Nothing Beats Sign Language

I served on the DAS Board of Trustees for several years and was honored as Emeritus after I retired from the Board. I am grateful for that honor. First a little history about me.

I became deaf at the age of 4 1/2 through scarlet fever and continuous infections in both ears. I am profoundly deaf. At age 5, I started at St. Mary's School for the Deaf (SMSD). Before that my parents sent me to a regular public school in Elmira, NY where we lived then. I refused to go back there after a few days because I was bored and angry. The teacher sat me at a table and gave me a coloring book and crayons and left me alone. I watched other kids sit in a ring around the teacher laughing and having fun. I was puzzled why I couldn't join with them. One day I refused to go back and my mother tried to get me to go. I remember fighting with my mother and screaming 'No, no...I won't go' over and over again. My mother finally gave up and then decided to take me to SMSD 150 miles away from home. At first I thought it was another of the same place that I had refused to go to. That is until I was introduced to other deaf kids in the playroom. One of the girls approached me signed to me saying 'you and I are same', 'we are deaf'. I understood right away. I thought 'oh, that is what is wrong with me and there are others like me'. Another girl signed that I will see my parents again. That was because when my parents left me I thought that I would never see them again. I could feel my anger and panic go away and a great relief had come over me as if the world had opened up to me. The point of this is that deaf children should never be forbidden to use sign language. There is no better way for the deaf to communicate and learn. The Alexander Graham Bell Association (AGBA) believes that the deaf should not use sign language and insists on them to use their voice and ears only. The AGBA is so wrong. They think sign language prevents the deaf from learning English. This is not true. Most deaf who sign have excellent use of English.

I am now in my twilight years and still happy that I went to SMSD and learned sign language and all the academic subjects through sign language. Now we, the deaf, can get together at our Senior Citizens Club and have an enjoyable time communicating in sign language without which we would be isolated. I feel sorry for the elders who lose their hearing late in life and are isolated because they can't communicate as I and my deaf elderly friends can.

My advice to parents of deaf children is to learn sign language to communicate with their deaf children. If your deaf child wants to learn to speak that is fine but never say he/she cannot use sign language. I would call myself an expert lip reader but lip reading is never perfect. That is another story.

I can speak but I was told I speak in a flat tone, whatever that is. Some words are difficult for me to pronounce like judge, spoon, fortune, balance and a few others. Often I mispronounce new words until I am told how to say it right. Such words as Chevrolet, buffet, providence were said as they are spelled until told how to say them. Not all people understand my speech but many do. A co-worker friend once said that I speak with an accent but understandably.

There was a time when I needed an interpreter. I had to find one myself. I called SMSD but they said they don't know of anyone who can do it. At that time the concept of using sign language interpreters everywhere was new. ADA law didn't exist then but there was a Federal law that any place that receives money from the Federal government shall provide an interpreter for the deaf people. It was called Section 504 of the Federal Law.

At that time, I and other friends realized that there was a need for an interpreter relay service. A place where we can call for one. A place that will train interpreters, evaluate them, develop a list of interpreters and inform businesses of the law. We set up a Task Force to get this service. Took us several years but we succeeded. That is Deaf Access Services (DAS) now. DAS has added other services over the years; Advocacy, Education (sign language classes), and Employment. The staff at DAS can sign so deaf people who look for help can feel comfortable discussing their needs in sign language.

My thanks to the staff at DAS...keep up the good work.

Alice M. Guinane