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CaleanWsh

Learning for my Hubby

By CaleanWsh, in Introduce Yourself

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CaleanWsh    0

CaleanWsh
Posted (edited)

My husband (I'll call him Kethern) has severe hearing loss.  It's getting worse; to the point that he doesn't hear speech or sounds very well (if at all).  He has begun to isolate himself from me and people at  work.  I have started making different signs to him, like you, me, talk, drink, come here, look, stop, deaf (I don't know the HOH sign) and other simple words/signs.  Some are from the ALS vocabulary, some are just ones that I have made up on my own.  I have talked to him on several occasions about learning ALS, but he is resistant.  When I start talking about it, he starts doing something else, turns away from me so that he can't see me or just plain old ignores me.  He has accepted that he is HOH.  As a matter of fact, he is helping me cope with my age related hearing loss.  (It isn't too bad yet, only higher frequencies are hard to hear.)

I want to be able to communicate with him again.  To be able to talk to him after he has removed his aids.  (Without them he is nearly deaf.)  To talk to him across a room.  To tell him about my day, to have him tell me about his day.  Just to talk.

I am very new to ASL.  I know some of the finger spelling and a few of the signs, but most of what I use is made up.  I want to learn.  I want "Kethern" to learn.  How do I learn?  How do I get him to WANT to learn?

Thanks for listening.

CW

Edited by CaleanWsh

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Izabel Ramirez    0

Izabel Ramirez
Posted

I think it's beautiful what you're doing, trying to learn sign language to still communicate with your husband. ASL is a different world, but definitely a loving one too. Maybe he's not wanting to come into terms that he is really HOH, or maybe he'll want to learn if he sees you constantly trying to learn sign language or you'll show him a cool sign that he thinks is cool (maybe like his favorite animal?). When I started learning sign language and was actually able to communicate with someone deaf who was trying to find something in the mall and did it sucsuccessfully Then, my family realized how necessary and unique it is. Ooo and also maybe sign to him his favorite song or one you both love!

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