LIKE ANY1 WHO SPEAKS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, IF U CHOOSE 2 LEARN ASL, I APPRECIATE IT.  IF U WANT, HERE IS AN EXCELLENT ASL TUTORIAL WEBSITE. IF U CHOOSE 2 LEARN ASL, U R ACTUALLY IN A MINORITY. THERE’S A FEW VARIATIONS DUE TO MY LIMITED HAND MOVEMENTS, BUT THE FEW CHANGES ARE EASY TO PICK UP ON. . (4 EX., IT’S HARD 2 CROSS 4 AN “R” & “Y” IS A THUMBS UP.)  WITH SOME PEOPLE, I JUST SHOW A LETTER, & THEY TRY 2 GUESS IT.  OTHERS TRY WORDS–I START SMALL, BUT IF I DO MORE, WRITING DOWN EACH LETTER HELPS & I NOD “YES” AT THE END OF EACH WORD. I’M VERY PATIENT AS U IDENTIFY EACH WORD!

BUT IT’S NOT NECESSARY 2 LEARN ASL 2 COMMUNICATE WITH JENNY. 4 THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW ASL, I HOPE THEY CAN FEEL FREE 2 APPROACH ME. AT THE VERY LEAST, IF QUES. R PHRASED RT., I CAN INTERACT BY NODDING MY HEAD “YES” OR “NO,” MY HAND CAN GESTURE “SORT-OF” BY TILTING LT. 2 RT., & I CAN SHRUG “I DON’T KNOW.”  AT TIMES IT HELPS 2 HAVE SOME1 AROUND WHO CAN TRANSLATE, BUT IT’S RARELY NEEDED & I CAN DO WELL W/MY NODDING!
 
MANY COMMUNICATE W/ME VIA EMAIL.  EVEN THOSE WHO KNOW ASL, COMMUNICATE WITH ME VIA EMAIL (ASK MY HUSBAND–HE GETS LOADS  OF EMAILS!) MY STROKE CAUSED ME TO HAVE DOUBLE VISION, SO I PREFER A LARGER FONT (24) WHEN YOU WRITE ME. FOR MY BENEFIT IN DOING & SEEING MY TYPING, I USE ALL CAPS, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE ME IN ALL CAPS. TYPING IS A SLOW, ONE FINGERED PROCESS, BUT I CAN STILL BE MORE DESCRIPTIVE THAN WITH ASL. (LIKE, IN PERSON, U MAY ASK IF I HAVE “’4 SIBLINGS?  5  SIBLINGS?  6 SIBLINGS?”  BUT IN TYPE, U COULD ASK “HOW MANY SIBLINGS DO U HAVE?” & I CAN ANSWER “6: 1 SISTER, OUT-OF-STATE, & 5 BOYS–ALL BUT 1 BRO. IN AUSTIN.”) I MAKE MANY ERRORS IN TYPING AND I USE A SHORT HAND MORE TYPICAL OF TEXT MESSAGING. FEEL FREE TO ASK FOR CLEARIFICATION IF NEEDED.
 
I DO ASK A FAVOR WHEN YOU ARE COMMUNICATING WITH ME. BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE DOUBLE NEGATIVES WHEN ASKING ME QUESTIONS (“TRICK QUES.”). I HESITATE TO GIVE ANSWERS THAT CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD. ALSO, I CAN STILL RECOGNIZE FACES WITH MY POOR VISION, BUT I MAY NOT PICK UP ON SOME FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. IF I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE THAT A QUESTION WAS DIRECTED AT ME, I AM NOT IGNORING YOU, I AM JUST UNAWARE YOU WERE ADDRESSING ME, THE QUES. IS STILL REGISTERING OR I DIDN’T HEAR IT ALL,.  BUT SOMETIMES I AM WAITING 4 A “TRICK QUES.” 2 BE RE-PHRASED.  SO JUST CONSIDER IF THE VERB IS IN THE NEGATIVE & NEEDS 2 BE RE-PHRASED.
 
4 EX., IFI WAS ASKED, “DON’T U TRUST ME?”  –THIS IS A “TRICK” QUES. BECAUSE IF I SAY “YES,” IT’S INTERPRETATED, “YES, I DON’T TRUST U.”  IF I SAY “NO,” IT’S INTERPRETED, “NO, I DON’T TRUST U.,” INSTEAD OF THE WAY IT WAS MEANT: “YES, I TRUST U.” ESSENTIALLY, IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW I ANSWER, SO I RARELY ANSWER TRICK QUES.  BY NOT ANSWERING, I CAN JUST WAIT 4 WHOEVER POSED THE QUES. 2 RE-PHRASE THE QUES. 2 SOMETHING LIKE “DO U TRUST ME?”  THIS HELPS A LOT, SINCEE I CAN’T COMMUNICATE IF IT’S INTERPRETED WRONG.

MY STROKE TOOK AWAY MY ABILITY TO MOVE AND SPEAK, BUT MY MIND IS AS IT ALWAYS WAS. I LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING NEW FRIENDS, BUT I RELY ON OTHERS TO INITIATE CONVERSATIONS. MY HUSBAND SUGGESTED I RUN OVER TOES TO INITATE INTRODUCTIONS. I THINK IT WOULD BE NICER IF YOU WERE WILLING TO SIT BY ME AND TELL ME YOUR NAME & A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.