Looking for more experiences of the Deaf world in Florida, I found a organisation online called the Communication Center for The Deaf and Hard of Hearing (we found most of our contacts this way- same as Waving Hands), I contacted them and they replied that we could come meet a Deaf Advocate and gave us a time and place. That was it. I emailed for more information, they sent me the address but I didn't hear from them again by email.
With no idea what to expect or who we were even meeting, we arrived at the meeting to be greeted by a hearing receptionist, we waited in the office awkwardly and then we were ushered into a small office. I knew instantly I was going to struggle to understand. The lady we met signed something as we came into the office and I didn't even pick up what it was linked to. We sat down and introduced ourselves and then sat looking at each other like 'what next?'. She asked why we were here, I only know this because I understood Alison's response in ASL. Alison explained we were here on a trip to research ASL and the Deaf community, the signs for this explanation I had seen before and understood because they are relatively similar to BSL.
I could see a lot of questions hanging over Tanya's (for that was her name) head, debating who we were, what we were doing here and whether we were hearing or deaf. I was most obviously hearing, sitting there stumped as can be, not having the vocabulary to express myself in a language I barely knew and cannot fully understand. Finally, Alison asked a question on the mental health services they had here and Tanya politely explained that this was not the department for mental health services and that she was a deaf advocate. The deaf advocates are a service that provides help and support for deaf people, whether through explaining something in sign language, providing interpreting services, legal aid, ASL classes or by providing a link from the deaf person to the hearing world. Alison went on to ask about the Deaf community in America, explaining that in England, there are instances of discrimination, both inside the Deaf community and between hearing and deaf individuals. Tanya explained that in America it was different but it many cases it depends on the person. She explained that because America is such a diverse place, many people are more accepting towards personal choice and language preference. The people within the Deaf community choose to respect other people's decisions but some may group off and choose not to mix with others. At one point, she referred to both of us of hearing and after we clarified that I was the only hearing person in the room, whenever Tanya referred to hearing people as a whole, she pointed to me for reference, which I found slightly uncomfortable. We then got onto the topic of cochlear implants and Tanya explained to us that cochlear implants used to divide the Deaf community but now the fighting has died down as time has gone on, she explained that some people still have issues with CIs especially if they choose to have them in later life. Cochlear implants are a rare thing in America, I have seen very few of them and I think there is far more cases of implantation in Britain because they offer it through the NHS, whereas in America they have to pay. 
One thing that Tanya did express to us about three times over during the meeting, was the Gallaudet University had laws of its own and told us that people are very much radically Deaf. She accentuated to me that I had to sign over the period that I was there and needed to switch of my voice, I couldn't miss the insistency in her manner and this made me very apprehensive for when we arrived. She said that the people at Gallaudet University would not hesitate to point out that I was speaking and ask me why I was doing so. This I could understand, Tanya herself had studied there so had the right to warn me. Gallaudet University is a university that has one of the highest number of deaf students in the world, the majority language is ASL, most of the staff are deaf and those that are hearing deliver the lectures in sign language. It is complete deaf space so you can understand why people would get upset if a hearing person came in and decided to speak at them. We learnt a bit about Tanya herself: that she was born fully deaf in a hearing family, grew up speaking and signing and then her family moved to Puerto Rico where she learnt Spanish and the native sign language for Puerto Rico. I was very much struggling to understand her, picking up a few pieces here and there and distancing myself from the conversation because I had no idea what was going on. I tried to ask a question on interpreting services in America, failed as I did not have the vocab to fully express myself and then turned to Alison, who kindly interpreted the question for me after I stuntedly explained in BSL. They have interpreting services everywhere in America, Tanya showed us footage of the news announcements after the Orlando attacks being interpreted in ASL and told us that the access to interpreters was pretty good, almost all public announcements have ASL interpreters present. There are certain laws put in place stating that a deaf person must have access to all public services such as hospitals. If a deaf person wants an interpreter the standard pre-booking time is two weeks, however last minute requests are usually met. If an ASL user is taken into hospital they will have immediate access to a remote interpreter who will assist until someone can arrive at the hospital. She explained that most or all hospitals in the USA have access to remote interpreting with a screen that can be wheeled into a patients room. This is not the case in Britain, a deaf person is rarely supplied with an interpreter and the deaf person is left to guess what is happening to them. The staff have no deaf awareness and do not understand how confusing and frustrating it is to be badly ill with no language access.
It seems clear to me that Britain is very much behind America when it comes to deaf services, there are specific laws that relate to deaf people and access to services, their interpreting is obviously much more reliable and you don't have to book a month in advance. There are not many services like CCDHH floating around in England that I have seen. Deaf advocacy is a brilliant service to have, it revolutionizes the traditional system we have had for years of hearing professionals trying to support a deaf person when they have no idea what deafness entails. The whole concept of deaf advocacy means that deaf people have access to services in their own languages and with a person who has experienced the same thing and can sympathise on a cultural and linguistic level.
Tanya wanted us to come meet the other people in her team and see the main area where all the action happens. The room next door was a deaf hub, the desks of the people working there facing each other with a section to film announcements behind a green screen. We met four more men. who worked in the separate sections of the team, all deaf apart from the one interpreter who was held in very high regard by the others because he choose to voice off the full time he was at work. We introduced ourselves and explained why we were here and they explained more about the organisation and the services they provide and seemed intrigued when we signed BSL together. I was a silent observer but my confidence was increasing as I panicked less and began to understand a bit more, I did not ask much but watched and joined in with the jokes, when I understood them. By the end, we said our goodbyes and I felt a bit less like a dunce because I either hid the fact I didn't understand, or cottoned on to what was being said through the few signs I knew and the body language of everyone around me. I suddenly realised that I was the minority and that I was experiencing what a deaf person must feel when surrounded by hearing people. 
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