I for Index Finger

I is also for the middle finger or "I" in sign language. Strange view here for someone who is learning or don't know sign language, but this is me, the signer, spelling the letter "I".

A very easy one to remember, because the middle finger represents the middle vowel: a, e, i, o, u. So you can proberbly work out the rest of the vowels: "A" being the left thumb etc.

Though I am partially deaf & was taught in a school for deaf children, I have been fortunate enough to "not need" to sign, but I have picked up sign language through my friends there. Many of whom are very or profoundly deaf and/or have been brought up in deaf families. However I do have to rely on lipreading more as my hearing is not what it used to be.

Strange as this may sound, but being born profoundly deaf is much more of an advantage than being born partially deaf (me). The reason for this is that is is much easier to detect a baby who cannot hear anything, despite the technology available nowadays. My deafness was "discovered" when I was 4 years old, only because a nurse at my nursery suggested I have my ears tested due to my poor speech development. This was simply because I cannot hear the high notes (b's, d's, c's, e's, t's etc sound the same to me and as for the letter "s" Book sounds the same as Books).

And then I was given 2 hearing aids to help me hear better. Bearing in mind this was the mid 70's and these two aids were chunky metal things that were strapped to my chest! Yes to a 4 year old's chest. :-(

So up until I was 8, I rarely wore them, even the behind the ear ones I was eventually given (the ones we are all familiar with nowadays) because of people "looking" at me. It was only when I went to a "deaf" school, that I realised how lucky I am in terms of how much I can hear. ie I listen to a lot of music. Most of my school friends couldn't (at all), just the feeling of the beats. So at the age of 8/9 I learnt to love my aids and be proud of being deaf.

And many many thanks to the nurse who suggested I have my ears looked at, who/wherever you are.

Back to "I" theme, I nearly blipped this Infrared shot. And in colour.

I also came close to doing Information Retrieval from the film Brazil, but I think i have written enough tonight!