Hello
Everyone!
So, I just wanted to put out an update on my sign language learning
and practicing since I have had a lot more time this week, due to it being
Spring Break. While I have worked on several medical signs, songs, and the
vocabulary that I talked about on the first blog, I have also been trying to
dive a little deeper into the deaf culture. I have found a couple who pots Vlogs
on YouTube about their experiences and adventures. ASL with subtitles is used
throughout the entire video, so even though I could only pick up a few words I recognize
here and there, I could follow along with what they were talking about. Their
channel is called “Our Signed World” (oursignedworld) and it just gives their
viewers a glimpse into their lives as a hearing (Courtney) and deaf (Zach)
couple. Being able to watch these videos have helped me to pick up on some more
conversational words and phrases that I would use on a more day to day basis.
They also talk some about deaf culture and how it fits into the hearing world. Watching
these vlogs has been both fun and informative for someone who is trying to
learn ASL.
Also, on a separate note, I wanted
to talk about an experience that I had today. I was leaving my house for a
doctor’s appointment this morning and realized that my car was 8 miles until
empty. Therefore, I left my house and stopped at the nearest gas station. I
went inside to pay for my gas and there were two customers in front of me. The
first man bought his coffee and cigarettes and left, and then the second man
stepped up to the counter. I noticed that the man was not saying anything, but
was instead alternating holding up 3 fingers and then 0. He would then point to
his car parked outside the door at the pump. The cashier kept asking, “What? I
don’t understand you. What do you need?” And the man continued trying to tell
him. Finally, he motioned for a blank piece of paper sitting on the counter with
a pen. On the paper he wrote, “I need $30 more in gas.” The cashier who had
just told the man he didn’t understand stated, “Yeah, I got that part. What
pump?” Mind you the man had obviously been into the station once by this point because
he was saying he needed “more”. That means the cashier had likely just rang him
up a few minutes before. The man pointed to a car outside at a pump where you
could not see the number from the inside of the store. Mind you, there was only
2 cars parked out at the pump and the man was obviously pointing to the blue
one. The cashier states, “You realize there are four pumps out there, how am I
supposed to know which one you want?” By this point I was livid. How dare he
speak to this man the way he was. So, I stepped to the window and saw that it had
to be pump 3. I then looked at the man and finger spelled, “You need $30 gas for
the blue car, right?” He looked thrilled that someone was willing to stand up
for him. He signed, “Yes, thank you,” and then looked back at the cashier. I
then said to the cashier, “He needs $30 worth of gas on pump 3.” He then states
that he just sold the man $5 worth of gas for that pump. So, I said (very angry
at this point) “Great, well now he needs $30 more in the same pump.” The
cashier nods and hangs his head, rings the man up, and hands him the receipt.
The man looks at me and signs, “Thank you! Have a good day,” and then leaves
the store. It is now my turn to pay for my gas. The cashier looks at me and
says, “That was ridiculous, huh? He could have told me that to begin with.” I
was astounded that someone who be that blatantly disrespectful to another human
being and then have the gall to make it out as though it were the customer’s
fault and that it was an inconvenience. I asked him if he realized the man was
deaf. He said that he did, but he could have found a better way to communicate.
Needless to say, I was livid. I told him that communication was his job. The
man told him repeatedly what he needed and the cashier continued to tease him
and mock him by pretending he did not understand. That is not okay! You do not
treat another human being that way under any circumstances. I was glad that my
low quality, beginner signing and finger spelling could help, but I was so
angry that this was even an issue. What happened to offering another person
basic human decency? I realize that everyone does not know sign language, just
like everyone does not speak Spanish; however, the man tried to communicate in
3 different ways; at some point we have to meet them halfway and want to
understand what they are telling us! People need to learn to be nice to others
who are different than them!
I think this shows an important reason why we should try to
learn more about other cultures, and I am not just saying this because this circumstance
struck a chord with me because I am currently learning about the culture that
was being mocked during the above situation. I am saying this in general. There
is so much hate in this world and it saddens me to realize that at the rate we
are going it is only going to get worse.
It is due to things such as this that have made me want to
be an interpreter for the deaf eventually, whether that be formally or even in
smaller scale situations like this. I want to be a voice for the those who are only
able to speak through their hands and show others that, though the
communication style is different, they are still people. There is a big
difference between deaf and ignorant, and people need to realize that.
This post was more to share about how I have already seen
sign language impacting my life, rather than a practice update. However, I did
want to list some of the sources I have been using for the medical signs and
which songs I have been working on. For the medical signs, I again looked to
Meredith ASL and Bill Vicars. Their videos are so informational and easy to
follow along with. I also used a video that my mom shared with me on Facebook where
a deaf paramedic gave some signs she felt were most important in an emergency
medical setting. However, I now cannot find the video or the paramedic who
taught the signs; however, most of them were also found in the other two videos
mentioned above.
I will continue studying these words and will decide on new
topics or guided studying to begin within the next few days. I will keep
everyone updated with what is to come! Thank you and I will give more
information soon!
