Tactile Communicationwith the Deaf-BlindFrom Guidelines Chapters 8 and 9

Tactile CommunicationFor people who are totally deaf and blind:Meeting for the first time: give yourself plenty of time to get used to each otherUse a gentle touch on the hand or back of upper armIdentify yourself every time: Dont play the Who am I? gameDo not feel stuck because there is a hand on yours

Dos and DontsAccept more than half the responsibility for good communication:You have more information about the immediate environment through sight and hearing andYou have less drain of your energyDont feel stuck because you are being super responsible (unless you are the SSP)Dont hesitate to engage in short Hello type conversations.

Adjusting to the ModalitySign with smaller, slightly slower motionsSign with distinct motions; Be crisp with your signingFor your own comfort and that of DB person, sign slightly lower than usualDont hold the DB persons fingersFeeling the DBs hands on top of yours may make you feel restricted and may tempt you to sign very small

Adjusting to the Modality 2Dont duck your head or shoulders for signs on the head to meet your handsFATHER, SICK, TASTE etc. Dont switch back and forth with your signing hands, use your dominant handFingerspell slower but keep a consistent rhythmMake sure the DB person knows whether or not other people might hear or see your conversation

Adjusting to the Modality 3Practice signing and reading signs tactually with other peers in class.Communicating tactually for a long period of time is both physically and mentally fatiguing for the DB person.If the DB persons hands are especially heavy, ask them to lighten upPacing is important

Facial ExpressionThe tension, speed and other characteristics of your hands and their movement often reflect your overall moodUse squeezes, pats and strokesBeyond the natural changes in tension and speed that come with changes in mood, make an effort to be clear about how you are feeling:Respond with Im thinking (rubbing your chin) If you are laughing, sign HAHA or THATS FUNNY!

Setting the SceneLet the DB person know where you are, who is present in the situation and what they are doing. Let the DB person know about changes in the environmentTell the DB person about other peoples responsesTell the DB person what is happening during any pauses

Setting the Scene 2Think about a sense of place:Share information about where you are if it is interestingUse touch if explanation is not enoughNotice and report details which give character of the environmentKeep your friend up to datePass on the news

Overall ClarityIndicate your purpose and the function of your communication:i.e., QUESTION, INFORM-YOU, WARN-YOUGive the DB person feedback:YES, WHAT?, WOW, REALLY, INCREDIBLE.(Use signed responses to replace your head nods, grins and shrugged shoulders)Be sure you understand her, ask for repetition or clarification

Overall Clarity 2Be sure you are clear, and that the DB person is receiving the correct messageDo not rambleBefore you talk, think about where you want to begin Be succinct and to the point: Start with the topic then make your point, elaboration follows. Allow the DB to check in, verifying and making connections.

Overall Clarity 3Watch out for misunderstandings, clarify if necessaryNotice for example, which of your signs tends to be misunderstood or not clearly understoodOffer feedback to the DB person, Use back channeling

Overall Clarity 4If what you said is not clear, try to think why it might not have been clear:Common Reasons something is not understood:The topic is not yet established ( what are we talking about?)The background, context or connection is not clear (why are we talking about this, whats the implication?)An unfamiliar Sign or term has been used,Listener has conflicting information or idea that prevents accepting/believing that is what you actually said, Listener misunderstands the implications or connotations and these do not make sense, and The topic, comment or process is emotional and strong feelings interfere with focus.

The Role of ContextContext consists of various aspects of the situationWhere you are and what you are there for,Who is there and what they are doing, and What type of furniture, equipment and material is present. Think about the context of the people, this group. Sometimes a little history is necessary to have the comment make sense.

The Role of Context 2Context includes the past:Peoples relationships with each other,Conversations that have gone before,Decisions that have been made, rules that have been passed, Customs and traditions, and Problems needing to be solved.

The Role of Context 3Context includes possible implicationsPredicted responses, and Predicted consequencesThink about reasons as contextEx: having pairs to partner as SSP: my reason is: safety factors and liability issues, to a DB person, as another form of oppression by the Deaf to the Deaf-Blind as it is difficult to schedule SSP services. It helps us predict the potential for negotiation, and the relative flexibility of the decision.

The Role of Context 4Specifically think about:Previous decisions or existent policies,Customs and traditions, History, what others have done, and Peoples relationships with each otherThink about what is happening non-verbally as having meaning. i.e., moving chairs around

The Role of Context 5Think about the stationary environment as meaningful context. Ex: steps, include what kind, how many, what the steps are attached toObserve contextual clues consciously and pass them on. Ex: meeting someone carrying balloons, share this information.Convey the social context: who is there, how are they dressed, what is the sense of the groups age, generation, race, class, and/or politics. Be specific, dont say, She is really old. Say, she looks about 70 years old

The Role of Context 6Context is indirect.What are the others doing? If they are ready to leave, inform the DB person too etc.Think carefully about how much background is appropriate. It also depends on the DB person.Non-verbal responses are a part of the social context. Inform about others expressions. i.e., a smile, a frown etc. If you are at a loss for something to say, let him know what you see.

Tactile LanguageNumber One rule: We must look at Deaf-Blind people at who they are rather than who they are not.Number Two rule: Deaf-blind people come from a variety of educational, life experiences, and vision and hearing loss therefore their communication preferences vary. We must be open and accommodating of their communication preferences.

Tactile LanguageCommunication Modes: we should be flexible which means each of us will:Accept the need for change and growth (learning),Inform ourselves, Be patient with ourselves and with each other, and Make some progress towards more efficient and effective ways of communicating with the other.

Making the Visual TactileNumbers are sometimes difficult to read tactually so sometimes write the numbers on their palmsUse the persons palm to show relative spatial relationshipsPoint the directions as well Give some concrete indication of the distance and landmarks i.e., block on right etc. Use palm and arm for several points or landmarks.

Special Tactile Signs and SignalsGentle pat to knee if sitting down, to shoulder if youre standing up..Short cuts to yes and no answers: two or more taps for YES, one tap for NO or DB person will put hand out to confirm, usually NO requires more clarification than YES.Draw a large X for emergencies Draw a large T to leave the situation for a short time.

Special Tactile Signs and Signals 2When interrupting (politely) rule of thumb is more urgent your interruption, the closer to the DB persons hand you touch. Use judgment and discretion in interrupting a Deaf-Blind person Communication always require full attention, physical and mentalIf person is busy, what do you do?

Very Slow CommunicationThink carefully before you start and organize what you are going to say in a clear, logical orderMake your message short and to the pointBe careful what shortcuts you takeThink of what background information is necessary to understand the present pointThink of other ways the Deaf-Blind person can also get the same information

Very Slow Communication 2Use check-ins Dont let yourself become a target for anger. Try to pick a time to communicate when you are not rushed, tired or otherwise stressed outRecruit a partner with whom you can do things. Watch to see what your level of tolerance is.

Very Slow Communication 3Try to balance the Deaf-Blind persons need for immediate communication with her need to learn a better (more efficient) form of communication in the long termIf the DB person is open to the idea, help him find and use resources for learning signIt is not important that your signing be the right way Encourage the DB person to meet new people and use this new means of communicating.

Limited LanguageCognitively impaired Deaf BlindLimited exposure to languageLimited experiencesNeed for exposure and education

Modifying Tactile LanguageASL Parameters:HandshapeOrientationLocation and MovementIf in doubt with a sign, repeat or fingerspell it afterwardsIndexing: be sure DB person can feel the numbers you signedSigns that are hard to perceive are:LATE, WALKING, BOWLING etc. Revise by using classifiers or changing orientation

Modifying Tactile Language 2Signs made on the face is difficult to distinguish tactually i.e., mother, fatherFor minimal pairs, give more context i.e.,Key, lock Ugly, dry, summerCute, funnyApple, onionContext built in signsi.e., sour, sour-candy, boring Choose sign that is easily discernableSigns near the waist is difficult to read tactuallyi.e., pants, Russia etc.

Modifying Tactile Language 3Palm orientation for classifiers: i.e., door, table, pictures etc. Use of classifiers to match environment i.e., chair facing you or facing awayBe clear with your SASSes (Size and Shape Specifiers) a big vs. small boxBe consistent with locativesSpeaker is to your right, food table to your left etc

Modifying Tactile Language 4Use movement to match the mood, emotion, feeling of your signingTry to absorb the rhythm of experienced signers signing tactually Use question marksEye gaze is essential in ASL, include thatAdd names to indexing pronounsIndicating distances does not work tactually, sign: ABOUT 5 MILES

Modifying Tactile Language 5Modifying ASL grammar for tactual information. i.e.,1. You sure like ice cream! ICE-CREAM YOU LIKE, WOW! IMPRESSED ME. 2. Dont you like ice cream? ?? ICE-CREAM DONT LIKE YOU?? SURPRISED/PUZZLED ME. SMILE, NEVER SAW!3. Do you like ice cream? ?? ICE-CREAM LIKE YOU??

Modifying Tactile Language 6Use signs: Mary said, etc instead of role shiftingCan show persons personality or affect through signingOpposition in space transfers well tactuallyi.e, up, down, left, right, forward & backwardMovements with specific meanings are clear tactuallyi.e, repetition (temporal aspect) distributional, plurality

Modifying Tactile Language 7Make sure the discourse is clearFor comments made out of context, it is generally a good idea to establish the reasons that you are saying what you are saying. i.e., An interesting fact, or a funny storyA question, warning or caution.