Deaf for a Day part two.

So here was the deal. The CHS peeps arranged for my hearing to be blocked about 56-60%.
Some goop that hardened in my ears(safely!) and some noise canceling head phones and I was off to complete a task with out being able to hear, write notes or speak. The idea was to experience the frustration of dealing with a world that is not always set up to accommodate the deaf.

I had to go to an elementary school, sign my kids up for class, learn about the type of programs they offered, the type of discipline, the style of teaching and the documentation required.
It was hysterical.
Like playing charades with strangers.

The principal Rita, couldn't have been nicer. I was flapping my hands wildly trying to indicate that we had just moved into a house in the neighborhood and that I wanted my kids to come to the school, but I'm pretty sure she thought I was having a seizure and that I need her to call 911.
Eventually it all worked but I was sweating it out for 45 minutes and I'm still not sure if the kids are going into grade 7 or she think I have 7 kids.

I had an idea it was going to be frustrating for me but I didn't think about how frustrating it would be for the person I had to deal with. It is a reality that deaf people deal with all the time. They never know what kind of reception they will get from the non-deaf people as they navigate through a world that isn't always set up for them. It was an very interesting experience to say the least.

Lastly but not leastly.( I know that's not a word.) My deaf-buddy BJ. Couldn't have been a better fit for me-he loves to eat and he's really funny. He and my other handler, Cheryl, accompanied me on my journey and it was a riot. He signs so expressively it's quite easy to know what he saying. It's the longest I've spent with someone who can't hear and it was a big part of the day for me.

It's scary at first cause you don't want to do/say something offensive. It's how we all act when we're around people different than our selves.(I won't say handicapped cause deaf people aren't!)
But after a while me and BJ were talking about the same crap you'd talk about with anyone. Kids, wives, food, chicks, drinking beer and bs-ing. All without saying a single word.

The biggest thing I learned was that when your with deaf people you make a lot more eye contact in a conversation. Seems obvious but its a very different kind of discussion. Most of the time when other people speak your just thinking about what you're going to say next. But with deaf people the whole conversation seems to have more FOCUS.
That's what it is. More focus and you come away from it feeling a bit more connected. That's what you should know. Even though the deaf aren't speaking the way you and I do they are connecting in a way that most of us wish we could do more often.