Deaf Lifestyle - Oralism Versus Manualism

Deaf News: Isolating Deaf youngsters from the Deaf community might not be in their best interests in the United Kingdom.



Article by Sarah Lawrence from Slfirst magazine - States of the art hearing aids and cochlear implants might not translate to mainstream achievements.



Born into a hearing family and brought up in mainstream education, neither my parents or the teachers for the deaf, had any knowledge of the local Deaf community. In fact, in the same way that my ‘teacher for the deaf’ discouraged me from learning sign language, in many respects I was also advised not to have anything to do with the Deaf community.



Being strong willed and recognising that I was different to other children in the school (lots of them made sure I knew that), I went on to make my own mind up about what was best for me, my decisions differing markedly from what the ‘teacher of the deaf’ and social worker for the deaf, had suggested was in my best interest. Right or wrong, they were my decisions, and my life has been enriched by being involved in a wide range of Deaf community groups and activities ever since.



Because of my links to and involvement in the Deaf community, I have developed my own identity in life, I have friends who understand the issues I face every day, who support me, and I have people who share the passion I have for reaching a stage when society concentrates on what we can do, rather than the simple fact we cannot hear and might not be able to talk.



Being a part of the Deaf community, I learned all about Deaf sport and Deaf activities, and getting involved has meant that I have travelled all over the United Kingdom and internationally to take part in sport. Through these travels I have learned about Deaf life in other countries and had the chance to meet people who greet me as a long lost friend when we meet up again.



It’s not all chocolates and roses of course, as people face a wide range of issues and Deaf Club or a Deaf social event is a good place to seek help and advice about how to tackle that. Overwhelmingly though, having a Deaf identity and being a part of a Deaf community has been a huge positive in my life, adding great value, and helping me make sense of many of the problems and barriers I experience in my life. I knew and still know today, that those problems and barriers are not personal attacks on me... Read the full story: http://slfirst.co.uk/deaf-lifestyle/health-well-being/isolating-deaf-youngsters-from-the-deaf-community-might-not-be-in-their-best-interests/

Forbes: Changing Technologies For The Deaf

Deaf News: Forbes.com - 4 Game-Changing Technologies For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 360 million people worldwide with a disabling hearing loss, including 32 million children and one-third of people over 65 years of age. Hearing loss may result from genetic causes, complications at birth, certain infectious diseases, chronic ear infections, the use of particular drugs, exposure to excessive noise and aging.



One of the main impacts of hearing loss is on the individual’s ability to communicate with others, since spoken language development is often delayed in children with deafness. Limited access to services and exclusion from communication can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss.



Recent advances in technology have the potential to improve the quality of life for those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Here’s a look at four products in this space that caught our attention.



MotionSavvy UNI: MotionSavvy, founded by a team of students from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, announced “the world’s first two-way communication software for the Deaf.” UNI translates American Sign Language (ASL) into speech, and speech into text. It utilizes a special camera to track the location of both hands and all ten fingers. Graphic representations of the hands provide live feedback to make sure gestures are being captured correctly. The software’s dictionary can be expanded with customized signs added by the user. There’s also an option to upload those signs to the Internet, to share with others. The more an individual uses the system, the more accurate and tailored it becomes. To facilitate the Hearing-to-Deaf half of the communication, the package also includes Dragon Nuance Pro, one of the leading pieces of voice recognition software. Interested customers will have to wait for MotionSavvy UNI, but not long.



The company is planning to release it in September 2015. The video below gives a high level overview of the concept... Read Full Story with Videos: forbes.com/sites/robertszczerba/2015/04/21/4-game-changing-technologies-for-the-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/



Related Post:

New Technology of Communication for the Deaf

Future Of Electronic Devices For The Deaf

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