Before I start to really use sign, I would like to know the basic perspective of the community that uses this language. Language is more than words, it is a culture as well.
Here are some of the questions I will be asking my mentor, Teri Voorhes.
Personal Questions:
How did you become associated with learning and teaching sign?
Do you remember the moment you decided to learn sign? What was it like and what helped your decision?
How has ASL impacted your life and family?
Has there been any obstacles in the past learning and or teaching sign?
What is your favorite thing about sign language?
Opinionated Questions:
Do you think it is important for people to learn this specific language? Why or why not?
Do you think that people in important professions should learn a few signs in order to understand their clients/patients?
For example, should a doctor learn a few signs for the body, temperature, and emotions to understand their patients in order to give better care?
Do you think the deaf community has any limitations when it comes to doing basic tasks in their everyday lives? Why or why not?
If yes, what is an example of one of their limitations?
In your opinion, what do deaf people or people who use their hands to express themselves excel at more than people who can hear?
Factual Questions:
Is there other groups of people, other than the deaf community, who uses sign to express themselves?
Why are there different versions of sign language in different countries?
When your deaf, are your other scenes heightened?*
How do hearing ads work? *
Whats the standard for being legally deaf?*
How do people become deaf? Illness?Something happened when they were born?
Why can someone deaf people talk and others can't?
Other (questions random people have asked):
How do deaf people wake up in the morning if they can't hear an alarm clock?
How do they know when someones knocking on their door or ringing the doorbell?
How do deaf musicians know what their doing and if they're doing it correctly?*
Is it safe for the deaf community to drive if they can not hear other cars? *
How does the deaf community have internal conversations with themselves if they don't know what an inner voice sounds like? Do they imagine hands signing to them?*
What's signing grammar like?
What does it feel like when deaf people talk?
Are there any signs that have more than one meaning?