ASL Online

I learned ASL rather late in life in my 20s (I'm in my 50s now). I'm glad I did, even though I currently live in an area where I do not have much opportunity to sign.

At least I used to believe that. 

So why haven't I bothered reaching out over webcam? At one point, webcams (specifically, bandwith and frame-rates) couldn't keep up with people's native signing speed, so I gave up.

I've been thinking about doing a couple of very specific videos on hearing aid technology and also Bluetooth connected devices. What would set my videos apart would be signing/speaking while documenting myself. It's not something I see very often - a multi-media capable person who advocates and documents the trials facing people with disabilities (PWD).

Dancing Around

I'm trying to educate people who condemn others, as best I can with a just a lousy online presence. #ASL is not English, nor is it any other spoken language. It has its own syntax & grammar rules. It is not "dancing around" (unless we need to). CC isn't perfect (especially when live).

Captioning Fail

I'm not sure if I'm going to start a collection of these things, but I totally could, couldn't I? PS All images copyright of their rightful owners. I merely point out the silliness of the captions, inadvertently recasting the former fearsome Daleks as the rogue nurses of the cosmos. #HardOfHearingProblems #HOHP #CaptioningFail #DoctorWho #NotThatKindOfDoctor #DrWho
 

My Lucky Wiener

A few years back in 2005 I was driving home one night after work & I had taken my hearing aids off (like I usually do). The radio was on & I heard this new song I was getting into when suddenly I thought I heard the singer going ♫My lucky wiener♪ ?!?

I couldn't make it out. I thought "that can't possibly be it", so I turned the volume up some more. Again, same thing. The DJ never said who the artist was & I almost forgot about it completely.

It was some time later I had the TV set on VH-1 & that song started playing, I had to chuckle, my HoH ears had done it to me again. The band was the Killers & it turns out the chorus & title of the song was actually "Smile Like You Mean It."

Netflix

I do have one small thing to point out that #Netflix does better than either #DisneyPlus, #CraveTV, or #AmazonPrime - but that one small thing makes such a big difference.

Subtitles.

Spectrum

I've been pondering over the fact that my early education could have been quite different if I had been diagnosed as "on the spectrum" instead of "gifted" or whatever other term they used in the early 80s. I do recall bouncing between schools for a time - should I have gone to a residential Deaf school? Would it have made a difference? Who knows?

I can chuckle about it now, but it wasn't really a laughing matter when I hurt people's feelings, and damaged friendships because it was easier lying about things, slipping into "an act" when I was younger, rather than just being myself.

I can identify some of that behaviour now, as masking. This realization of "Why am I like this?" allows me to forgive myself for my past transgressions; that's important when I've been berating myself about it for mistakes I made decades ago. I was socially awkward all the time, even into adulthood.

Anyway, I'm not letting what is past bother me any longer, and I'm also sure I'm no longer masking and that’s why I have anxiety now.