I didn't ask to learn English. I was born into a family that spoke that. I didn't ask for a son who'd have hearing concerns, but I will learn and I wish more are understanding.
As it is, there are few out here... and this is just my ramblings of frustration of what is already rare in my area. I just hope that those I do meet, will not be antagonistic just cause I'm learning.
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-About Visitor
I am a residential instructor at a Deaf and Blind School working in one of the High School Deaf dorms.
I just recently started and have had some previous basic exposure to ASL and am presently enrolled in ASL classes. My experience with the other staff (both Deaf and hearing) has been wonderful.
They go out of their way to help me and don't seem to get upset when I need something repeated or don't understand and they have to fingerspell. My experience with the boys in the dorm has been mixed. I introduced myself as hearing and tell them that I am learning to sign so please be patient with me. Most of the boys in the dorm have been more than cooperative and also go out of their way to help. Some of them even teach me new signs on a regular basis (including some idiomatic signs not found in the textbooksand like to test me to see how fast I can learn and remember them! A few of the boys refuse to communicate with me at all and just ignore me. The Deaf Parents that I have met, for the most part, accepted me as part of the Deaf community since I work at the school and have put up with my fingerspelling and asking to have things I didn't understand repeated. I know that not being able to communicate well is frustrating for all parties but sometimes I don't thing the Deaf understand that the frustration they feel in trying to communicate with someone hearing is just as frustrating for the hearing person. In the school I am in the minority as hearing so I think I have an understanding of how Deaf must feel in the hearing world. It is almost a relief when I speak with hearing staff and don't have to struggle with communication so I can understand why the Deaf sometime do not want to communicate with the hearing. To be immersed in a culture that is different and not being able to communicate can be very scary. I have found that if I explain that I am learning and studying the Deaf that I have encountered have, at least , tolerated me and most have been very understanding and helpful.
- About Visitor
I read with interest the encounters different ones have had with Deaf people and I must say that I have had only positive experiences with Deaf people. A friend of my son's is deaf and he would come over to the house and even tho I was not good at signing we seemed to be able to communicate just fine. He was patient and glad we were trying to learn. I am sure that there are Deaf people that have had bad experiences with hearing people and so the anger comes back and they sometimes do not treat hearing people with tolerance. In my line of work I have had a number of Deaf people that I have spent time with and they were all fine with me, a hearing person trying to understand how to communicate with them. I think they knew I was sincere and all went well.
- About Visitor
- Got a similar positive/negative encounter to share for addition to this article? E-mail it to About Deafness.
