Someone has invented signing gloves - again. While I understand the thought process behind sharing news such as this - these gloves really aren't as useful as they would seem.
There are a lot of non-manual markers used in ASL that can't be relayed on the hands. (Facial expressions, queries, emotion, etc). It would take less time learning how to finger spell, at the very least to get your point across than it would to develop & market these things.
When someone says they want "to bring the old ways back"; that's your warning. They have nothing new to offer. Now is not the time to be complacent, or scared.
We must SPEAK UP against the entitled few who deem themselves qualified to dictate to the common people what is right and wrong. They are scared of becoming extinct, so they create artificial conditions & lament their gilded place in society as insufficient, then enact legislation to ensure their survival. It doesn't have to be this way.
UPDATE: I've seen a job counsellor. Her advice to me was to update my resume and shop it with that fact: I don't have experience, but I'm willing to learn. It's been 2 years since I've been standing on my feet, so perhaps part time is logical for now.
You don't have to be hearing to be a chef/cook. Stranger things have happened. After Mum passed away, I realized I'm comfortable in a kitchen. I've gotta be good for something, right?
If somebody gives you guff for offering "Happy Holidays", then say "Fine, have a terrible one," because I can't assume to know everything about everybody.
The letter "G" can have more than one sound, unless my years of speech therapy count for nothing?
Go, Gerry! Global Geography. Gasoline Genes. That's the English language for you - make it consistent or make it make sense, because right now it's doing neither.
If you're going keep saying I'm wrong, please fuck off. Keep fucking off until you can't fuck off any more, and when you reach the abyss, dream the impossible dream and fuck off even further.
It helps when a phone I've had my eye on to replace my faithful Pixel 5, has better hearing aid compliance than the previous generations. I'm seriously considering the 7a next. OR maybe the Galaxy S23 FE?
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| Samsung Galaxy S23 FE |
It has similar specs to Pixel 7a, but I really like the Pixel experience - especially the excellent spam filtering.
Why is this happening? It is to ensure we won't be erased.
1) Corporations either completely ignore us, or discriminate against us. If they can't do either of those, they exploit us with menial labour and bad jobs.
2) The government barely acknowledges that we exist.
3) Mainstream society is ignorant, if not intolerant.
Now you know why Disability Pride Month exists.
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| This was the start-up screen when one switched on the TRS-80 Color Computer 2. "DISK EXTENDED COLOR BASIC 1.1 COPYRIGHT (C) 1982 BY TANDY UNDER LICENSE FROM MICROSOFT". It ran in 4K of RAM or more. The entire screen is a bright green - there were limits to the available colors at the time. Text was black and the cursor was a rainbow of varying colors. Hence, color computer. |
I've been reflecting on my earlier post about burnout and wondering whether that is actually true. Not only that, but without having a psychiatrist to speak to, I've had to try and deconstruct my own thoughts and reactions to situations.
For example, the mere thought of starting another "customer service" job fills me with dread - and it doesn't take long for me to imagine myself getting sarcastic and hating the job again. I've tried working in banking, food service, and most recently in a warehouse. It might not have been defined as "service", but it was; I spent a year trying to lip-read with face masks on everyone. If people don't believe me that it takes its toll, I don't know what else to tell them.
There has to be a place where I fit in, where I can contribute something and earn a living from it.
I've been debating writing this out for some time now. I've been out of work because I almost had a mental breakdown. Let me explain how I got where I am.
As Quality Assurance, part of my job involved speaking with associates about their problems. This would include product dimensions for slotting in the warehouse. COVID measures (including the wearing of masks & a ban on written notes to reduce transmission) caused chronic stress for me at work; resulting in crippling anxiety. Due to a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate support, I felt no other recourse than to leave.
On their website, Corporation states they "will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants and associates as required by law." This is not true. When they told me to "Write down what we teach you", that's putting the burden of communication on me. As I see it, they hired me to work for them. It should be their responsibility to have the documentation on how they want the job done, not mine. That's what reasonable accommodation means, to me. I asked 3 times over the span of a year and a half before I got someone to work on that documentation. I had access to a rough draft for a week during my shift to learn, but they wrote me up for being "too slow" or whatever reasoning they used. Likewise, I had an anxiety attack after that meeting, and I've left the job, claiming stress leave. It got so bad at times, I wouldn’t leave the house & couldn’t think of having to deal with “hearing people.”
The problem wasn't only at work - the masks were everywhere. It didn't matter if I went to the bank, the grocery store, to pay a bill - every single place was a communication barrier. I called it "The year of hell" for a reason.
When I told people that I had a discrimination problem, the immediate answer I got was to phone this person or that person. It's the first knee-jerk answer anybody ever gets. I’ve spoken with 3 different legal clinics. I filed a claim with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario last May. I'm still waiting to hear from them.
I am burned out with doing “customer service”. I’m a little better now with people, but I’m not 100% yet. I owe my immediate family & wife thanks for the support they’ve given me, especially as I felt like I was falling apart. I certainly hope all of this makes sense - it took me a while to untangle my thoughts, and some of them were very dark. I have some plans now, and I think I know what I need to do to improve my situation.
I hate job hunting. I don't want to do customer service anymore because people are mouthy or rude, which is far too often for my tastes.
Ducking hell, being hard of hearing sucks in this society.
I wish I was a disability compliance officer, so I could audit employers & businesses operating in Canada.
However, we need to get folks with #disabilities recognized as "people" first, instead of as a burden.
If the Canadian government can decide that $2000 is sufficient to live on, then why not the Deaf? Why not the disabled? Doesn't seem fair.
I go online for info about resuming my University studies; but I do not have a login for self-service.
I'm hard of hearing, I find a phone number to call & I put my hearing aids on, call the #, listen to the menu options in both official languages & find out the information I need can be obtained through the online portal.
So it looks like I'm taking the car & driving down to the campus in person tomorrow.
This is why #deaf people are pissed off all the time. 😑
I've really been trying to figure out what I could do with my Sign Language Communicator degree. It's possible I might be able to minor in Linguistics somewhere, since I still have credits.
However, my original plan was to teach, perhaps I don't have need to go to school that long, teaching Sign Language would be enough for me.
I can say that name here without fear. Mastodon. I've deleted my Twitter account. That's going to hurt on some levels. I had finally cultivated some like-minded folks as far as team sports. That might not be up your (dungeon) alley, and that's OK. I'm going to miss them - hopefully we'll cross paths again.
That's where I've been for the past several weeks - cultivating more friendships online (I hope so, anyway). Eventually I'd like to have more time with signing with HOH/Deaf folks. I miss signing and nothing beats live people. Hopefully my cameras are up to snuff.
