Deaf Culture - The Sign Name

I have had the pleasure of meeting a good number of deaf people. One of the more interesting aspects of communicating with them in sign language is the concept of a "sign name," which I'll explain briefly.

In order to keep from having to fingerspell a person's name every time you mention them, it's easier to have a "sign name." This consists of the fingerspelled first letter of the person's name and an action associated with that person. Whenever I've asked one of my deaf friends to give someone else to whom we're talking a sign name, they usually ask, "What does he/she like to do?" In other words, if you had one activity or word to describe you, what would that be? My wife Jennie, for example, has a beautiful smile. Keisha, our 5-year old daughter, has curly hair. I really enjoy playing and listening to music. So our sign names, respectively, with the right hand, are a fingerspelled "J" across the right side of the face (smile), a fingerspelled "K" by the right side of the head in a curling motion (curly hair), and a fingerspelled "D" in a figure-eight motion across the left arm (music).

Make Your Blog More Accessible

Dive Into Accessibility: 30 Days to a More Accessible Web Site

This online, downloadable book answers two questions:

1. Why should I make my web site or blog more accessible?
   If you do not have a web site or blog, this book is not for you.
2. How can I make my web site or blog more accessible?
   If you are not convinced by the first answer, you will not be interested in the second.

"Let's dive in."

Sign My Guestmap

David signed my guestmap. He likes Guided By Voices, a band who is from Dayton, Ohio.

A Lesson to be Learned

I live in Dayton, Ohio, and I've driven along the roads mentioned in this article. Dayton Daily News: Police chase ends when suspect's prosthetic leg falls off. The man was trying to steal some lawn mowers.

I loved what Neal Boortz said on his radio show yesterday about this story. The lesson to be learned here is this: If you have a prosthetic leg and try to run from the police, chances are that they have real legs.

My Worst Physical Experience and Other Memories

Melanie from "The Topics Blog" asks, "What was the worst thing that you have ever experienced physically?"

This question takes me back to my childhood, reminding me of my earliest memory, favorite TV superheroes, and when I knew I'd gotten bionic parts.

All right, then. Here goes. What follows gets a little personal, and maybe a little gross -- consider yourself warned.

My Earliest Memory

This event happens to be my earliest memory; i.e., the earliest time when I realized I existed. And what a doozy it was.

I was three years old and I had received an operation to repair a hernia in my groin. A problem arose when I had an allregic reaction to the catgut stitches that the surgeons used to knit me back up. The area got infected and, before I could get the stitches out, they needed to get all the pus out. I remember this scene vividly because when they pushed to squeeze the pus out, the pain was excruciating! I remember screaming and crying because it hurt so bad. I felt helpless. Now, whenever I hear the word "excruciating," I think about this experience.

After the experience was over, the hospital people gave me a Batman colorforms set: a sort of "consolation prize" for "being so brave".

TV Superheroes

In addition to Batman, some of my other favorite TV shows growing up were Shazaam! and The Six Million Dollar Man. Sometimes, my Mom would safety pin a towel on my back, and I would race down the steps to our front door and cry out, "Shazaam!", just like the main character did on the show. Then I would go around looking for problems to fix, bad guys to beat up, and so on. At other times, I would play with my Steve Austin, Six Million Dollar Man, action figure. It even had a magnifying glass so that I could look through his right eye. The "real" Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors, had a bionic eye.

I Have Bionic Parts

I remember after coming home from the hospital, we had a family reunion of some type at our house. Well, I was just so proud, having come off the operating table, that I went around telling people that I, too, had bionic parts inside me. And I was just about to show someone by climbing up in one of the trees in front of our house, when Dad caught me. From that moment throughout my childhood I was not allowed to climb any trees. I thought Dad just didn't believe, but now I realize that he did want me to go back to the hospital so soon after coming home.

I cannot remember, but maybe a jump like that is what led to my hernia operation in the first place.

Get That Job! - New Blog Launched

I am pleased to announce the launch of "Get That Job!", a weblog devoted entirely to the job search. The idea is to have many contributors - i.e., not just me - who can post to the page. It could be a snippet of advice, a good quote from somewhere, some encouragement, success stories, job market information, etc. This idea is similar to the one at The End of Free.

So, if you happen to be interested in contributing, let me know:

• E-mail me:
• Add a comment(aka guidepost, see the end of this post)
• Sign the guestmap or
• Sign the guestbook

Also, if you know someone else who may be interested, then let me know about them as well. I will need valid e-mail addresses so that I can set you up to contribute. Maybe you or others aren't interested in being regular contributors but would like to contribute occasionally. In that case e-mail me: with whatever you have and it will be considered for posting there.

Sleep Study Experience

Last Friday, Jen, who blogs to Thinking by Smell, wrote about being in a sleep study. That's interesting. I was part of a sleep study over ten years ago when I lived in the Detroit, Michigan area:

The researchers were testing to see how drowsy a person taking Benadryl gets. The first week was going to be a baseline test (i.e., a control test) I was told that I could not take in any caffeine or chocolate 12 hours before I was to go in. They should have just put me in jail or something.

I went in at the approved time and also went to a "hook up" room. Shortly after they turned off the lights, I was out. They woke me up in the morning, and boy, did I feel wasted. They let me eat breakfast, but I was not to drink any caffeine still. After the breakfast break, I went to a computer terminal and had to take this manual dexterity test. I was supposed to get a perfect score, considering I hadn't been given any of the Benadryl. But because I was still so sleepy, every cell in my body begging for rest, I didn't get a good score.

Later that week, I received a check in the mail and was told that they would not need me any more for the current sleep study. I know it was because I was a poor control guinea pig.

I've considered participating in additional studies because participants get paid. Maybe soon...

Our Exuberant Ballerina

Keisha, as one of her 5 year old birthday presents, began dance class last night. She was so hyped!! And proud, too! I get so encouraged when she shows us what she's learned.

She made a new friend, and she invited her and her mom to come to our church... Jennie was so inspired by that. Me too!

Some people need to be told to evangelize, but this girl did it out of the bottom of her heart. She was like this as we approached her birthday party, which was last Friday-Saturday (another post altogether). Anyone we'd meet, whether at church, while shopping, at the doctor's office, at the library - she'd ask them if they would come to her birthday party. We'd only invited five other girls, so when Keisha did this, we'd have to make sure these people knew that it had already been planned.

Still, we are so fired up about our daughter's natural exuberance! It's as though whenever she walks into the room, she needs to make sure others know that she's arrived. Now I understand that this behavior can be taken to the extreme and appear conceited. Yet she has a magnetism that naturally draws people to her. That's a great quality!

Take me out to the ball game

On Monday night, my friend BI took me to see the Cincinnati Reds vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first time I've seen a Reds game that close this year. This year, by the way, is the last year that the Reds will be playing in Cinergy Field, formerly known as Riverfront Stadium. Next year they will be moving into their new ballpark, Great American Ballpark, named for Great American Insurance Company.

In general, it was a terrific time. BI was the best man in my wedding, and I was a groomsman in his wedding. I still refer to him as 'the best man'. The Reds lost 6-5.

So little time, so much to blog

I need to make this brief, since I've got to get on with the job search, etc. So stay tuned...