DEV Community: Paul Sweeney Jr.

My Best Tweets (Part 2)

Paul Sweeney Jr. — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 22:54:41 +0000

How to... in ASL

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

How to download video and subtitles from @YouTube to @Twitter (American Sign Language #ASL) (CC)

18:07 PM - 08 Jun 2021

Thread

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

Here is a thread on How to Add Subtitles to your Twitter Video.

Read along.. 🧵 if you love ❤️ it... then RT! 🤟🏻

22:13 PM - 02 Jun 2021

Awesome Tweet

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

I'm wearing my new shirt today.

In the video I said: Hello, look at my new shirt. *notification appears* Wow, cool!

20:13 PM - 13 Jul 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

Some people mastered coding without the internet!

11:30 AM - 24 May 2021

Accessibility

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

A clip from my YouTube video about my Deaf experience at @apple #WWDC21 and it is about lack of #accessibility on their part.

05:47 AM - 12 Jun 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

I’m extremely proud of my work using only @code and @videolan apps to create subtitles for my video. #accessibility

03:07 AM - 12 Jun 2021

Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

#accessibility advocating on Twitter do not get much follows, RT, or likes because the majority here do not experience inaccessibility in their life.

04:23 AM - 13 Jun 2021

My Best Tweets (Part 1)

Paul Sweeney Jr. — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 22:52:45 +0000

I'm using this space to highlight all of my best tweets. Also, you can check out my Polywork profile at timeline.vphreak.net

Programming Concept in ASL

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

#Javascript in #ASL, What is Loops?

16:11 PM - 08 Feb 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

#javascript in #ASL, what is "for" loop?

15:46 PM - 10 Feb 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

Explaining "for" loop in #Javascript (#ASL)

04:48 AM - 13 Feb 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

Looping colors from an array! #Javascript #ValentinesDay

20:43 PM - 14 Feb 2021

Computer Science

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

#Binary is 01000010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001. #programming in #ASL

more video coming up this week. 🤟🏻

19:26 PM - 18 May 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

binary0101.netlify.app

21:52 PM - 21 May 2021

🧏🏼‍♂️ Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

I'm practicing animation on @Procreate app.

05:25 AM - 06 Jul 2021

Subtitles! Why not!?

Paul Sweeney Jr. — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 01:58:47 +0000

Originally posted at blog.vphreak.net

On Twitter, I often get this question: subtitles are available and why not use them? The reason some people are asking because they do not understand the benefit of having an American Sign Language interpreter to be available at the live event, on videos, etc.

Are they ignorant? I would say yes, but I don’t want to start off on this blog post with negativity.

Some people do not know and this is the reason why I am loud on this topic regarding accessibility for the deaf community.

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It is true that not all deaf people know sign language for many different reasons. I’m not going to expand on that because I want to focus on why having an American Sign Language interpreter is important to deaf people who use them.

Audio vs. Visual

Let start off with audiobooks, music, Twitter Space, ClubHouse, and any form of audio medium that a hearing person uses daily. You as a hearing person will enjoy those mediums. Why? It is because you can hear. You grew up hearing voices, music, etc. You are comfortable with those rather than reading text such as books and subtitles. Hold that thought.

I am deaf and I use my own eyes, my whole world is based on visuals. The first thing I see is my parents holding me and they probably do not know how they can communicate with me. Actually, they found out that I’m deaf later on when I don’t react to sounds. My mom decided to meet other parents who have deaf children and decided to learn sign language because it is a visual form of communication and also, a language for me.

Now, release your thought and think of not able to hear and being forced to read subtitles without a sign language interpreter. Which do you prefer?

Subtitles or Sign Language?

Of course, it’s language preference. Most of us would prefer to choose our own native language over secondary. It is because we are comfortable with it. My native language is sign language and for hearing people, their native language is spoken language. They would prefer to listen rather than read. It’s often the same as writing a language, most of us would prefer to speak or sign.

I resorted to reading and writing when I want to communicate with others who do not know sign language. I live in a big world where the majority of people do not know sign language. I have to read and write every day in my life. I can’t imagine a day without reading or writing. But if you are hearing, you can imagine that because you can just turn on the radio and listen. You can speak to the majority of people in your area, but not me.

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This might not be a well-structured blog post but keep in mind that American Sign Language is a natural language. It is visual and different from English. Some signs do not have a specific English word for them.

A common example:

English: I am going to the store.
ASL: store me go.

I am only using 3 signs along with the movement to show that I am going to the store.

Also, American Sign Language is a rich visual language that involved hand shapes, facial expressions, movement, body language, and gestures.

If you are curious about American Sign Language, this is a very good YouTube channel to check out.

Bill Vicars' YouTube Channel

Thank you for your time to read and learn about this topic.

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With my eyes at WWDC21

Paul Sweeney Jr. — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 04:22:28 +0000

originally posted on blog.vphreak.net

My world as a deaf person at Apple WorldWide Developer Convention

Three big tech companies in America: Google, Microsoft, and Apple. They are in our lives and it’s impossible to stay away from their products. Google’s popular with its own search engine that billions of us use in our daily lives. Microsoft is impossible to miss with their Windows Operating System all over the world. Apple is one of the richest companies that have a market cap of about 2 trillion dollars and we all probably touched one of their products such as the iPhone, iPod, Macintosh computers, and Apple Watch.

They all three have valued accessibility and inclusion. I saw at Google I/O when they live-streamed American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. I have experienced the amazing Microsoft #MSBuild event with ASL interpreters on most of their videos. Apple has built so many great things on accessibility with their iPhone, iPad, and Macs. But, Apple did not think of including ASL interpreters for the most part of their Worldwide Developer Convention (WWDC) week.
 

Wait? Apple?

Yes, they did have ASL interpreters after their Opening Keynote Presentation with Tim Cook and many others. It was not live-streamed but posted later after the event. WWDC is a big week-long event for all app developers all over the world. There are so many awesome sessions during the week but none of them included ASL interpreters. Of course, I was deeply disappointed and this is why I have to write about this.

I took it to Twitter to rant about Apple and I emailed Tim Cook directly. Someone at Apple read the email and called me directly but I didn’t answer the phone. I got the email and I emailed back for the arrangement for a phone conversation on Wednesday during the WWDC week. I felt that Apple’s taking it seriously about the ASL interpreters situation so I decided to write a thread on Twitter with some good points.
 

Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

I'm up early (6am here). I can't stop thinking about about #accessibility issue at #WWDC21. So, I'm writing down my notes for the phone call with @Apple at 10:30am PST.

I'll make list in this thread below. Free free to share your ideas here.

14:06 PM - 09 Jun 2021

After the week is over, I decided to do 8 minutes video which is available in subtitles on YouTube

 
I clipped one of the good parts of the video to put it on Twitter and TikTok in their format, which means short video to attract people’s attention. Nobody wants to watch 8 minutes video nowadays.
 

Paul Sweeney Jr.

@vphreak

This is my reality as a deaf person at @apple #wwdc21 event. I'm comparing the real world vs. virtual event. In real world, Apple will provide me interpreter everywhere at WWDC. At virtual event, Apple didn't make my experience accessible with American Sign Language Intepreter.

14:09 PM - 12 Jun 2021

Let me wrap up here, you can check out the thread and the videos to get the full picture here. In my next blog post, I will write about subtitles on video vs. American Sign Language interpreter and why it is important to the deaf community.

 
Thank you for reading and you can find me on Twitter: vphreak

Misdirection might lead you back to what you love to do!

Paul Sweeney Jr. — Sat, 29 May 2021 18:38:21 +0000

In life, there is always misdirection everywhere. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a pilot because I remember my mom would take me to the pond and there is an airfield nearby. I watched airplanes taking off. At about 11 years old, I was able to pilot an airplane! As I get older, I love playing on the computer and trying new things. I created a website for my high school.

I do want to become a pilot but as I get older, it becomes unrealistic for me because I'm deaf, and $$$ for flight school with the cost of flying hours too. Yes, deaf people can fly but with restrictions.

After high school, I went off to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of the colleges of RIT in Rochester, NY. I admit that I have never thought of college until Junior in high school. I think I was not ready for college, I got distracted with social life there and didn't do well in classes there, so they kicked me out. At that moment, I was lost.

That's when a misdirection happened first time in my life, which is dragging me away from things I love to do. I become a person who has no future. That is my perspective of what society thinks of me at that time. I did go back to California, then went on a road trip with my best friend for the entire summer and the duration of the fall season. Then, I ended up back home again.

I got in touch with a college friend who wants to roommate with me in Rochester so I just decided on moving up there to look for work. I have always thought that I would work until I can return to college in a few years which never has happened during that time.

In Rochester, I entered the workforce for the first time in my life at United States Postal Service (USPS), as a temporary contractor. For the 3 years of working there, I tried to move up the ladder at USPS but they never bother to offer me anything. I reached my limit of staying down low. I had to deal with discrimination against my deafness for the first time in my life at USPS.

I packed up and left Rochester. My parents welcomed me back home to their 2 bedroom apartment. My mom helped with my car payments until I secured a social security check from the government. During my time in California, I fall in love with someone and decided to move with her to Alaska, but we didn't work it out there.

During my time in Alaska, I was able to secure a job working as Teacher Assistant at a deaf school there. It was a good experience and after the school year ended, I decided to enroll at Gallaudet University, a well-known Deaf University in Washington DC.

At Gallaudet, I didn't decide on my major until around Junior year. I declared my major in History, then later on I declared a minor in Computer Information systems because I want some easy “A” on my transcripts. Yes, it is because I’m always good with computers. When I started taking computer courses, the students there were like... you? No way! Impossible. I laughed and said yeah I like to keep it low with my computer skills.

After graduating Gallaudet, I fall into debt and I couldn't continue my education beyond my Bachelor's degree which means that I couldn't become a history teacher because most Deaf school out there requires me to hold Masters degree in Deaf Education to secure a teaching job. Now you see... another misdirection.

My college girlfriend saw me going thru the stage of "I don't know what I am doing to do" and I was completely lost again. So, I went back to California again and my parents always welcomed me back home. I have always had that warm feeling of being back with my family again.

My long-distance relationship just shattered because we both have a different love language. She wants me to be present and close by… and I was okay being far away and visit once in a while. We ended it on a good term and still a good friend. After that, I started to wonder what I am going to do with my life… In reality, I don’t know.

I am going into another misdirection in my life that I have never thought of it for a long time. It was when my good friend asked me to help with her on her web development assignments in her very last year of college. I was like, sure! I do know HTML and CSS, also I have build websites before. So, I helped her mostly with the Javascript part of the course. At the same time, I dived into documentation and coding websites on Javascript. At this point is where I just rediscover my passion for coding!

That’s why I will always love Javascript no matter what! I love the language and the ecosystem. I shifted my focus to programming and decided that I will be an iOS developer because iOS was getting hot during that time. So, I picked up the Objective-C book and it was too hard for me but I went ahead learn another programming language which is Java where I finally understood Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Which made the Objective-C book easier to read because I finally understood OOP.

I went on becoming a software developer on my own and learned so many new things. I will share my developer journey later on and I want to wrap up here with my final thought. Misdirection could be a good thing because it might lead you to some opportunities in life that you never thought of.

I want to share an image here to show my love for Javascript.

If you like my story here, follow me here or on Twitter for more stories in the future.