Transcript DB people and Communication - Deaf

DB People and
Communication:
Connections & Combinations
Chapter 4.1.2
Overview
• Communication within the DB Community
and among DB people is complex.
• In this presentation we survey:
– Variation
– Ergonomics
– Signals and
– Technology
Senior Citizen DB Group
Variation
• DB people communicate in a variety of ways.
• Most use either spoken English or Sign
Language for their primary face to face
communication.
• A very few use some form of spelling.
• Sign language (a variety of American Sign
Language or ASL) can be perceived visually,
tactually or using come combination of vision
and touch.
Reading Visually
using Tunnel Vision
• Standing at a
distance
slightly greater
than usual.
Reading Signs Visually
• Again, at a
slightly
greater than
usual distance.
Reading Sign Language
Tactually
• The woman on the right
is listening to the SSP
using her left hand.
“Tracking” Vision + Touch
• The man on the
right is listening to
the woman on the
left, using Sign
Language. He is
using a combination
of touch (his hands
on her wrists) and
vision (watching her
hands).
Another Combination
• Reading English
visually,
supplemented by
Sign Language
tactually.
Listening Auditorily
• The DB woman
on the right is
using her hearing
to listen to the
young woman on
her left who has
just guided her to
the elevator.
Listening using ALDs
• ALDs are assistive
listening devices. There
are different types.
Language
• The modality (vision,
hearing, touch) is
distinct from the
language. One can read
printed English visually,
listen auditorily, etc.
• People who become
deaf-blind often find it
useful to know both
English and ASL.
Reading English on a Braille
display.
English-first Signers
These men both became deaf-blind after growing up using
English as their first and primary language.
Ergonomics
Get Comfortable
• ‘Ergonomics’ is the study of how furniture,
chairs, tools, and so on in our environment
affect our bodies and how to make, arrange
and use them in the most comfortable way so
as to not injure ourselves through awkward
postures, etc.
• Be conscious of how you are sitting, standing
and walking, and how that causes strain on
your back, your arms, and so on.
Communicating Tactually
• Stay on the same plane or level rather than
having one person reaching up. Reaching up
puts a strain on your arms.
• Get close so you don’t have to stretch too far
forward.
• Look at the next slide and see how these
women are supporting themselves.
Use Supports for Back & Arms
• The DB woman on the left is using the table to
support her back, and the back of her chair to
support her listening arm.
• The sighted woman on the right is leaning
back against her chair to rest her back.
Signals
Use Touch or Signals to
Get Attention
• You can reach out and touch a hand or
shoulder for attention.
• You can use vibration (e.g. quiet “pounding”
on the table between you).
Turn-Taking
• The more fluent the communication, the more
turn-taking will resemble what you are used to
in either a spoken language or a signed
language.
• The more challenging the communication, the
more you will want to divide your comments
into clear, well thought out chunks and pauses
for feedback to be sure you are being clear.
Signals can be of Many Types
• The word “OK” has spread throughout the
world and means many things. It is not so
much a word as it is a signal: “understanding,”
“all is well,” and a transition to a new topic or
activity are some examples.
• Hand gestures signal us to come forward,
indicate size or direction, emotion and so on.
• Indeed ‘pauses’ or the absence of
words/actions are themselves signals.
Sighted-Guide Signals
• While guiding a deaf-blind person you will use
pauses or changes in your pace to indicate a
change in the terrain (curbs, doors, an increase
of traffic, etc.). A slowing pace signals
‘attention up’ that something is coming.
Pausing
• Pauses may indicate your own attention is
elsewhere (e.g. getting your money out of your
wallet, listening to a clerk) which need to be
followed by communication to the deaf-blind
person
How Do We Know?
• Of course, we learn about the environment
through signals and the deaf-blind person may
want to know what those are. For example,
how do we know, when we enter an elevator,
how many floors the elevator serves?
Back-Channeling
Back-Channeling
• ‘Back-channeling’ is the linguistic term for the
response we give to the speaker as we listen.
In English, it’s the “oh,” “umm,” “sheesh” to
show our response.
• In ASL it is all the facial expressions and head
nods as well as the signs “[Y-hand-nod]” and
“awful”.
• Back-channeling can be verbal, or non-verbal,
auditory, visual or tactual.
Back-Channeling (cont.)
• Back-channel signals indicate you are paying
attention and listening.
• They indicate your response or reaction
(including feelings) to what is being said.
• Without tactual back-channeling a deaf-blind
speaker feels like they are talking to the air
with no response.
Tactual Back-Channeling
In both pictures, the Sighted Listener is
responding (tactual back-channeling).
Verbal / Non-Verbal
Back-Channeling
• In the previous slide the listeners are
responding with verbal (ASL) back-channel
signs “yes, yeah” indicating understanding.
• There are also ‘taps’ or ‘squeezes’ that serve as
non-verbal responses.
Tactual Back-Channeling
• In the next slide, aj granda is talking to a
group. Co-instructor Jelica Nuccio on her left
is listening. Notice Jelica’s left hand ‘nodding’
on aj’s knee, as she listens.
• The interpreter on aj’s right is also leaving her
hand on aj’s knee to indicate her passive
presence.
Reporting Back-Channeling
• Back-channeling is what the listener gives
while listening.
• Feedback might come as verbal reporting of
the responses of others.
• For example, an SSP might inform the DB
person that the clerk is nodding.
A Three-Way Conversation
• The three women in the next slide - all fluent
signers - are having a three-way conversation
tactually.
• The signer (center) is using both hands as her
dominant hand (signing the same thing to
both).
• Notice that the two women listening (left and
right) are maintaining contact with one another
as well as with the woman talking.
PRACTICE
Experience is the Best Teacher
• As you spend time with deaf-blind people, or
just one deaf-blind person, you will notice
many more things than can be included in this
curriculum.
• It is important that you pay attention and
continue learning.
• As you learn more, your body will remember
for you.
Right / Wrong
•
•
•
•
•
There is no “right answer” but…
There are “wrong answers”.
You have heard “It depends…”
But – depends on what?
This means you have to be aware, observant
and analytical. Think about what you observe
and feel.
Work / Play
• In a way, “play” is practice. Young children
“play house” practicing roles in the family and
as they grow, other games inculcate skills and
attitudes of “sportsmanship”.
• The best SSPs (and interpreters) are those who
spend leisure time with deaf-blind people as
well as work time.
Communication and Respect
• The beginning of this
• It means changing what
power point emphasized
we do and how we do it.
the importance of touch • It means remembering
but it is deeper than that.
what the other person
• Respect means really
prefers and not
seeing the person with
carelessly forgetting.
whom we are
• It means paying
communicating.
attention to notice
changes.
Print
Default
• The default low-vision print is dark, bold,
slightly larger and non-glare.
• When writing a note use a bold, felt-tip pen on
buff or yellow (non-glare) paper.
• When typing use Arial (which is “sans-serif”),
in black (not blue, red, etc. as is sometimes
used by email programs). Once you’ve typed
the message, ‘bold’ it all (but do not use “Arial
Bold” as this is too thick).
“Screen Readers”
• There are software
applications used by
some blind people to
read print on their
computers. These allow
the blind person to
adjust the colors, size of
text and so on.
• A specialist in these
matters can provide all
the information.
• Of course, these are
being improved and
options are changing all
the time.
Technology
• Technology is both changing and improving as
we speak.
• Technology (i.e. equipment) for DB people is
often playing catch-up, a few years behind
technology for sighted/hearing people but the
time lag is getting shorter and shorter.
The Deaf-Blind Communicator
• The Deaf-Blind
Communicator (DBC)
is a portable device for
face-to-face, text and
TTY communication.
• Other devices offer GPS
and email.
• Specialists will have the
latest and most accurate
information.
• In the next slide the DB
man checks his email
while he waits for his
meal.
In Conclusion
• Communication is much more than just
language, it is also the form of the language;
our attention to detail and our awareness of our
own issues and tendencies.
Thoughtful Questions
1. What is your family’s communication style?
Is your family very verbal, talking a lot or do
they show their connections in other ways?
2. What is your family’s style with regard to
touch? Are they affectionate or do they give
each other space?
3. What communication patterns in your family
do you want to challenge or change for
yourself?