Signing Savvy, Your Sign Language Resource

While in the company of friends seeking a cure for blindness at a VisionWalk luncheon held by The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), Debbie Wright and her mother Joan candidly share their personal story - their choices, the learning, denying, and accepting the reality of living with Usher syndrome and being Deafblind. This is Debbie Wright's story, as told by Debbie and her mother Joan - a journey of discovery with Usher syndrome and being Deafblind.

Mandy Harvey starting singing when she was four. She sang in choral groups and music competitions in high school and she was recognized as the "Top Female Vocalist" at Longmont High School when she graduated in 2006. Mandy was then one of only fifteen students accepted as a vocal major into Colorado State University. However, Mandy suffered from reoccurring hearing problems and during her freshman year in college she lost hearing (110 decibels) in both ears.

Overwhelmed… The look on the faces, or the words that came out of the mouths of almost every parent of a deaf child I’ve ever met with during a home visit. The first thing I want to say is, “Move over because you aren’t alone on that bench,” and secondly, “Stop feeling guilty about anything and everything and lets make a commitment and move forward now, looking in the rearview mirror is only good to learn from, NOT to see ...

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. The signs discussed in this article include (1) SATISFY vs. RELIEF, (2) COMPLICATED vs. VERY UGLY, (3) SEMESTER vs. SYSTEM, (4) GAME vs. CHALLENGE, and (5) ELECTRICITY vs. PHYSICS.

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. The signs discussed in this article include (1) OPEN vs. CLOSE, (2) LOVE vs. HUG, (3) ICE SKATE vs. ROLLER SKATE, (4) BLACK vs. SUMMER, and (5) CAN vs. POSSIBLE.

Every human being has biases and the ability to predict events is one of the most valuable you can cultivate as an interpreter. As interpreters we have unique access to the lives of our clients. We need to know ourselves and our hidden biases.  What content or situations would you not feel comfortable interpreting?  What interpreting situations are deal breakers? What steps could you take when you find yourself in these situations?

We are constantly posting tips, facts, and learning resources related to sign language and Deaf culture on our Signing Savvy Facebook Page and Twitter @SigningSavvy. Occasionally we get questions about our posts and explain them further with a followup article. This article expands on one of our Parent/Teacher Quick Tip of the Day posts (Tip #60) from Facebook, which is also often tied to our Sign of the Day.  Typically, Deaf Education Classrooms consist of a low number of students per class.  This allows teachers ...

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. The signs discussed in this article include (1) NUT vs. NOT, (2) PAPER vs. SCHOOL, (3) NAME vs. WEIGH, (4) TEACH vs. NONE, and (5) ROOF vs. HOUSE.

Around 8,000 children are born deaf or hard of hearing each year in the United States. 95% of those children are born into hearing families. This means a few things – the majority of hard of hearing children are born into families that do not use sign language and their parents do not have previous experience with raising and educating a deaf child. The options and information may be overwhelming for parents, but just like raising any child, each child and family is different and there isn’t a “one size fits all” plan to execute. Luckily there is research to help serve as a guide.

Lou Ferrigno was The Incredible Hulk of acting, bodybuilding, fitness training, and motivational speaking. Read the article to learn more about the life and accomplishments of this amazing deaf man.