Definitions
•American Sign Language (ASL): is the native language of most deaf adults in North America, does not require a spoken language as a base, and has no accepted written form. ASL, a distinctive visual-spatial language, is produced by the hands, arms, body and face and involves movements in space. It has its own syntax, morphology, and semantics. The French version of ASL is LSQ (Langue Des Signes Quebecois).
ASL poetry
•Assistive devices: are technical aids for the deaf and hard of hearing such as TTY's, hearing aids, visual flashing lights for fire alarms, doorbells and alrm clocks.
•A.T.E.: auditory training equipment (includes transmitter, receiver, hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems, free field sound systems, and edulinks).
•Audiogram: a graph that provides a picture depicting the amount of hearing that an individual has; hearing levels are recorded in decibels (loudness) for each frequency (pitch) tested (usually between 250 Hz to 4000Hz).
Audiologist-
•Auditory discrimination: the ability to perceive and identify individual sounds.
(eg:bug/ bud, fret/ threat, pet/ pit, t-shirt/ teacher)
•Auditory learning (training): specific attention on listening and distinguishing between specific speech or environmental sound in order to optimize residual hearing.
•Auditory management: includes all aspects of the student’s environment which impacts on maximizing residual hearing.(eg: to reduce background noise, 'tennis balls' are put on like "shoes" on the 'feet' all the students' chairs in a classroom with a hard floor)
•Bilateral hearing loss: a hearing loss occurring in both ears although the loss in each ear is often different.
•Closed-caption decoder: a device which when attached to a TV or VCR may be set to allow written captions to be read on TV programs, videos or DVDs. These devices are pretty much obselete as a law in 1993 made it mandatory for all TVs to have built-in closed caption decoders
Cochlear Implant-
•Closed-captioning: subtitles which enable viewers to read the dialogue on a television program, video or film. Note: open captioning is like subtitles while closed captioning gives the view the option to activate it or not.
Conceptually Correct Signs-
•Conductive hearing loss: temporary damage or obstruction in the outer or middle ear resulting in reduced conduction of sound to the inner ear. This loss is most commonly caused by ear infection (otitis media) which in the majority of cases can be cleared by medical treatment. (opposite: see 'sensori-neural' hearing loss)
Cued Speech-
Culltural Model
(opposite: see Deficit Model)
•Deaf community, (Capital ‘D’ deaf): refers to and comprises those deaf and hard of hearing individuals who share a common language, experiences, values and way of life or interactions with each other. A person’s actual degree of hearing loss does not determine a person’s identification with and acceptance by the Deaf Community. Deaf people recognize each other as members by their use of ASL. Thus, the Deaf are a separate linguistic and cultural group of deaf people who communication through the use of ASL.
• Deaf: The word Deaf with a capital ‘D’ is used to refer to those individuals who are born deaf or were deafened as young children and who use sign language as their primary means of communication and who identify with, and share the culture of the Deaf community.
•deaf: The word ‘deaf’ with a lower case ‘d’ is used to refer to the physical condition, whether mild, moderate, severe or profound; whether conductive or sensori-neural; or whether unilateral or bilateral. The term ‘deaf’ is also used to refer to the larger group of persons who have a hearing loss.
Deafhood-
•Decibel (dB): a unit of measurement for the intensity of sound.
• D-Link: is a stand alone device which allows for visual interaction/ communication or video conferencing at multiple sites using the Internet. It will allow students to form video-pals in different regions of the province.
•Educational Interpreter: This term is applied to the person who is responsible for transmitting information to a deaf or hard of hearing student in the school system through either sign or oral communication as well as facilitate communication and understanding between deaf students, their teachers and the subject material. The educational interpreter must also understand the course material sufficiently to be able to explain and expand on the information for the student.
"F" designation (for funding under the ministry of education)
•Fingerspelling: is a component of manual communication as not all 'words' or 'expressions' in a language can be conveyed using a sign. It uses a manual alphabet. Fingerspelling can be used exclusively (as with the Rochester Method) or words can be spelled intermittedly in conjunction with signs. The names of places or persons are common words that are fingerspelled. (DL, p 61) (see Rochester Method)
•Free-field system: a wireless microphone worn by (usually) the teacher, transmits by way of FM frequencies, amplified sound to either 1 more speakers strategically placed around the classroom.
•Frequency: the number of times a sound wave vibrates in a second, measured in hertz (Hz) also known as low moving to high sounds as on a piano keyboard.
•Hard of hearing: These individuals usually, with the use of hearing aids, have sufficient residual hearing to process linguistic information auditorily and communicate using speech.
Hearing Resource Teacher (HRT) (aka: itinerant teacher)
•Hertz/Hz: a unit of measurement which describes the pitch of the sound. The number of hertz corresponds to the number of vibrations per second.
ichat-
IEP's-
•Interpreter: a person who facilitates communication between the deaf or hard of hearing student and hearing peers, service providers and teachers. The communication mode (ASL/Oral) must support the student’s chosen learning program.
Itinerant Teacher (aka: HRTs- Hearing Resource Teacher)
Manually Coded English (MCE)- It is a form of signed communication that may be accompanied with voice but is ususally mouthed. English syntax is emphasized while incorproating the use of ASL signs.(DL, p 61)
Martha's Vineyard-
•Message Relay Center (MRC): is a service provided by a telephone company to relay telephone messages between a telephone user and a TTY user (consult the telephone directory for the MRC number).(see also: video phones and VRS)
•Mixed hearing loss: a hearing loss that has both a conductive and sensori-neural component.
•Oralism: is an educational philosophy/system which emphasizes the use of any residual hearing, of lip/speechreading and speech so that the individual who has a hearing loss will primarily interact and identify with hearing society.
Pidgin Sign English (PSE) or Pidgin Sign Language (PSL)-Are terms which mean that this type of manual communication is a combination of ASL and English. PSE uses ASL signs in English word order, with proportions of ASL and English varying accordng to the communication needs of the people involved. (DL, 61)
•Residual hearing: useable hearing which remains after a person has experienced a hearing loss.
Rochester Method- exclusively fingerspelling.
•Sensori-neural hearing loss: a permanent a hearing loss which occurs in the inner ear; in the cochlear or as a result of a dysfunctional auditory nerve. (opposite: see conductive hearing loss)
Sign Supported Speech (SSS)- Is a term that refers to language that is spoken and is sometimes supported with signs. Only one or two signs may be employed per thought. (DL, p 61)
•Speech range: the range of spoken language that can be heard by the human ear, occurring between the frequencies of 250Hz to 4000 Hz.
•Speech reading (lipreading): reading lip movements, facial expressions, and body language to determine the speaker’s meaning. Only approximately 40% of the speech sounds are visible on the lips in the English language.
Third Culture-
Total Communication: is an educational philosophy/system which incorporated the use of sign language/fingerspelling along with the use of hearing aids, speech and speechreading. Various sign languages primarily using English-based sytax were used.
•TTY/TDD (teletypewriter): telephone device for the deaf.
•Unilateral hearing loss: a hearing loss in one ear, often thought as not being educationally significant, but which in reality, generally causes difficulties in tracking the direction of sound, and confusion in consistency when accurately hearing a spoken word / message accurately. When a person with a unilateral hearing loss has a cold, this adds further challenges to hearing.
Video Phone- eye-to eye and Sorensen
Video Relay Service (VRS) and HOVRS
Visual Gesture Communication (VGC)-
References:
Taylor, Karen. (1994) Deafness and Learning