Friday, April 15, 2011

Another CID's video link again!

I had to share this wonderful CID's video link with you all again!


I am so thankful for CID which is an oral school for the deaf.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

CID's Video link

I want to share with you the link which is a very short video of Hannah and Max her dog. She went to CID.

You can see why I am so thankful for CID where I learned to talk there. I was there from 1973 to 1980. I am still so thankful for this kind of oral education!

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

To Be Oral or to Learn to Sign ASL!

As I watch this video from YouTube on Through Your Child's Eyes: American Sign Language [Subtitled] (13.18 minutes), I did have a major mix feeling about this. Why? Because I was born deaf due to German Measles in 1964 and didn't learn to sign as a baby or young child. I am so thankful that I didn't learned to sign in the first place. My mama would encourage me daily and work with me to use my voice by using program from John Tracy, the deaf son of Spencer Tracy and Louise Treadwell Tracy. His mother taught him to talk.

Here is the history about his mom and John Tracy. I am very thankful for that in every way. You can learn more about John Tracy Clinic. I am sure that they are many other wonderful links about this that you can go to.

Now, if I have learn to sign from birth, I would not have been accepted to go to Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) which is an Oral school for the Deaf. I am thankful that I was able to go to CID since because I didn't know any sign and refuse to learn any sign when I was very young. I went to CID from '73-'80 then went to public school and graduated at public school.

I do believe it is still possible to teach your baby or young child to learn to talk without teaching them ASL or any other sign language. In my personal opinion that teaching them to sign might limit them only to sign and not to use their voice or limit them not to be oral educated. It wouldn't hurt to be bi-lingual but at the early age, I don't think that would be a wise thing to do. This is my personal opinion not to start them in signing at early age but to teach them to talk and use their voice. Now, if I do have a deaf child, I would have him/her to learn to talk with speech therapy at the very early age.

I now do know a little bit of ASL, but I am still very ORAL educated and extremely extrovert in the hearing world.

As an adult, I believe that it wouldn't hurt for them be bi-lingual and to learn to sign ASL or other sign language to reach out into the deaf world. I am trying to learn some since 2003 and still signing isn't my strength. I am not around a lot of deaf friends in my home town. I do see them every now and then. If I do see them more often, then I would have greatly improve my ASL with them.

Caring Heart for the Deaf,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Thursday, January 6, 2011

My CapTel 800i


I now do have my CapTel 800i set up as of yesterday. I really love this wonderful technology out there. With this special phone, I can hear them and read what they are saying at the other end. This is perfect for those who are oral educated deaf or hard of hearing.

You can get this phone through DHHS if you can't afford to get one or through CapTel if you can afford to get one. But please do be mindful about what kind of phone service you have and see which one you will need to get. There are two different kind of CapTel 800 and CapTel 800i. On CapTel website, it will tell you what kind that you will need to get.

I got the CapTel 800i because I do have digital phone line. I don't have analog phone line.

If you are getting CapTel 800i, you might need to buy a router for that too. I had to buy a router, and it did work. I only had one Ethernet and not extra one so therefore I had to buy a router. I got Belkin Connect N150 which is a wireless router one. This does work great.

I am looking forward to make all kind of phone calls and receiving phone calls without trouble of understanding.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Monday, November 8, 2010

What kind of phone or phone server do you use?

I am wondering what kind of phone, or relay service do you use?

I am very oral educated and use phone to call my family and local best friend that I know that I can understand them on the phone. I had been doing that for many years.

But some years ago, I was having a hard time understanding on the regular volume control phone. Then I had to get CapTel phone that was 2-line CapTel phone. It is wonderful CapTel phone to be able to understand them and read what they are saying without having a very hard time to understand them. I am so thankful for this wonderful technology.

With CapTel 2-line, I had been using it only for 1-line instead of 2-line, so that I don't have to pay extra phone line server charge. The major problem of using 1-line were that they had to dial relay phone number first then my phone number. That didn't do too well. It work great when I call them since that is automated. If they did dial relay number first and then my phone number, then I can read what they are saying which is great and wonderful. My family or friend does dial that relay number which is good news. But as for others, they don't.

If I did use them for 2-line, then they wouldn't need to dial relay first because that would be automated in caption for me to read. But I didn't have the green to pay for 2-line phone service. I don't think that any phone server should charge us, deaf extra for this special kind of service that we need to have. But they do which isn't good news.

Last summer of '09, I had to quit using that 2-line CapTel phone because I had changed the phone server from analog phone line to digital cable phone line. That 2-line CapTel phone wasn't compatible for the digital cable phone line. That was a major problem again.

Then I had to buy AT&T regular phone with volume control and use Sprint CapTel online. It does very well just like my other 2-line CapTel. But it isn't automated and just like just having 1- line instead of 2- line. Same problem again because they are not dialing relay number. Again, my family or friend does dial that relay number which is good news. But as for others, they don't. OUCH!

Now, I am looking forward in getting CapTel 800i. I just can't wait to get it. It will be automated in caption. They will not have to dial relay phone number which will be a praise and a big improvement. (When I do get them, I will let you all know about it.)

On the other hand, I am wondering how we, deaf , deal with applying for job, or loans, or credit cards, or other things like that does require us to put down our phone number. BUT where is the space for us to tell them that they need to dial relay number first before dial our phone number? I am aware that other use Video Phone, VRS, and other kind of relay services, or to tell them that you used TTY/TTD. How do you get them to use that relay service to get up with you?

I am finding that they will not reply to my job resume when I do put down the relay phone number first and then my phone number. But now, they are replying to my resume without the relay number. MMMM!!! But I had to call them back, so that I can understand them on the phone which does create a major problem.

Also, how do you all deal with computerize voice when you need to get to the real human being on the phone. I had lost my redheaded temper times to times on that. That is not a good news for me as a believer for Christ. I am finding that is a major problem for me. I have to get my family or best friend to call for me. Sometimes, they will not accept my family or my best friend to call for me, and I am in the background with them listening to them and for them to hear me. I had to write a letter to give them my permission to talk to someone for me.

I just can't wait for my new CapTel 800i phone, so that I can understand them without having to call them back.

I am looking forward to learn from you all how do you deal with all of this and what kind of phone and phone service do you use.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Ministry to the Deaf in other country!

Here is another wonderful blog about Ministry to the Deaf.

My wonderful friend, Lisa send me this wonderful link!

Please do pray for them and as for them to witness to the Deaf out there.

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Red Box Rental!

Have you ever had problem with Red Box DVD Rental?

I just learned this over Thanksgiving with my family.

My brother's family had rented Red Box before and was fine for them since they don't need Closed Caption. Then I (deaf / hard of hearing) was with them for family Thanksgiving gathering and stay at their place to watch UP movies with them. They had hard time to get the Closed Caption going and wouldn't work at all. Then one of my nieces had to googled for more information, and we were informed that Red Box doesn't do Closed Caption.

You can see what other are saying: Go to this link.

I do wish that all the video/DVD/YouTube is in Closed Caption. Not just for me but for others as well.

A Heart for the Deaf,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion