There is a reason why I value ProTactile to communicate what is around me. Why as a DeafBlind person, PT is so amazing and I understand not only the conversation but the environment around me!
A couple interesting excerpts from the article:
Tactile ASL is a visually-based language that is practiced through touch in the air, while PTASL is rooted in touch and practiced on the body. PTASL, developed by and for people who are deafblind, can also be used to connect small groups of people in communication, instead of just one-on-one.
How does PTASL promote inclusion?
Christine: It fosters autonomy. By providing people who are deafblind with information, they in turn can make the decisions for themselves — rather than relying on my vision and my ability to determine what’s going on. Let me tell you what the environment is, and you tell me how you want to proceed.
For example, when our colleague Michael came in the room earlier, I quickly, in PTASL, reached down to Jaimi’s leg and told her someone came walking in. Prior to that, in the old way, if she was in the middle of saying something, I had to wait for her to finish, and then I could say “Michael is here.” Now, she has the information and she can decide: “Do I want to stop and find out who that is, or do I want to finish what I was saying?” It’s not my decision anymore.
What is unique about PTASL and what makes it an important communication advancement?
Jaimi: I get all this backchanneling [constant feedback through touch]. For example, Christine just told me our colleague Michael left. Touch is going to give me so much more information.
[Jaimi shares here that, through PTASL backchanneling, she is perceiving in real-time that I, the interviewer, am smiling as I’m hearing her speak.]
Christine: You can immediately indicate: laughing [scratching]; “uh huh” [tap tap tap]; “yes, I agree” [fist moves up and down like a nodding head]; “no, no, no” [flat hand rubs back and forth like a shaking head]. In the old way, using tactile ASL, I’d have to wait for someone to finish and remember what was said and how I wanted to respond. This is part of where Jaimi and I feel like the information is smoother.
Q&A: How Pro-Tactile American Sign Language — PTASL — is changing the conversation
De Gene Zijde 