A screenshot from the app
A Twitter follower sent me a link to this intriguing new iPad application Sensual Cultures aimed at hearing people who would like to know more about their Deaf neighbors, and how to interact with them positively. The app was made by a Gallaudet graduate.
The creator describes it thus:
A visual guide to cross-cultural conflicts on how cultures value sight, touch, and sound with the focus on Deaf and hearing people! Sensual Cultures come loaded with case studies (videos) showing the conflicts in “real-time” on H Street NE, an artsy corner in Washington DC. (Well, if you’ve just met a deaf person… this app is for you!)
Unfortunately, I don't have an iPad, so I can't personally try it out. It does look interesting, and it's free. Download it, try it out, and report back.
2 comments:
Sounds (yeah) good. I have a very little bit of ASL knowledge from my days in Girl Scouts, and a lot of Gallaudet students living around me. It's not too much to ask that people undertake basic non-verbal communication with their deaf neighbors (pointing, writing things when possible, typing something into a phone so both of you know what you're saying), and learning a few signs is easy! They're always impressed when I give them an ASL "thank you" if they hold the door for me or whatnot ("thank you" is holding a flat palm, knuckles and thumb out, to your chin and bringing it down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEtHSsDpb0c). If they start to sign at me in earnest after the pleasantries I know, I simply give them a "no" and shrug: http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/n/no.htm
But an app helps. A lack of hearing or sight shouldn't exclude people from everyday life. Something like this helps deaf/blind/sensory impaired people participate with us "normal" people with minimal disruption. After all, someone with a sensory deficit is likely just as smart and capable as anyone else, they just need to communicate and experience a little differently. Our most brilliant accountant at work can't see his hand in front of his face without a magnifying glass...he's still the most brilliant accountant I've ever met, and I will rely on his expertise when necessary, even if I have to print things 3x larger for him. :)
This is cool!
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