My Life and Its Adventures

Deaf Expo Asking visitors Driver License!
My Life and Its Adventures Yesterday, I went to Deaf Nation Expo which was held at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. It was my first time going to the Deaf expo. When I arrived they asked me to show an  ID, and I gave them my University ID. To my surprise, they demanded that I show my drivers license with an address, otherwise, I would not be able to go in. I asked why ...
Mon, Sep 23 2013

My Attempt to Understand BSL
My Life and Its Adventures Getting lost in a deaf conversation when you are deaf is definitely not funny!. Tonight, I was at deaf meeting in Brighton, England. It was my first time that I go to such meeting. Since I came in the UK a week ago, I did not have much opportunity to meet with the local deaf. I was excited about going to the meeting tonight and I was hoping I would be able to unders...
Tue, Jun 25 2013

Nodding Your Head to Pretend You Understood
My Life and Its Adventures One  miscommunication experience that is common for deaf and hard of hearing persons   is nodding their head to  pretend they understand something where they didn't in order  to avoid embarrassment or fail to  carry on a conversation without making anyone uncomfortable. However, sometimes, we nod our head  which the person who is talking to us surprises , becau...
Fri, May 31 2013

Seminar for the Deaf in Somalia
My Life and Its Adventures I have been behind on updating my blog. I have been caught up with a heavy academic and leadership demands. I recently went to Somalia where I am originally   from. While I was there, I held leadership seminar for the Deaf. Here is a link more information about it. [link]
Sat, Jan 26 2013

Calling Bank through Video Relay
My Life and Its Adventures Video relay service is one of the best  modern technology, which gave an effective communication to deaf people. However, there are times where it can’t deliver all communication needs that deaf need. The reason is not that video relay services do not provide or deaf do not get access to it, but those whom we call using video phones don’t always understand the im...
Mon, Nov 19 2012

Media Scrutiny of Interpreter Lydia callis
My Life and Its Adventures If you have been following  the news recently, there has been circulating story about sign language interpreter who interpreted for New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg during his news brief about Hurricane Sandy. Some news media have focused their attention on the interpreter and her facial expression  during her interpretation which i think   is not good for prof...
Thu, Nov 01 2012

That Deaf Guy- Matt Daigle Presented at NTID/RIT Tonight
My Life and Its Adventures Matt Daigle and Bakar Ali Matt Daigle, the famous comic deaf cartoonist  gave a great presentation at National Technical Institute for the deaf ( NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology tonight. He talked about how he grew up and how he become cartoonist. He was mainstreamed most of his schooling. When he was young, his parents wanted him to learn lip reading ...
Fri, Oct 26 2012

Deaf Are not Stupid: Communicate with Them!
My Life and Its Adventures When someone sees my article title, if they are deaf, it is likely that they would understand what I meant by that. There are so a lot of misconceptions about deaf people and all the time when I encounter one, I ask what is wrong with these people?!  Yesterday I was with my friend at a book store in Rochester, NY. The store was about to close. We knew that it was ti...
Wed, Aug 01 2012

Turn A Deaf Ear: A great Book!
My Life and Its Adventures I just finished reading a nonfiction book Turn a Deaf Ear which was recently sent me for free as gift by the publicist Darlene Chan which asked if I could read and write review about it. The book which was written by two sisters is mostly based on real inspiring stories. The story begins with a little girl named Linda who lived in New Jersey. &...
Wed, Jul 11 2012

Misunderstanding of Interpreter
My Life and Its Adventures I used to wonder if the interpreters always interpreter what I say the way I want to. In mostly, they do really well and sometimes they make great sentences from my signs. But today in my Anthropology class there was a discussion and I was commenting. I wanted to say “ Because of the today’s globalization economic, the cultures are spreading and the people a...
Tue, Jun 19 2012

Great Deaf Festival at Rochester
My Life and Its Adventures Today I went to Rochester Deaf Festival at Ellison Park in Rochester, New York. It was first time that I attend kind of that festival since I moved to Rochester last year. Thousand of deaf people came to the festival. Pride and smile of their face could have been noticed. I was volunteering at the festival and most of the time I spent helping people ...
Sun, Jun 10 2012

No One Left Behind in ASL Event
My Life and Its Adventures I just came back from a fun and enjoyable event “Mix and Mingle” at RIT ASL and deaf studies community center(RADCC). The event was organized by me and other student at RIT. It was was sponsored by RADCC. Our main goal was to break the communication barriers and encourage integration between deaf and hearing students at Rochester Ins...
Fri, Apr 13 2012

Nevermind Never-Mind!!!
My Life and Its Adventures Never mind, never mind, � I am tired of being told nevermind. It just pissing me off whenever someone try to talk to me and I tell them I am deaf, and they said never-mind. What the heck is wrong some hearing people?!! Do they think if a deaf person cannot hear them, he can�t understand them? I was just setting in RIT Wallace library and typing a...
Tue, Jan 31 2012

Flight Hostess Uses Sign Language
My Life and Its Adventures I was on flight from Netherlands to Sweden yesterday. I was fascinated when the airline hostess used signs to give safety instructions. She was simply sing language to show how to use each safety materials such as using oxygen mask and how to exist airline in case of emergency. It surprised me how effective it was to give instruction in signs than sp...
Sun, Jan 01 2012

Texting Ban in DR of Congo
My Life and Its Adventures One of my friends posted on facebook a link of BBC news which was about banning SMS (short message sending) a text messaging in DR of Congo. Deaf people in DR Congo now face difficult communications because their main communication which was SMS is now banned. . The government of Dr of Conge claimed it banned texting to preserve public order" b...
Wed, Dec 21 2011

Hate having Communication Barriers
My Life and Its Adventures I am just a lone several feet a ways from student club meeting in RIT campus center. My face is turning red like I have a high fever over 100 degrees. However, I don�t have high fever but I am somehow sick. I am sick with having communication barriers which I can�t blame on anyone Tonight one of the clubs that I am involved in is having a meeting and t...
Fri, Dec 02 2011

Deaf Students and Earning BS/BA Degree
My Life and Its Adventures In my first day In my Scientific bases and society responsibilities class,my professor Dr. Denise Thew wrote on the board 1%. She asked students to figure out what that stands for? At first we were confused. But to my surprise, she told us that the figure shows approximately percentage of deaf students who go to college and earn a bachelor degree!. This st...
Fri, Dec 02 2011

Issue with Sorenson ntouch
My Life and Its Adventures I wanted to share something that I encountered with Sorenson video relay service. I have always liked using Sorenson services until now. I use Sorenson Ntouch on my laptop. Since Sorenson updated the software last month, I have not been able to make calls. When I call people They can�t see my camera and sometimes I can�t see their camera. It displays black screen....
Fri, Nov 25 2011

Texting and Signing
My Life and Its Adventures I just watched a video about danger of texting while driving. I always knew that texting and driving is very dangerous things. But when I watched that video, it also reminded about the danger of signing while driving. I believe that texting and signing while driving is dangerous. Texting is my favorite way of communication. I always text a lot than any other com...
Mon, Aug 01 2011

Signing At The Zoo
My Life and Its Adventures I have been having another lazy weeks. I have not written anything for my blog for three weeks. Seriously, I need to write more. Last Saturday, I went to Binder park Zoo. It is a large zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. Signers and other deaf awareness (SODA) student club at Lansing Community College were having their last event for the year....
Thu, Jul 28 2011

Making Friends In Sign Language
My Life and Its Adventures Many people try very hard to make new friends. Some of us can make friends easily while others may struggle. Lately, I have been wondering how easy it is to make friends through sign language. A few days ago, I was at a deaf coffee chat in Troy, Michigan. While chatting with some friends, a conversation arose regarding how easy it was to make friends through sign lang...
Thu, Jul 07 2011

Sign Language is not just Deaf Language
My Life and Its Adventures I have been wondering how some people can be so uneducated about sign language. I have noticed people making fun of me or even other people who are conversing in sign language. Some of them think that sign language is deaf language and is only used as communication between deaf individuals and experienced hearing people who have studied it. But the truth is, everyone ...
Mon, Jun 13 2011

Deaf Students In College
My Life and Its Adventures I have posted this essay on my Facebook notes a while, so I thought it would also make sense if I post on my blog. You sit in a classroom full of students, rolling your eyes looking ubiquitously. You are like a black sheep, different from all of the other students in the class. You are the only one that cannot understand what is going on. Who are you? This is the life...
Mon, Jun 13 2011