At the Drive Thru: Starbucks customer orders in sign language

[1monster]

St. Augustine, FL

[DonnaM]

1. Cool.

My son took American Sign Language to fulfill the "foreign" language requirement when he was in high school. He used it several times when he was employed at Radio Shack many moons ago.

[Piasladic]

2. Deaf Culture

If you could read a "college-entry" paper from a Florida (deaf student) high school graduate, you'd be horrified.

[1monster]

4. Yeah. One of my problems with "American Sign Language" is that it is based on

the French language, not English. I much prefer Signed English, but no one uses that any more.

Though, to be fair, I've seen many mainstreamed deaf students and their papers are not that much different than the hearing students.

On the other hand, a relative who graduated from a deaf school (he was also autistic) wasn't able to put a decently written paper together to save his life. BUT, he was language delayed and it wasn't until he learned sign language at age 16 that he began to understand language at all. Many years after his graduation, he is able to write ten and more page letters that make perfect sense.

Also, please remember that deafness is a serious social disability (despite what deaf culture tells us) when dealing with hearing people. Hearing people learn, at least originally, to write papers by writing what they hear. Deaf people have to learn a very different way.

[SheilaT]

3. Nice.

I used to work at National Airport in Washington DC, and because of Gallaudet College, often had deaf, signing customers. I learned some of the very basics, and was glad I did.

[1monster]

5. What little I knew was very basic. What I can remember is very little. But

I used to learn little songs in sign.

"Have you ever gone fishin' on a bright summer's day?
"Sit on the bank and watch the little fishies play?
"With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants,
"Watchin' the little fishies do the hoochi cootchi dance!"

Deaf kids love silly songs as much as hearing kids.

[SheilaT]

6. Oh! Oh! Oh!

I would love to see that signed!

A friend of mine back then, who was actually a sign language interpreter, would occasionally sign songs. I just loved his signing of "The Hawk and the Eagle" by John Denver.

[Skittles]

7. coolest language ever

yes indeed