Communication....period.

So, as most of you know, I'm an interpreter between people who can hear and people who are either deaf or hard of hearing. Please notice that I didn't say I'm an ASL Interpreter or an English Transliterator or an Oral Transliterator or an Interpreter for the D/deaf.  I'm an interpreter between People who can hear and People who are either deaf or hard of hearing.  The other terms noted above are ways of painting folks into boxes, or adding more labels to separate us as a Human Race and or to give us more reasons to bicker, discriminate against one another or judge.  I'm a pretty good ASL interpreter, a rockstar signed English transliterator and a pretty good oral transliterator....my point being, I've made it my business to make communication my business....not just one mode or another, but all that I can possibly accommodate.  It's about communication...period, not the how.  I'm not speaking ill of any mode or language...just trying to promote communication and understanding.

I have family members that sign, some that don't, despite being part of a large Deaf family, some that read lips, some that use signed english, some that make up their own sign language.  I'm really fortunate to have been exposed to all that I have...it's helped to shape my philosophy and my practice.  It's also helped me to step back and adopt a Person First approach to everything I do....but that's for another blog.  :)

Thoughts?