.

When my daughter was 5, she had her tonsils removed. I took this opportunity to teach her some basic signs ahead of her surgery, knowing she would not be able to talk for a while. She learned basic signs (mommy, daddy, water, tired, hungry, potty, hurt, etc.) It was very useful to have her be able to tell me what she needed. She has kept it up ever since. Now my daughter is almost 12, and signs with me quite often. It is a bond I cherish...