LC Interpreting Services is now SignNexus!
SignNexus sets the standard for excellence and efficiency when accommodating the diverse communication and cultural needs of individuals who are Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing.
SignNexus is a distinguished interpreting agency that specializes in American Sign Language, International Sign, and other sign language modalities. On-site and Remote Sign Language Interpreting Services are available to help organizations fulfill their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
SignNexus offers Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services, also known as Realtime Captioning, for live events. Remote Captioning Services are also available to facilitate ADA compliant accessibility for virtual events on any platform.
SignNexus Interpreters and Captioners have extensive experience in a variety of specialized settings.
Sure staff meetings can be less than thrilling, but imagine you are sitting in a conference room where everyone is speaking a foreign language. For nearly an hour, your brain works overtime to discern even the most mundane aspects of conversation. Or perhaps you are in a class lecture, where the only material you understand is the supplementary PowerPoint: how terribly dull!
With millions of deaf/HoH individuals living and working in the United States, all-inclusive events are finally becoming a societal standard. As someone who understands diversity and supports the use of deaf language, you’re more than happy to provide equal access in your establishment. But as a hearing individual, maybe you’re just not sure where to start.
As discussed in my previous blog, supplying a quality interpreter at your event is not only considerate, it is crucial to providing equal access. Most deaf individuals gather information best through deaf communication, including ASL. Although pamphlets and slideshows can be great; your deaf employee, student, or patron is really going to miss out on the full experience without an ASL interpreter available. To create equal access, any event open to the public should have an interpreter. Period. Private events should be clear on all promotional materials that an interpreter is available upon request. Be sure to let your potential deaf patrons know beforehand that they are completely welcome, and will be happily accommodated!
Deafness is not limited to special events, so providing access in the public sphere would be a logical next step toward equality. Captioning services ought to be provided everywhere, including busses, airplanes, and subways. No excuses! Deaf people are not disabled, they do the same things hearing people do, and it is important to remember that anywhere instructions or warnings are required. On a more personal level, take a moment to think about the deaf patients sitting in your waiting room, or hospital bed. Is there closed captioning on the TV? What about your deaf bar patrons, have you captioned the football game for them? As a movie theatre manager, have you thought about regularly offering captioned opening-day screenings of the latest films? Yes, as individual acts these may seem small, but it’s these little considerations that go a long way toward creating an atmosphere of equality!
In a professional environment, creating equal access means ensuring your deaf employees can perform the same tasks as their hearing counterparts, and that deaf clients can easily contact your company. Of course, e-mail and instant messaging have become standard, which works well for simple deaf-to-hearing communication. But for dialogues, discussion, or debates, usinsg simple text communication isn’t always efficient. The telephone was a revolutionary device for hearing individuals, and video relay has helped Deaf/HoH people make use this common communication method. Video relay companies, such as the deaf-owned Convo and ZVRS, are utilizing modern technologies to provide video interpreting services on a number of platforms. This allows for a more fluent phone conversation between deaf and hearing individuals, even within the same office. When everyone feels comfortable communicating, everybody wins!
If you find yourself frequently interacting with Deaf individuals, it’s a great idea to learn some basic ASL. I offer one on one ASL training in the greater NYC area, and video lessons via Skype. I am also available for ASL interpreting services, so please do not hesitate to contact me for a consultation!
After months of worrying about nursery colors and baby names, the big day has finally arrived! Your healthy bundle of joy is born with 10 fingers and 10 toes; crying and cooing in your arms. The baby is beautiful, your family is complete, everything feels perfect! Fast forward a few months down the road when, during a routine checkup, your pediatrician informs you that your infant can not hear. Suddenly, you’ve become the parent of a deaf child. What now?
Discovering that a child is deaf can stir up a wide range of emotions in new parents. Most commonly, they feel shock, sorrow, and helplessness. Unfortunately, because many doctors deliver this news as a medical “diagnosis,” parents automatically believe that their child is ill. Or, worse, disabled! It causes a chain reaction of guilt, sadness, and fear. How will you raise your deaf child? You wonder if he or she will be able to have a good life. You wonder if you can “fix” them.
This topic is close to my heart because my grandparents learned that my mother was deaf when she was less than a year old. At that time, they didn’t know any deaf people, and had no idea what it would mean to raise a deaf child in a hearing world. My grandparents worried that their daughter would not be able to have a happy childhood, or a normal adolescence. Would she have friends? Would she be able to drive a car? Would she be able to laugh and have fun? There are so many misconceptions. Of course, as time went on, they discovered that deaf kids definitely can do all these things, and excel at them!
Selecting a method of communication for your child majorly influences where he or she will fit into society, and is critical to psychological development. There are several communication options to consider, depending on the child’s degree of hearing loss. Some parents choose to teach their deaf child to speak English using hearing aids and intensive speech training. In this approach, the child does not identify as deaf, and does not learn deaf communication.
Another option is the controversial, and increasingly popular cochlear implant– a fairly invasive surgical procedure where an electronic device is implanted into the baby’s head to simulate the sound-processing of a functioning ear. Modern science has come a long way with these prosthetics and, although the child will never experience hearing the same way as a non-deaf person would, they can technically hear. With many years of language therapy, cochlear implant patients can be nearly indistinguishable from their hearing peers. But communicating in the hearing world will never be simple for them, because science simply has not been able to replicate the subtle and specific nuances of our natural senses. These children are prone to rely on lip-reading and facial cues, and many require a number of educational resources to keep up with their peers in school. Parents are likely to consider this surgical procedure to “remedy” their child’s deafness because they want to make sure their child speaks and understands the same language they do. This is understandable, but is it what is really best for your deaf child?
As any deaf person will proudly tell you, deafness is an identity, not an impairment. They do not consider deafness a problem that needs to be “fixed.” Deaf culture is active, full of positive role models; and ASL is a rich, constantly evolving language. Another option for teaching your deaf child to communicate is to enroll him or her into a residential school. Deaf residential schools are staffed by deaf teachers fluent in ASL, who work with deaf toddlers all the way through high school to educate them in a way that is focused on their individual learning styles. Allowing your child to be deaf, to learn sign language, and to integrate with other deaf people is a great way to promote an atmosphere of equality, independence, and nurturing. The drawback of residential schools, of course, is that deaf children are separated from their parents. Fortunately, many have reported that the atmosphere of deaf culture fosters great mentor relationships at these institutions.
Being that I come from three generations of deafness, there is a high possibility that I may have deaf or HoH children, and I have to be prepared to teach my children both ASL and American English. If you wish to speak the same language as your deaf child, why not learn the language that was created just for them? Total communication strategy focuses on integrating both ASL and speech therapy, to provide opportunity, without altering the child’s identity. Embracing deaf culture as a family seems to me like a great compromise for helping your kids adjust to the world using all the tools available! Spoken communication is important in our audio world, but it is also extremely important for deaf children to be able to sign with their peers so they can communicate freely, and feel connected. If they decide not to speak out loud or sign later in life, that would be their choice. My guess would be they will cherish both hearing and deaf culture, and embrace both for the rest of their lives. Bilingualism is such a fantastic way to see the world through different eyes, and provides a real advantage to your deaf child! Now that I have provided you with the current options the choice is ultimately left in your hands. What will you decide to do?
