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.
Variation, cont.
• 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.
Language, cont.
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.
Signals can be of Many Types
• 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 “[Yhand-nod]” and “awful”.
Back-Channeling, cont.
• Back-channeling can be verbal, or nonverbal, auditory, visual or tactual.
• Back-channel signals indicate you are
paying attention and listening.
• They indicate your response or
reaction (including feelings) to what is
being said.
Back-Channeling, cont.
• Without tactual back-channeling a deafblind 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) backchannel 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 deafblind people as well as work time.
Communication and Respect
• The beginning of this power point
emphasized the importance of touch but
it is deeper than that.
• Respect means really seeing the person
with whom we are communicating.
• It means changing what we do and how
we do it.
Communication and Respect,
cont.
• It means remembering what the other
person prefers and not carelessly
forgetting.
• It means paying 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.
Default, cont.
• When typing use Arial (which is “sansserif”), 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
Thoughtful Questions, cont.
3. What communication patterns in your
family do you want to challenge or
change for yourself?