Deaf Culture Panel

Hi All!

Yesterday in Deaf Culture class we had a panel discussion. Five Deaf people agreed to come and answer questions about Deaf culture and what it is like to be Deaf. I have to say - one of the most interesting classes I have been to for a LONG time!

The five people on the panel were from a variety of backgrounds. One was a teacher at the college, one was a worker for the IRS, two were ASL Lab assistants, and one . . . I don't know what he does for a living. He is the boyfriend of one of the girls in class (pretty darn cute, too!). Each of the people were different ages and had different experiences growing up.

It was very interesting to hear about the school experiences of these people. One woman, the teacher, had gone to a residential school for the Deaf. All of the others had been mainstreamed into "hearing" schools for most of their education. One woman went to residential school for high school after begging her parents to let her go there.

All of the people basically said that being mainstreamed was not a good educational experience for a variety of reasons. First, many didn't learn ASL - they were taught a different "mode" of communication which used signs but wasn't a real language like ASL. Also, everyone had to have interpreters in class and had problems with interpreters either not telling them everything that was going on or not voicing everything that they wanted to say in class. It was difficult to have hearing friends because communication was almost impossible except through an interpreter - and who wants that? Finally, the Deaf people weren't able to fully participate in extra-curricular activities because of the need for interpreters, etc.

I can't imagine trying to learn that way. High school is difficult enough but imagine being the only person who is Deaf and not being able to talk to your classmates! Not being able to just raise your hand and talk in class!

The panel talked about interacting with hearing people and all of them said that they wish more hearing people would take the time to learn about Deaf culture.

Interesting stuff that I had never really though of before taking ASL. It really makes you think about what it would be like walking in their shoes.

Just something to think about . . .

Trisha

Voice Update: Still a bit rough around the edged but doing fine. I am trying to get everything worked out but I think seeing Susan on Wednesday will be the best thing!

Pictures of Spring

Hi All!

I thought I would show you what Spring is looking like in my part of the world. It was an amazing 64 here this morning which means that warmer temperatures are on their way. Of course . . .it is inevitable that warmer temps are coming in Texas!

My neighbor planted tulips this year. She isn't much of a gardener but her tulips came up nicely.

Beautiful to see when just starting and ending my walk!

My balloon plant is coming up again. It is always exciting to see it pop up. The flowers are so neat when they bloom. This is a nice little plant - well, it is getting bigger every year. This is the third year I have had it.

Do you remember the cactus that my mother sent me in the mail? It was three little pieces when I got it. Just look at it now!

The cactus has taken off - the lighter green sections are all new this year. I think I will have to "prune" the thing to make it a bit safer to work around. I really need to find a place to plant it in the ground where it won't bother anyone.

Another perennial that is doing well is my pincushion plant. It is blooming like mad and tempting me to separate it into two plants. Of course - I have no idea where I would put the other plant!

I have had this plant for over 5 years and it is still going strong!


Here is our "good" tree out front. Our home owners association required that we have two trees in our front yard so . . . here they are. One of the two trees is doing really well as evidenced by the picture. The other . . . well, let's just say that it is really struggling to catch up.

These trees are part of the reason we have some foundation issues, I am sure but, they are so pretty. I like just standing under them and looking up. I could do that all day . . . just dreaming!

Cool, green, and beautiful!

Trisha

Voice Update: Doing okay. Still having some effects of overuse and not really wanting to talk a whole lot but . .. such is life. I am doing my massage and exercises but I think I need some more time for my voice to rest and then a good massage from Susan.

More From the NSDA Symposium

Hi All!

Pictures! I have some pictures! These are from the NSDA Leadership Training on Friday and the Symposium of Saturday. By the way, does anyone know the difference between a Symposium and a Conference or Convention? If so, please let me know!

These are in reverse order because Blogger did it that way and I don't want to mess with it today . . .

First up, a view of the main conference room on Saturday. The woman in the center of the picture is a doctor/scientist. She is from the Ukraine and is an ENT who is now working on her PhD here in the United States. She spoke about the brain research in brains of people with SD. They are beginning to isolate areas of the brain which are more active in SD people than "regular" people. This could lead to something interesting!

Oh - the guy next to her is Tom - he has ABSD just like me. Nice guy!

Next up is Diane Rhem. If you don't know her, she has a regular program on NPR. She also has ADSD. Thanks to regular Botox shots (for which she will soon be flying to Oregon because her doctor is moving there!), Diane is able to continue her work on the radio. She is a lovely woman and a dynamic speaker.

Sorry the picture is a bit fuzzy! My camera and I were having a disagreement on Saturday!

Here is Dot Sowerby, an early member of the NSDA and past president. She wrote a very inspirational book called Speechless about her life with SD. She has ADSD and has had it from a young age. In this picture she is explaining that when people say things about her voice she whips out her NSDA tri-fold card (which has information about SD on it).

What a lady!

Here is a picture of Jim, Lori, and Nancy enjoying their breakfast before the leadership training began on Friday morning. I sat at this table during the training and had a good time getting to know everyone.

Oh - the woman whose back you see if Gwen. She did a presentation on webinars right before I spoke about podcasts. She was kind enough to say that I could borrow her computer to show my PowerPoint.

This picture shows more of the leadership training people. The woman on the left at the table closest to you in Concetta. She recognized me from my podcasts and made me feel special. She and her husband - sitting next to her - are such fabulous people!

The woman standing in the center of the room in the grey jacket is the Executive Director of the NSDA, Kim.

That is all of the pictures for now. I was impressed with the entire weekend and hope to meet all of my new friends again really soon!

Trisha

Voice Update: Slowly getting better. My neck is a bit sore from the overuse during the weekend but I am slowly working it out with the massage. I don't really want to talk too much though! I guess "this too shall pass," right?

An Award and Stuff

Hi All!

A little while back - before I headed to Charlotte - Coffee Bean gave me this wonderful award. Isn't it pretty? She also had some very complimentary things to say about me and my blog. What a great friend!

Now, there is no doubt in my mind that I am supposed to pass this thoughtful and beautiful award on to a certain number of other bloggers. My problem? It seems as if I am always a day late and a few steps behind by the time I do the award thing and everyone already has it! So - here is what I will do - if you are one of my regular readers and you haven't gotten this award - consider it given to you!

Is that a cop out? I hope not because I honestly have problems giving awards - I don't want to keep giving them to the same people who already have them but I don't want to forget people who don't have them yet and deserve them. Oh well - maybe some day I will work this whole thing out for myself.

On to other news and such . . .

It is chilly in Texas this morning. It was only 39 when I woke up - brrr! What is going on with the weather? Normally we are trying to decide if we need to put on the air conditioning by this time of the year!

Have I told you about my strawberries lately? Well, I planted three strawberry plants last year in a big container. I was sure that they would die this winter but - they survived and it looks like we will be having a bumper crop of strawberries soon - as long as the birds don't get them first! It is amazing how many little green strawberries I have. Maybe I will get to taking a picture of them soon so I can show you.

In other garden news . . . I have three hostas which are starting to poke their heads up. Now if only the moonflowers that I planted would follow suite. I think my little flowerbed will be kicking it this year!

Well - I guess I should get to work on some of the stuff I need for classes today!

Have a good one!

Trisha

Voice Update: My voice is still a bit tired from the weekend but it is doing well. Happily, I will have some time to rest it today while attending my ASL classes. I am doing my exercises and massage - one side of my neck is pretty sore - so things are looking up.

I'm Back!

Hi All!

I am back from Charlotte! Yeah!

The NSDA National Symposium was wonderful and the Leadership Training was fabulous! It was very worthwhile for me to go to the symposium and training.

First of all, I got to meet all the people I have been communicating with via email for so long. Finally putting faces to names was a lot of fun. Meeting the president of the NSDA and the board members was nice. Their titles always made them seem a bit "lofty" but when I met them, I realized that they are warm and friendly people. Interestingly enough, they seemed to all know who I was. I felt honored that these people - the leadership of the NSDA - knew me.

Next , I got to speak to the leadership (the board members and support group leaders from around the country) about podcasting. I love, love, love public speaking (I know that makes me a weirdo . . .) and so being able to speak in front of a crowd again was very satisfying for me. This was the first time I have done any public speaking since SD first showed up.

It was also fun to talk about one of my passions - podcasting. My podcast was started to make a "SD voice" available for someone else with SD to hear. I shared this goal with the audience and hopefully, one or two people will think about starting a podcast to let their "SD voice" be heard! I do know that my presentation was very well received. That made me feel wonderful!

Then, at the symposium I learned a lot of new information about SD and the research being done to find the cause of SD. I met many people from across the United States who have SD. It was nice that no one felt intimidated by speaking. No one had to explain why their voice sounded weird. No one had to worry about what other people would think about their voice. We all understood!

Well, that is all I am going to ramble about for now. Hopefully, I will get some pictures up for tomorrow. Today I need to grocery shop, do some laundry, meet the structural engineer (more foundation stuff), and hopefully get to the ASL lab.

Have a good one!

Trisha

Voice Update: Well, I over did the talking this weekend. My voice is a bit hoarse and tired. I am getting the massage on and also resting my voice a bit. Many people at the symposium had a difficult time believing that I actually have SD. It was a bit weird for me. I DO have SD. I DO! I am just VERY, VERY lucky to have recovered some of my voice!

And . . . We're Off!

Hi All!

Rush, rush, rush, rush!

It will be interesting to see if Hubby can get everything together in time to leave for the airport at the time HE wants to leave! Last night I was getting my hand-outs for the presentation finished up and printed, creating a PowerPoint for the presentation, and basically working at the speed of light.

Hubby. He was watching television. Well, he DID wash a load of his clothes that he no doubt needs to take with him today. Did he start to pack? Nope. Even start to think about packing? Nope.

This morning I got up a little later than usual but still pretty early. I fed the cats, made myself breakfast, and washed the mountain of dishes by the sink. I packed and showered and got ready in time to IM with my mom at 8:30. Hubby? He got up about half an hour after me - wandered out to put his clothes in the drier and then went back to bed. While I packed he lounged (true, he did try to keep Skor from taking up permanent residence in my suitcase). While I showered, he lounged. When I got on the computer he suddenly got active and then tells me . . .

"I don't know if I will be ready to leave on time."

I just don't understand men!

Editor's note: Please don't take this post as a "complaint fest." That is not how it is intended. Hubby is WONDERFUL and I never want to be seen as complaining about him. I simply don't understand his thinking. It mystifies me. Honestly!

I will try to keep you posted during the weekend but I may not have access to a computer so you may have to wait until I get home!

Have a good weekend!

Trisha

Voice Update: Ohhhh. I went to speech and was doing pretty well but Susan really fixed me up and now my voice is goooooood!

What To Do? What To Do?

Hi All!

In the insanity that is my mind, much has been happening lately. As you know, I am preparing to go to the NSDA National Symposium this weekend and this means getting a presentation about podcasting ready to go. Also, I am in the midst of project central for my ASL classes. One project is pretty much complete - that is the Americans with Disabilities presentation. Another project . . . well, let's just say that it is moving a bit lethargically.

What might that project be, you ask? Well, it is taking a book and converting it into an ASL play. This task has many inherent problems since there are four people working together to complete the task. First, all four people must agree upon a book to convert. Next, the four people must read the book so that they know what it is about. Then, the four people must meet and hash out a script for the play. Finally, the four people must meet and rehearse the play prior to presenting it in class.

Doesn't that sound like fun? At least we have agreed upon a book - Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I am positive that it will make for an interesting play once we get to that point. Currently, I am only on the third chapter. Oh well - it will make good airplane reading!

Anyway - back to the mess that is my brain. One thing that has been floating around in there for quite a while is the need to figure out just what in the world I will be doing with the rest of my life.

In case you don't know, or have forgotten, I used to teach elementary school. My "dream job," which I spent five and a half years doing, was teaching fifth graders in a magnet program for highly gifted students. I loved that job. Unfortunately, I was required to quit teaching because of the onset of Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia. After all, it is tough to teach when you have no voice!

I really enjoy teaching - all levels and all ages. It really feels right to me when I am teaching someone something. I am good at teaching and have a gift to help people learn so . . . I would like to continue teaching.

However, my voice is pretty "fragile" and really can't handle talking all day long - which is something that is required when teaching. Also, listening to my friends who are still teaching . . . the paperwork and the "baloney" which teachers must endure is becoming ever greater each year. I could really do without all of that hassle!

Add to the fray the fact that I am taking American Sign Language and really, really enjoy it. In my brain all of this is mixing and mixing . . . and mixing. Maybe I could teach Deaf children? I could also continue classes and become an ASL interpreter but . . . that isn't where my heart is leading.

The only thing about becoming a teacher of the Deaf is that it would require that I get ANOTHER Master's degree. My mind rebels quite loudly at the thought of spending more time in classrooms learning more stuff (which I probably already know anyway) and spending more money which I am not earning.

When I think about it . . . a sense of dread looms up from my toes and overtakes my chest making it slightly difficult to breath freely.

What to do? What to do?

Trisha

Voice Update: Speech today! I am sure that Susan will work ALL of the crunch out of my throat as she prepares me for my presentation on Friday. Doesn't that sound like fun? I wonder how long my neck will be sore!