I have to say you are incredibly brave because you are making a case for capability rather than background. My best language teacher, the one who gave me that "ah ha" moment was a non-native speaker. He, I learned later on, was a high-level international interpreter. Fluency in both languages is the important quality. Great job, Nelle!

I’m a hearing student in the US who’s been learning Spanish in school since I was young, and has recently started learning ASL as a third language. My experiences have been pretty similar to yours- background doesn’t matter that much in teaching Spanish as long as you’re fluent (though the vast majority of my Spanish teachers have been Latino/a), but I’ve never had a hearing ASL teacher. Personally, I prefer deaf sign language teachers, because learning about deaf culture alongside the language is important, and I like that they can give firsthand information and personal anecdotes. Plus, as someone who’s coming into learning ASL having never known a deaf person before, being able to interact with deaf people as I learn has been important (getting used to the fact that some deaf people make sounds as they sign, getting used to what a “deaf accent” sounds like, learning how using an interpreter works by watching one, etc.), but I definitely agree the fluency is more important.

Hi, Ellen! I can give my outside perspective as a guy who doesn't know any deaf man in person. I completely agree with you that vocabulary and fluency level of a teacher is much more important than their personal background, in this case if the teacher is deaf or not. I would only add that not everyone can become a teacher even if they are highly-leveled in a certain language.

Very interesting. I liked hearing your perspective as a student of foreign languages. I agree that people have strong opinions about this, especially learning sign language. In the US, many feel that it is necessary to learn ASL from a Deaf teacher. My opinion? My first requirement would be that the individual knows how to teach and is fluent, secondly I would like them to be deaf.

Any one source represents a partial bridge between languages. We need to stitch together many bridges to make it to the other side, and we must do that ourselves, as learners. Access has a far stronger impact on our fluency at every point along the way, and yes, Deaf exude the nuances that we can learn from best. Immediate creative feedback keeps us learning. Learning for ourselves on the internet, we simply don't know what to look for, we can only try to cram it all in and hope for the best. I'm in my fifth in-person class, with direct interaction, we reach those epiphanies quickly, many people learning together with a common goal. Having Deaf coworkers is also a way to increase language exposure and interaction, and a lot of my progress has been from finding ways to communicate with them.

Some times one has to make use of what is available, even if it is less than ideal. For example, there was a man in his 50s living in a rural area in England (in the 1970s). Like you Nelle, he had gone deaf as a young adult, and was excellent at lip reading. However, as he was getting older he found lipreading more tiring, and wanted to supplement his skills with BSL. At the time I was 18 years old, had done some BSL translating for deaf friends in religious meetings, but I was by no means an expert. However there was no alternative teacher for him in the area. So, I became his teacher. It was far from ideal, but it gave him a start in sign language, for which he was very appreciative, and we became good friends, despite the age differences.

@nellefindlay

4 ай бұрын

Hi! In this I'm referring more to formal teaching like running a course, but absolutely there are situations where people have to rely on informal teachers who may not have the qualifications to be an actual teacher. Despite, for example, not being a qualified Spanish teacher, if someone asked me to tell them how to say some phrase in Spanish, I would just tell them. It would be a bit ridiculous to refuse to tell them because you're not qualified to teach even if you know it. The same applies to BSL, if someone asks me how to fingerspell their name or how to ask someone's favourite colour, I will tell them. I would refuse though if someone asks me how to sign random swear words etc. as a joke, because to me that's a bit disrespectful (the same applies in Spanish).

I love her voice

@nellefindlay

4 ай бұрын

Thank you :)

HI! I'm Luis, From Chile. I'm a hearing person and i started to learn Chilean Sign Language when I was a child because I have a Deaf Sister and a Deaf Causin. Now I want to be a techar of SL, but here in Chile there are many discriminate to hearing People that teach it. So, you can only work like a interpreter or work in your profesional área with Deaf People. It really sad and sometime I think that no worth it to explain this to the Deaf Comunity because they are so aggressive. Maybe Im little exaggerated, but thats my vision and my experience in my country. You are so brave. I would like to have the same. I hope that you understand my message. My english is basic. Byebye

@nellefindlay

4 ай бұрын

Hola Luis, hablo español así que no hay problema (¡Si has visto el vídeo, deberías saberlo!). No creo que exageres, algunos sordos tienen opiniones muy fuertes. Yo creo que es porque han visto a muchos oyentes enseñar mal la lengua de signos que no se fían de ninguno para enseñarla bien, pero eso me parece un poco injusto, por eso hice el vídeo. Suerte con lo de ser profesor de lengua de signos, si es lo que quieres hacer.

A no brainer. Teachers of any subject matter need to be qualified and that includes having a high level of expertise. The person’s background incl. ethnicity is irrelevant.

How are your close relationships being deaf and autistic. I have been working thru your videos and applaud your courage, candor and brilliance.

@nellefindlay

3 ай бұрын

This is a really excellent question. I would say that I'm pretty introverted by nature. I don't have a lot of friends, but that's more my own personal choice rather than due to inability. I have a few friends that I see now and again and I have plenty of acquaintances who I'm happy to chat with when I get the chance, but I don't have any super close friendships where I see them or contact them every day and we share everything with each other, that's just not my style. In general I just prefer my own company. Something I have been asked before is whether I have lost friendships due to my hearing loss. The answer is that I haven't because all my friends are decent people. I do have a very good relationship with my family, however, I am the only autistic person in my immediate family so I don't think they fully 'get' me. I would describe them as accepting but not understanding of me. For me, there is no such thing as an effortless conversation. Socialisation is always a massive effort for me and I think that probably explains a lot. I hope this answered your question. I'm sorry for the essay, but that's a pretty big question so I think it deserves a proper answer. Nelle :)

@user-dv8ym8ry9g

3 ай бұрын

You are charming!

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@nellefindlay

3 ай бұрын

Hi, thank you for your offer, but this channel is just a hobby for me and I'm not looking to invest in growing it at the moment. :)

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3 ай бұрын

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