In my family, two out of four of us are struggling to hear/understand the other two. And just raising our voices doesn’t help…even when he or she is wearing hearing aids. At first, those of us with hearing issues felt like the other two of us weren’t enunciating…then they felt that we were mumbling on purpose. The two of us trying to communicate felt like we were yelling. All four of us were frustrated and it was tempting to focus on our iPads and not talk at all. But I for one was lonely. I wanted to share. I wanted things to be like they used to be. I wanted to tell jokes instead of texting them.
So, a few months ago, I found this lady’s series on YouTube and we have been slowly learning new signs every week. We aren’t signing well enough to fully communicate with a totally deaf person. But every morning, when I wake my honey, I sign, ”I love you,” so that it‘s the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes. And instead of scowling as he tries to figure out what I’m saying, his face lights up and he signs it back to me. And when our daughter is struggling to understand what I’m saying on Zoom, we can sign enough to clarify what I’m trying to tell her. It’s a start. And it’s fun too.
On top of that, there are new short videos being posted all the time. It’s worth a try…
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