d. m. arney, m.a.

Have student who is taking ASL this semester, so I jumped into a local JC class and I’m very thankful to have the push. Been meaning to look into it much sooner, I have a feeling about using it to aid in teaching language and other material in a more visual fashion. Some sort of mixed media approach. I’d also really like to see some work down with Down’s and other language impaired conditions. After working a summer with a client, I came to realize that the biggest impediment to his “intellectual” abilities was my own limitations in being able to communicate effectively with him. It made me very sad in fact, the arrogance we have about the nature of intelligence. The story of IQ is ugly and long, it passes through Eugenics and into modern painful practices as well. Take a second and wonder if the problem you face has more to do with communication than anything else. Try changing your metaphors, and start listening to those you hear.