A peek into Dalton's world

From: Arizona Daily Star, AZ - Sep 26, 2004

Dalton Christian Green was 4 months old when his parents finally gave him a name.

His sign name, that is.

"It doesn't always have a meaning," explained Dalton's mother, Colleen Green. "We wanted his to have a meaning."

"And we tried to keep it fairly simple," said Travis, Dalton's dad.

They took some time, got to know their new son. Saw how smart he was. And named him for that.

"Dalton" is the sign for "intelligent" - middle finger pressed against the forehead - plus the letter "d," index finger up, other three fingers against the thumb.

Parents choose a sign name for an infant born deaf, as Dalton was late last year. When older people become deaf, the members of their surrounding deaf community deem their sign name, Colleen said.

That tradition is just one of the hundreds of cultural facts, deaf services and medical tests Colleen and Travis had to learn when this hearing couple had a deaf son. Just one stop on their journey into Dalton's world.

copyright © 1999-2004 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star