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I SPEAK, I HEAR, I SIGN, I UNDERSTANDFeb 23 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line In our wonderful "real world", there are many whose "real world" doesn't include the luxury of speech and sound. I thought this area a fitting place to voice my opinion. Some of you might find this a strange place for what I'm about to write. However, the more you read, the more you will understand why I placed this in the REAL WORLD section the Education part of Epinions. First of all, let me say that the only members of my family that are deaf are my second cousins. We were and still are a close family. I first noticed a "difference" in Ben when I was about 5 years old. Being a typical girl, I chattered away almost non-stop. Ben didn't talk. I didn't care. We played together and for a 5-year old, that's all that mattered. When I reached 7, I understood why Ben was "different". Ben, like his dad and younger sister, was a deaf mute. Back in those days, they were called, "deaf and dumb!" HOW I HATE THAT TERM! Benny is far from being dumb! He just can't speak! Anyway, I almost got off the track here. At seven, Ben and I communicated by writing each other notes. Then one afternoon, Ben pointed to a letter on the paper and then "fingered" it. It was the letter "D" - for my name. He pointed out the other letters, one by one, until he spelled "D-O-N-N-I-E". I was stunned! He could write my name with his fingers! I had to try. I wrote, "That's neat, Ben. Can you teach me?" That was the beginning of my "alternative" education. Within an hour, I was not just "writing" my name, but many other words, as well. I was impressed! Ben and I could "talk" without writing each other notes. About one week later, when I was finally comfortable in my knowledge of the alphabet sign language, my cousin began teaching me a few words. First was "girl", then "boy", then "cousin". I never knew signing was so easy. Before I knew it, I was holding regular conversations with Ben, Barbara (his sister) and their dad. As an adult-on-the-rise, I was no longer impressed with my no-longer-new-found way of communication. It was normal and natural to speak to my cousin in this fashion. Okay, let's jump ahead now about 20 years. Ben and I, both married and living in different states, didn't see each other much anymore. At his suggestion, I bought a book on Signing and kept up my knowledge. I was never sorry. I'd gotten a job in a large electronics firm and one of my co-workers was a deaf mute. Can you imagine her surprise when I walked over and said, without speaking, "Hi Donna. How are you?" Her face beamed. She had someone other than her deaf mute husband with whom to "speak". We struck up an immediate friendship - which still lasts to this day (although we haven't seen each other in years). While we worked together, our company was having a Christmas Party. Donna and her husband decided to go. A few other co-workers were sitting at our table and as Donna and I held our conversation, Terri tapped me on the shoulder. Her comment was, "Now I understand." I asked her what she was talking about and she replied, "For years, I took speaking for granted. I never knew how lonely the world could be when you can't do that simple task. I feel the way Donna does." What she meant was that while Donna, her husband and I enjoyed our conversations, Terri "couldn't hear us" and for the first time realized what it's like to be "deaf". She understood. I had the best of both worlds. I could speak and I could SIGN. Now that you've read this, you might realize what I'm trying to say. There are so many people in the world who are deaf mutes (NO THEY ARE NOT DEAF AND DUMB). Wouldn't it be a wonderful idea if Sign Language could be offered in our schools as an alternative course for student who is interested in learning? Can you imagine how much better the world would be if we could just say, "hi" to those who have no hearing but yet can "hear" us?  |
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