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Broke

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

[Image ID:

Broke in American Sign Language. Both hands in B handshape palms down chop the signers neck on either side with pinky side of the hand. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent shades green in different stages of the sign. Outline of head, neck, and mouth are green.

End ID]

Vote

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

To register: vote.gov/register

For more information, like registration deadlines (30 days before an election in TN) or to confirm or update registration: usa.gov/voter-registration/

[Image ID: Vote in American Sign Language. Hand in F handshape taps inside base hand in S handshape. End ID]

it's a little early for this but could we get a happy Halloween if you haven't already?

Sure, it's close enough

Halloween

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

[Image ID:

Halloween in American Sign Language. Both hands in bent B handshape rotate to cover the eyes. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent purple and orange. Eyes and fangs are purple.

End ID]

When I’m out with Deaf friends, I put my hearing aid in my purse. It removes any ability to hear, but far more importantly, it removes the ambiguity that often haunts me.

In a restaurant, we point to the menu and gesture with the wait staff. The servers taking the order respond with gestures too. They pantomime “drinks?” and tell us they learned a bit of signs in kindergarten. Looking a little embarrassed, they sign “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day” in the middle of asking our salad dressing choice. We smile and gently redirect them to the menu. My friends are pros at this routine and ordering is easy ― delightful even. The contrast with how it feels to be out with my hearing husband is stunning.

Once my friends and I have ordered, we sign up a storm, talking about everything and shy about nothing. What would be the point? People are staring anyway. Our language is lavish, our faces alive. My friends discuss the food, but for me, the food is unimportant. I’m feasting on the smorgasbord of communication ― the luxury of chatting in a language that I not only understand 100% but that is a pleasure in and of itself. Taking nothing for granted, I bask in it all, and everything goes swimmingly.

Until I accidentally say the word “soup” out loud.

Pointing at the menu, I let the word slip out to the server. And our delightful meal goes straight downhill. Suddenly, the wait staff’s mouths start flapping; the beautiful, reaching, visual parts of their brains go dead, as if switched off.

“Whadda payu dictorom danu?” the server’s mouth seems to say. “Buddica taluca mariney?”

“No, I’m Deaf,” I say. A friend taps the server and, pointing to her coffee, pantomimes milking a cow. But the damage is done. The server has moved to stand next to me and, with laser-focus, looks only at me. Her pen at the ready, her mouth moves like a fish. With stunning speed, the beauty of the previous interactions ― the pantomiming, the pointing, the cooperative taking of our order ― has disappeared. “Duwanaa disser wida coffee anmik? Or widabeeaw fayuh-mow?”

Austin “Awti” Andrews (who’s a child of Deaf adults, often written as CODA) describes a similar situation.

“Everything was going so well,” he says. “The waiter was gesturing, it was terrific. And then I just said one word, and pow!! It’s like a bullet of stupidity shot straight into the waiter’s head,” he explains by signing a bullet in slow motion, zipping through the air and hitting the waiter’s forehead. Powwwww.

Hearing people might be shocked by this, but Deaf people laugh uproariously, cathartically.

“Damn! All I did was say one word!” I say to my friends. “But why do you do that?” they ask, looking at me with consternation and pity. “Why don’t you just turn your voice off, for once and for all?” they say.

Hearing people would probably think I’m the lucky one ― the success story ― because I can talk. But I agree with my friends.

  —  I’m Deaf And I Have ‘Perfect’ Speech. Here’s Why It’s Actually A Nightmare.

Chuck Baird's Crocodile Dundee, 1992

Sources: Deaf-art.org | Profiles, Chuck Baird, DeafArt.org | Artworks, Descriptions

[Image ID by Dawn Sign Press:

Mirroring a crocodile's huge, fearsome jaws, a pair of arms lies directly beneath them, parodying their drawbridge motion. (DSP)

End ID]

Chuck Baird is a De'VIA (Deaf View / Image Art) artist, and he's got a lot of cool stuff that incorporates American Sign Language! I think this one, Tyger Tyger, and the whale one are my favorites. Check him out!

I forgot to post yesterday but DPAN.TV had an interpreter team for the debate. You can still watch it.

[Transcript from DailyMoth.com:

Do you plan to watch the presidential debate on Tuesday night? Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris? DPAN announced that it would provide ASL interpreters, specifically Deaf interpreters, for the debate. You have to go to the website DPAN.tv. They will stream the debate from ABC News and add interpreters. It is a really nice way to experience the debate because whenever I watched debates with just captioning, it didn’t really show interruptions or crosstalk. The captions can’t keep up. But with interpreters, you can see both candidates talking at the same time, and any interruptions from the moderator. You can feel the tone, the drama, or the flow. Nice! So are you ready for tomorrow (Tuesday) night? 9 pm EST. Go to DPAN.tv. Thank you to DPAN for providing ASL access.

End transcript]

Loud

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

[Image ID:

Loud in American Sign Language. 1 handshape points at ear then hands in S handshape palms out shake back and forth on either side of the head. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green, blue and purple in different stages of the sign.

End ID]

Support

Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined

[Image ID:

Support in American Sign Language. Both hands in S handshape. Base hand moves up so pinky side of dominant hand rests on knuckles of base hand. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent blue and pink in different stages of the sign. Background is transparent.

End ID]

Did you have any specific symbol or words you wanted?

Language Priority has a few pins

DEAR ARTISTS OF TUMBLR!!!!!!!!

I need your help. YES YOUR HELP! Im person with hearing aids and i wanted to make myself a pin to my bag so people know who they are talkin to (its hard to notice my hearing aids because of my hair) but i was browsing Pinterest and THERES NOTHING INTERESTING. WHERES THE SWAG, WHERES THE FIRE. So if yall have some designs/photoshop then HAND IT OVER SO I CAN HAVE COOL BAG PLS

Everyone needs to learn sign language pls. Like whatever version is used in your country I encourage you to learn.

Not only will you be learning another language, but you'll be able to talk to other signers, D(d)eaf or not, and two people can communicate in loud places without needing to hear the other.

I'm hard of hearing and have such a difficult time with trying to hear others. I stopped wearing hearing aids because I got annoyed that even after about 18 years I still had a hard time distinguishing what hearies were saying.

I'm learning my country's sign language (ASL) but don't have any experienced signers to practice with. I really hope more people learn these languages (and the history of said languages).

And sign is also helpful with neurodivergent people and babies aswell!