COMPLETE - ASL Badge

ASL Badge – Troop #346

Scout Name: Paul-Meronym

Date: ______9/17/2017______________

Costs: ___Poster Making Supplies – Varies_________      Patch - $1.69__________________

Directions: Listed below are 10 steps to complete. After each one get Miss Anarcadia or Beta-Pup to mark them off. At the end, turn in the sheet and patch fee to receive your patch (to be ordered). Be sure to take pictures of your artwork to display.

1. The basis for any language is the alphabet that makes up words. Learn and memorize the ABC’s of ASL. Be able to show the alphabet to someone else who knows it so that they can check your correctness.

- I learned the alphabet a long time ago, before I ever met anyone who was hearing-impaired. (had Boss confirm)

2. Research Nashville/Tennessee’s hearing impaired community. What resources are available? Is there a school for the hearing impaired in Tennessee?

- Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (https://www.bridgesfordeafandhh.org/) is a nonprofit that serves the Middle Tennessee hearing-impaired community with classes.
- Our library system has specific Library Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (https://tndeaflibrary.nashville.gov/).
- The Tennessee Council for the Deaf Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing (https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/article/tcddbhh) offers a list of resources also.

3. It can be lonely to feel like the only one who is doing something different than a group of people. Learn how to introduce yourself to someone who signs. How do you spell your name? Teach a troop member how to introduce themselves with their name spelled out.

- signed "I'm P-A-U-L", had Boss confirm

4. What is a sign name? Who chooses your sign name? Can it be changed?

- For our sign names, we started with the fact that we drink a lot of Coca-Cola. Boss took the sign for 'cocaine', which looks like shooting up into the left elbow, and replaced the right-hand sign with our initials for each alter in our system. (had Boss confirm)

5. Is ASL universal? How do hearing impaired people communicate around the globe? How can hearing people be more helpful?

- ASL is not at all universal. There are multiple signed languages around the world, so signers have to learn a new language if they move to a new country. And there may be regional differences even within the same signed language, just like spoken languages.

6. Make a poster or slideshow to share with the troop of the signs of zero to ten. Print out or draw the proper hand signs, make it accessible to littles of all ages to understand.

- I made a slideshow to go from one to eleven - because I'm eleven and need to be able to say so.

7. Learn one helpful sign or phrase to share with a friend or the troop (such as thank you, I love you, hello, bathroom, etc).

- I know the signs for 'yes', 'no', 'ready', 'toilet', 'thank you', 'hurts', 'name', 'want' and more. (had Boss confirm)

8. Have you met a hearing impaired person? How did you communicate? Practice your ASL at least three times a week so you are prepared to be a helpful scout to anyone who speaks ASL.

- Our ex-girlfriend was hearing-impaired. Alone at home she could hear okay, but with any background noise she needed Boss to translate for her, especially at restaurants.

9. What was the hardest part of learning ASL? What would you have done differently on your journey? Write a journal or lesson plan to be shared with the troop online to help others learn.

- I think the hard part is like any language. If you don't use it, you forget it. It's important to have someone to practice with. When we learned some as a teenager, I wish we'd had time to learn more and get used to using it.

10. Now that you can sign, how can you help? Look into places in your community that teach things and could use a translator like you to help pass on information. Volunteer, do not accept payment, for at least one event/class that you sign for.

- I don't know enough sign to be really helpful or to translate. But I can at least introduce myself to make a non-hearing person feel more comfortable, and I can help by asking for writing implements and being patient while they write back and forth with me.

____________________ has completed all 10 steps and given payment to receive this patch.