Using Technology to Communicate

In another blog, I wrote about the increasing use of digital technology and how Keen Guides is using it to create more integrated experience for people of all languages and communication modalities. We’re hopeful that it creates dialogue when everyone has access to the same information.

I think it’s important to create experiences for people in a manner that fosters collaboration rather than isolation. It makes me wonder, we  (deaf and hard of hearing) utilize technology in a lot of ways to help us communicate.  There’s closed captioning, instant messenging, TTYs, voice carry-overs (VCO), e-mail, you get the idea. In a lot of ways, those electronic sources of communications helps people who are deaf and hard of hearing collaborate with everyone else. However, do we run the risk of creating a more isolating experience, by relying more and more on these sources of electronic information exchange?

I think it’s important, too, to stop and realize how much we are relying on technology. I know that I need to spend more time meeting people for coffee, meals, or just to say “hello.” It’s so easy to get caught up. People don’t just walk up to people’s front doors with a plate of warm cookies and a gallon of cold milk in the other to strike up a conversation. Oh, how I long for that to be a reality again.

I think people who are deaf and hard of hearing are in a tricky spot, don’t you think!? Are we “extempt” from the need to put down our smartphones and shut down our computers?

New Year’s Resolutions.

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s until this year. I suspect it’s because my life used to revolve around the school calendar, from September ’til June. Now that I’m in the working world, there is getting to be some meaning behind our traditional calendar year, with a “new fresh” and a conclusion to the year with family and friends. So, having that said, I’ve been thinking about resolutions for 2009. I’ve kept them very basic and simple as to not sabotage other resolutions and feel like a failure. Sound familiar? Yep, happens to all of us. Perhaps all of us can start with this resolution #1: Keep New Year’s Resolutions!

Anyway, my point is…I’d like to challenge the Cued Speech community to continue reaching out to other families and groups and help educate others about Cued Speech. I think that in the past several years, the exposure has grown and I’d like to see that momentum continue. I have a few ideas of how I’m going to reach out to families and fellow cuers, but I’d like to hear YOUR advice and suggestions for others who may be seeking similar direction. Perhaps tutoring children? peer mentoring with parents? a saturday outing with some families? e-mail communication and correspondence? any ideas? 

Happy New Year!

Finding the Common Denominator

At the risk of sounding cliche, I don’t believe in bad events or moments. I think that ultimately, we look back and have a good understanding of why events happened and how it changed our course. Challenges make us stronger, more certain of our decisions, and more well-rounded. Those decisions may result in a greater challenge (ahem, the economic crisis), but it allows us to sit back and reassess what we’re doing. Now, you may ask, what does this have to do with “We Cue!”?

I think one of the most beautiful parts about this country is our freedom. Our freedom to choose and have a choice. We have a freedom to fall, make mistakes, and pick ourselves right back up again and keep moving. Isn’t it amazing that we have this freedom? You, as a child, a parent, a professional, or a grandparent, have just as much freedom to help determine the best communication strategy for you, one that works for you, not what works for your neighbor’s best friend’s brother-in-law.

My parents went on this journey without a support group because everything was “so new” back in 1983. But quickly, they found parents who were in the very same position: parents who were unsure of what they’re doing and constantly battling the forces of “you should be doing this, you should be doing that.” The thread that bound them all together was their perseverance, and willingness to stand up for what they believed to be the best practice for them, and their child. I’m speaking to young cuers when I say, stand up for yourself and be heard, speak, and be proud of your abilities as a unique individual. You’ll get a lot of respect that way. Don’t be afraid. Really. It’s the challenges that make us all stronger. The common denominator isn’t that we’re deaf, it’s that we’re willing to believe in ourselves.

Before I sign off, don’t let people make you believe that you can’t do what you want to do. The only person who can look out for you is you and your family.

What moments stick out in your mind, where you feel like you’ve had to stand up for yourself when it seemed hard, as a parent, a teacher, or a child?

CLTs and Culture!

One reason why I love cued speech is the ability to be mainstream as much as possible.

This is possible thanks to cued language transliterators (CLTs), as Beth blogged about earlier. What a great post – the CLTs are truly instrumental in the mainstream experience and the ability to get the exact same information, and we are left to make our own interpretation of the mood, tone, and feelings.

I’ve spent a lot of time with CLTs and ASL interpreters this summer to bring accessible audio tours to cultural institutions. I’ve learned so much about how material is presented through an interpreter or transliterator. We spent a great deal of time with the ASL interpreter to come up with the correct interpretation of an abstract term, to do it without altering the source meaning. We usually come up with the best possible interpretation to convey the best meaning possible, but it is a timely task. (Just as it is to translate a different language into English.) Fortunately, we did not run into this problem with cued speech, as the abstract concept was cued right out as it was spoken. Brilliant! The cuer has the ability to interpret it directly from the source, rather than interpreting from an interpretation. The stress of interpreting is eliminated on my part, because I know with cued speech, there is absolutely no risk of an incorrect interpretation.

I think this is such a key part in education. With cued speech, we can develop the appropriate logical and creative thinking directly from the source via an cued speech transliterator.

By the way, do you have weekend plans? I’m hoping to meet a group of cuers and families this Sunday, August 10th at the National Gallery of Art to provide you with the transliterated tour of the east building modern art collection. You’ll get to be the first to try it – cool, huh?

If you’re interested, please e-mail me (catharine (at) keenguides.org.) I’m planning on meeting between 2 and 4 p.m., but I’m willing to accomodate YOUR schedule if you’d like to check it out. This will be available in four videos: cued speech, captioned, spoken, and ASL to suit everyone involved in the experience — deaf or hearing. There will be upcoming opportunities later in August, if Sunday doesn’t suit your schedule. (August 30th and 31st are also other options – for those of you who need more advance planning! You can also e-mail me for other suggested dates.)

Last but CERTAINLY not least, I want to give a shout out to all the WONDERFUL CLTs out there! Thank you, thank you for making communication possible for us.

Catharine

Cued Speech and Entrepreneurship

Many of us are able to say, “…because of cued speech, ________________ is possible.”

For some of you, it can be “pursuing an education,” “sharing laughs with my siblings,” or “being able to tell my child, ‘I love you.’” For me: …because of cued speech, starting my own company is possible. Growing up with cued speech, it broadened my understanding of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and to understand the common misconception that this population is homogeneous. With this perspective, I realized that many cultural organizations and public spaces often think that American Sign Language (ASL) is a one-size-fits-all approach to access, and the only available accommodation.

I am not fluent in ASL, so I was left out of cultural experiences in which tours of art collections were offered as audio guides. Now, I could listen to the audio guides, but it wouldn’t be a relaxing experience for me, as it is for others. I would need to focus to listen. It was either that, read a bulky, 50-page transcript, or request an interpreter (presumably from a list of ASL interpreters) two-to-three weeks in advance. That’s not fun, right?

Out of this came my entrepreneurial spirit. I started a company called Keen Guides with three bright individuals who are helping to make this dream come to reality. We provide video interpretation/transliterations of audio guides that you can watch on a personal media player, such as your iPod. It’s going really well so far and we’ve received a lot of interest from cultural venues around Washington, DC. We are launching a pilot at the National Gallery of Art in early August. The tour will be available in cued speech, spoken, spoken with captions, and ASL. I hope you’ll come check it out! It will be great to hear from you – and your perspective. Our product is neat because it applies to everyone, and there aren’t any additional steps to take to get the access – you can watch (or listen to) a spoken tour while your friend watches the ASL video, captioned, or cued speech video. The beauty is that you’ll get to talk about the same tour at the same time, with the same content. Neat, isn’t it?

How do YOU fill in this blank: “because of cued speech, _____________ is possible.” ? I’d love to hear your comments!

-Catharine