Help from Deaf People When You Least Expect It

This morning, I had an unexpected, and extremely welcome, encounter with a deaf couple. I was driving to work when my car broke down on the side of the street. I opened my bag to get my Sidekick to call for help, but discovered I had forgotten my Sidekick! Just when I most needed it. Unable to call for help, I got out of the car after turning on the emergency lights, and ran up to an elderly hearing person getting his newspaper. He was bewildered at the sight of a deaf woman running towards him, shouting (and signing) that she needed help to call for a tow truck. When the gentleman realized I was deaf, he took me a few houses down to a neighbor.

His neighbor turned out to be a deaf man and his hearing wife! Both were senior citizens, and the only TTY they had was the old yellow-paper TTY. (I haven't seen one of those things since the 1980s!) But, they did have the Sorenson VRS videophone! So, between the two of us, we were able to call and ask for a tow.

Of all places for my car to break down, it broke down on a street with a deaf couple that was able to communicate with me in sign language and help me when I most needed help. Needless to say, I will be making extra effort to not forget the Sidekick again.