Learning Mexican Sign Language

Learning Mexican Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL) is different from Mexican Sign Language (LSM). A patient & gifted Deaf LSM instructor, Yahir Alejandro taught me these signs. Will you, too, learn LSM or your local sign language?

For more from Yahir, follow him on Instagram @YahirAlejandroRM.

Video description: Yahir is a young, sighted, Deaf man, and Haben is a Deafblind woman in her thirties. She has her left hand over Yahir’s right hand at the beginning of the video and near the end to feel his signs.

Yahir signs and Haben voices: Uno, dos, tres.

Both sign first in American Sign Language, then in Mexican Sign Language while Haben voices: Hello. Hola. Good morning. Buenos días. Good afternoon. Buenas tardes. Good night. Buenas noches.

Haben signs to Yahir while voicing: Thank you. Gracias.

Yahir signs to Haben while she voices: You’re welcome. De nada.

Yahir signs to the camera (Haben still voicing): You wanna learn LSM? Follow me! Para aprender más LSM, sígueme.

The video ends with both of us smiling and applauding.

Binational Forum of Deaf Culture

I’m sitting on stage with disability advocate and Deaf educator Yahir Alejandro. We’re signing ILY and holding up my book between us.

Serving as the keynote speaker for the first Binational Forum of Deaf Culture, I met many passionate advocates working to increase accessibility in Mexico. Some things I learned: The state of Sonora officially recognized Mexican Sign Language (LSM) as a language in 2022, thanks to the Deaf community’s awareness campaign. There is an extreme shortage … Read more

Indeed

My Seeing Eye dog and I stand beside a tower of three, slightly rotated blocks. The bottom one has a purple background and says, “Indeed” in big white letters. The middle cube says, “the future of work is better” on one side and the other side has an image of three people cooking. The top cube says, “we can make work less biased.”

Society tells disabled job seekers, “Just work harder.” But many already exceed the efforts of non disabled people. It’s employers who must work harder to fight ableism. Grateful to be able to share this message with HR professionals during my keynote at Indeed FutureWorks!

Haben at Gartner

I’m smiling and wearing a shirt with text that says, “Digital equality is my jam.” Behind me, across the hotel lobby, a large Gartner sign with a stylized coastline reads, “Expand your horizons.”

After my keynote at Gartner’s conference an attendee told me they’re inspired to make their websites and apps more accessible to disabled people. My favorite kind of inspiration!

San Francisco Lighthouse Union

Blind workers at the San Francisco Lighthouse are organizing a union, the first blind-centered union in California! So exciting! Hoping the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s management decides to recognize the new union Article: Blind, visually impaired workers at LightHouse kick off union — first of its kind in Bay Area

São Jorge Lighthouse

High up on the tower’s viewing platform, I stand beside an orange, waist-high wall where the reserve light happens to be perched. The large lantern has red along its top and bottom, and a silvery, translucent center. My guide dog Mylo looks alert beside me, and behind us, down below, appear the tops of trees, deep blue waters, and the shores of another island called São Jorge.

The lighthouse had their first blind visitor, and they turned it into an opportunity to search high and low for all the tactile experiences! They showed me the reserve light, the antique light, and they invited my guide dog and I to climb the stairs as high as we were comfortable going. The long, spiraling … Read more

Ocean Breeze

Vibrant red shutters frame sliding glass doors, crowned by a curving sign reading, “Ocean Breeze.” Dalila and I stand smiling in front of the doors, and Mylo is sitting beside us.

She loves her island, but doctors said if she wants to learn braille she has to leave her home for mainland Portugal. This is ableism. Institutions around the world have traditionally removed disabled people from their homes and placed them in special schools and centers. While many of these centers provide great learning opportunities, we … Read more

He Fits! Mylo on Azores Airlines

Azores Airlines has tiny planes. Mylo, a German Shepherd dog, sleeps on the floor of a plane. Most of his body is in the floor in front of my seat, but his head and shoulders extend in front of the seat next to mine. My feet rest on a metal bar beneath my chair, while my travel companion gets to plant his shoes firmly on the floor. No, I’m not complaining; I love accommodating Mylo!

He fits! Azores Airlines claims the only way a service dog can fit is by having a disabled person sit alone next to an empty seat. Instead of making assumptions based on a dog’s weight, airlines should ask us how we’d like to fly with our dogs. Many disabled people have strategies for traveling with … Read more

Augusto Arruda Pineapple Plantation

I’m kneeling on the greenhouse floor, gently touching long, skinny leaves that end in sharp tips. Rows of these short plants extend throughout the greenhouse, many of which have dark, still developing pineapples. Mylo is patiently watching me, and the back of his furry head is visible on the bottom left of the photo.

Confession: I thought pineapples grew on trees. Reason 98973 to increase accessibility at public gardens. Thanks to the Augusto Arruda Pineapple Plantation for welcoming my guide dog!