@suchalovelyred: one voice is out in the world without my consent, the other stays entirely within my control… the mouth sounds in the reel aren’t random… they come from how I sign, and they’re worth explaining. Short answer: speech therapy (for me) and contact sign. Long answer: Deaf people move their mouths when signing for several reasons, depending on context, style, and personal preference. Some don’t move them at all. When someone is speaking, their voice masks their breathing noises and the sounds their mouth makes. Speech itself is loud enough to drown out those quieter sounds. Signing doesn’t have that cover, so what’s always been there just becomes audible. and the bracelets? dual purpose 😊 they’re weighted fidgets and i just love the style. (Visual description: Rach is a white woman with red hair and freckles wearing a lime green top, beaded bracelets, and dangly earrings. She is standing in front of a black wall and text appears as she signs to the camera.) Transcript: “Why does it sound like I'm whispering when I sign? I’m not voicing the words… and somehow I still do. I breathe, my teeth click, my lips pop. I breathe to add emphasis and punctuation. As a kid, I spent years trying to form words and sounds, mimicking and shaping my mouth around something I couldn't hear. I stopped in second grade. But it left its fingerprints behind in how I sign. It shaped my lips, my tongue, measured my breath. I make a sound people know anywhere, but I’ve never heard it. But my intentional voice is mine. Maybe I can speak… I'll never know for sure. My kid says so. I've just never wanted to. Some sounds are mine to keep unheard, too.”

rach, Lovely Red 💋

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Wednesday 09 September 2026 17:35:16 GMT