“This episode resonated within the growing deaf culture I have been connected to, and emanated into a larger circle, because of the technological limitations of TV and Video. Captioning hasn’t really improved in the 30+ years my father has been exposed to it, and in fact, it isn’t even readily available on everything yet!Growing up with a deaf father really has never been an ‘issue’ for me, and in fact, I never really ‘understood’ what it meant until recently. To compare and contrast other ‘normal’ father-son relationships, I can see a plethora of similarities, and even more differences. I can narrow in on the specifics that entail the general communication and exposure to the world my father has had- which in turn influences me. But I think it’s fascinating how general themes and emotions can transcend time, space, and even handicaps, getting to the heart of the matter. We all have our own stories, but it’s the same old life, which our first episode hits upon with “The problem with long hair” – a classic father-son debate.Do I feel limited as a child with a deaf adult? Yes and no. Do other children have to spend time interpreting for their parents over adult issues? Do other children have to correct emails and involve themselves in maintaining and ensuring proper business matters for my father? My father has been an inspiration and motivator- putting 3 kids through college, despite my eldest brother suffering from liver cancer when he as 8, and a heart transplant at 18, owning a house, and maintaining a steady job for years. If he can do all this, with the HUGE limiting factor of simple communication, then there is no reason why I cannot strive for my own goals. So, Do I feel limited as a child with a deaf adult? I think I have a different set of opportunities.”
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–Alex Laferriere @LaffRaff
Ohhhh, how I LOVE your dad’s comment about turning it all off and then see how quickly these captioning issues get resolved! Brilliant! I made it to your vlog via a link from Green Tea Deaf Services in Columbus, Ohio, and I’m glad I stopped by! I will be a subscriber. I’m a court reporter and CART provider for students who have hearing difficulties, which just means that I write in steno everything that’s said in the classroom and it’s translated on a laptop for the student who needs it. I’m certified to write at 225 words/minute and oftentimes write… Read more »
That’s impressive, Bobbie. Appreciate the support. I met someone who had these rare CC skills from WGBH, she and like 2 or 3 other people in the world had this dying art of some sort. Either way, I appreciate people like her and you who help further the awareness for others.
The story of Dine & Sign certainly is a unique and on-going one. Happy to be a part of the ‘Good Man Project’ with it.
i know the deaf communities have tremendously benefited, though, from the technology of smart/android phones, Internet e-mail and other online-communications and services. These technologies have enabled them to bypass the traditional and cumbersome use of Teletypewriters and Operators, and allow the deaf to directly communicate with the other party. The need for these traditional deaf communication services have been on the decline for the last several years now; and probably will become obsolete in the near future. (More lost jobs! Machines/technology replacing humans at an increasing rate).
oh and captioning everything isn’t easy. Especially if you need a real live human being to type out everything that’s spoken…I think we need robots for that. I don’t know any human being who’s able to type a million words a minute…and then you get people talking at the same time. It’s impossible to capture everything. But I’m sure someone will figure out a solution to this;)
Very true, Michelle!
I think the idea of captioning everything would be a challenge, but, as my father points out, despite the technological advancements that have been made, he hasn’t seen a sizable advancement in Closed Captioning even on the mainstream channels! There’s also a lapse in support on other stations, and even a poor job at those that do!
I agree that technology has given deaf culture an increased sense of awareness and capability, but general awareness is still pretty low. That’s all I can bring to the table! Thanks for helping me give my Dad a voice!
Hi Alex Your Dad asks the exact question I have been wondering myself. With regards to closed captioning or subtitles as they are called in the UK, I think I am generally very well served. I am concerned however that live subtitling is being used on some TV shows that are just totally unsuitable for it. If it helps your dad – there is an app in the App store that can help you find subtitles for movies – I wrote a review of it on my blog. Also, if you are interested in advocating for captioning please consider joining… Read more »
Thanks Dawn!
I am trying to be an advocate for so much! lol. Dine and Sign is my current pet project for me as a filmmaker. I think it’s great to have the awareness on Deaf Culture, as well as have the opportunity to spend time with my Father. Have we connected on Twitter yet?
-Alex
I absolutely love this, thank you. I’m training to be a teacher and have just been working in a school with a Hearing Impairment Unit that helps deaf and hearing impaired children to be in mainstream classes, and this is really interesting to watch in light of that. What an amazing next step that would be for Suri.
Thanks Livy! It’s been a goal of mine to give my Dad a voice and help the deaf community in anyway I can. Are you training to be a teacher for the Deaf Community? Or you just have been involved in a school that has a unit?