I am picking up American Sign Language Again, and I thought one day i might get someone that is Deaf that is interested in playing. So, I thought it might be fun to learn some.
In any case, lets come up with some signs for the Deaf and hard of hearing players.
Classes
With most of them, I think the name of the thing and then the sign for person (like student is Learn+Person, Teacher is Teach+Person).
I am picking up American Sign Language Again, and I thought one day i might get someone that is Deaf that is interested in playing. So, I thought it might be fun to learn some.
In any case, lets come up with some signs for the Deaf and hard of hearing players.
...
Thoughts and ideas to go further?
If you're just learning the language then it's prudential to not assume you're forging a new path. From a quick search Deaf people have already been playing D&D and figuring things out, including D&D-specific signs.
I think it would be a good idea to do more research to find answers from ASL speakers on the topics you have questions about. Plus if you do end up having someone that speaks ASL join your group then perhaps they might already know the appropriate signs.
I am picking up American Sign Language Again, and I thought one day i might get someone that is Deaf that is interested in playing. So, I thought it might be fun to learn some.
In any case, lets come up with some signs for the Deaf and hard of hearing players.
...
Thoughts and ideas to go further?
If you're just learning the language then it's prudential to not assume you're forging a new path. From a quick search Deaf people have already been playing D&D and figuring things out, including D&D-specific signs.
I think it would be a good idea to do more research to find answers from ASL speakers on the topics you have questions about. Plus if you do end up having someone that speaks ASL join your group then perhaps they might already know the appropriate signs.
Also, if you do encounter someone who is Deaf or HoH that wants to join your game or if you do further research and realize that there are in fact some signs that would be beneficial to have (that don't exist already), you should still 100,000% be involving someone in the Deaf community in creating / learning to properly use said signs.
It sounds like you are a hearing individual? If so, it's really not your place to just arbitrarily start 'inventing' / redefining your own signs, especially ones that would only affect other people at the moment (since you're posting this hypothetical scenario in an online forum, rather than addressing an existing communication barrier at your table).
If you are not affected by the disability, and you're not working with someone who is, you should not be trying to 'fix' or change things you honestly know next-to-nothing about ("picking up American Sign Language Again"). This is a very common issue for the disabled community at large - abled folks decide they know what we need, and then they just start trying to enforce changes that (at the end of the day) don't ever affect the abled person, without even taking a moment to consider that it is strange and honestly kind of gross to be unilaterally making these decisions for other people.
And I'm not saying you / other people at large do this maliciously, to be clear. I think people do it thoughtlessly more often than not, because they think they're identifying a brand new problem and coming up with the solution that would make the game (in this case) more accessible at large. This is not a new problem. Deaf and HoH people already play D&D and already have personal / local signs they're going to be using.
If a Deaf or HoH individual joins your table and you want to share the signs that your table personally used to communicate more easily, or the ways in which your table made accommodations for that person, that's one thing. That's informative and encourages others to think more critically about ways in which their tables / groups can be more accommodating. But just deciding to try and invent vocabulary for a language you don't rely on / use fluently? That's tipping into the 'accidentally ableist' category of things. (Like, if a person started playing "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe" with their child. Are they purposefully being racist? Probably not. But is what they're doing / saying rooted in racism? Yes.)
@VitusW: I had an old ASL teacher in High School who was married to a major D&D nerd. The path has been pathed with the skulls of goblins and shopkeeps that did not fail a persuasion check. Will check the link and if someone comes in more fluent in the language, I will ask them. I was a crap student then, trying to pick up some new words now to make any new player feel included regardless of circumstance.
I am a hearing individual and I wasn't trying to invent some signs. Probably ended up with that with the adding person to things. For that I do apologize, especially to those that are closer to the Deaf community; you have had to deal with enough hearing shenanigans over the centuries as is. My sorry excuse of an attempt was trying to mitigate that. A failure I will learn from, thank you.
I just want to make a table that is inclusive; I can be a jackass, look at the one post I did that got deleted for proof. I know my limitations, so the only thing that needed fixing is me, and was only looking to see potential signs that could work for that.
I am picking up American Sign Language Again, and I thought one day i might get someone that is Deaf that is interested in playing. So, I thought it might be fun to learn some.
In any case, lets come up with some signs for the Deaf and hard of hearing players.
Classes
With most of them, I think the name of the thing and then the sign for person (like student is Learn+Person, Teacher is Teach+Person).
https://www.handspeak.com/word/1623/
Fighter. Using the word for Warrior
https://www.handspeak.com/word/9177/
Cleric
Using the sign for Priest/Pastor/Bishop as Cleric/clergy would be finger spelled.
https://www.handspeak.com/word/1727/
Paladin
This one I am thinking 2 signs: Holy and Knight.
https://www.handspeak.com/word/2597/
https://www.handspeak.com/word/8585/
Bard
I am thinking musician
https://www.handspeak.com/word/4139/
or performer
https://www.handspeak.com/word/8314/
Artificer
I am thinking Engineering
https://www.handspeak.com/word/452/
These ones might be an issue as they are all under the same sign more or less (real world, not much of a difference. Fantasy world big difference)
https://www.handspeak.com/word/2905/
Sorcerer
Wizard
Warlock
These ones I think these ones need to be spelled out.
Rogue
Druid
Thoughts and ideas to go further?
If you're just learning the language then it's prudential to not assume you're forging a new path. From a quick search Deaf people have already been playing D&D and figuring things out, including D&D-specific signs.
https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/dungeons-dragons-deaf.htm
I think it would be a good idea to do more research to find answers from ASL speakers on the topics you have questions about. Plus if you do end up having someone that speaks ASL join your group then perhaps they might already know the appropriate signs.
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Also, if you do encounter someone who is Deaf or HoH that wants to join your game or if you do further research and realize that there are in fact some signs that would be beneficial to have (that don't exist already), you should still 100,000% be involving someone in the Deaf community in creating / learning to properly use said signs.
It sounds like you are a hearing individual? If so, it's really not your place to just arbitrarily start 'inventing' / redefining your own signs, especially ones that would only affect other people at the moment (since you're posting this hypothetical scenario in an online forum, rather than addressing an existing communication barrier at your table).
If you are not affected by the disability, and you're not working with someone who is, you should not be trying to 'fix' or change things you honestly know next-to-nothing about ("picking up American Sign Language Again"). This is a very common issue for the disabled community at large - abled folks decide they know what we need, and then they just start trying to enforce changes that (at the end of the day) don't ever affect the abled person, without even taking a moment to consider that it is strange and honestly kind of gross to be unilaterally making these decisions for other people.
And I'm not saying you / other people at large do this maliciously, to be clear. I think people do it thoughtlessly more often than not, because they think they're identifying a brand new problem and coming up with the solution that would make the game (in this case) more accessible at large. This is not a new problem. Deaf and HoH people already play D&D and already have personal / local signs they're going to be using.
If a Deaf or HoH individual joins your table and you want to share the signs that your table personally used to communicate more easily, or the ways in which your table made accommodations for that person, that's one thing. That's informative and encourages others to think more critically about ways in which their tables / groups can be more accommodating. But just deciding to try and invent vocabulary for a language you don't rely on / use fluently? That's tipping into the 'accidentally ableist' category of things. (Like, if a person started playing "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe" with their child. Are they purposefully being racist? Probably not. But is what they're doing / saying rooted in racism? Yes.)
All good points so far.
@VitusW: I had an old ASL teacher in High School who was married to a major D&D nerd. The path has been pathed with the skulls of goblins and shopkeeps that did not fail a persuasion check. Will check the link and if someone comes in more fluent in the language, I will ask them. I was a crap student then, trying to pick up some new words now to make any new player feel included regardless of circumstance.
@essenceofducky
I am a hearing individual and I wasn't trying to invent some signs. Probably ended up with that with the adding person to things. For that I do apologize, especially to those that are closer to the Deaf community; you have had to deal with enough hearing shenanigans over the centuries as is. My sorry excuse of an attempt was trying to mitigate that. A failure I will learn from, thank you.
I just want to make a table that is inclusive; I can be a jackass, look at the one post I did that got deleted for proof. I know my limitations, so the only thing that needed fixing is me, and was only looking to see potential signs that could work for that.
Again, I appalagize for my insensitivity.
Or just use the signs that already exist and not insult the deaf person by making up words for them.