Not long ago I was standing in the checkout line at Target when I noticed a man and two women in front of me that were using hand sign language to communicate to each other. I was amazed at the ease with which they did this. I assumed they were deaf since they were not speaking at all.
In this world of noise pollution where the rest of us live, this seemed like a refreshing alternative to verbal communication. There is something soothing and graceful about it, like dancing with your hands and fingers. I have always been fascinated by signing and have always wanted to learn to do it.
The cashier rang up their purchases and announced the total. The man smiled and handed her his charge card. She put it in the card scanner and frowned. “Your card’s been rejected”, she said loudly. The man turned toward the two women and signed something. He could read the cashiers lips, but had no way of communicating with her. The cashier then threw the card down onto the counter and said even more loudly, “Your card is no good”! She became rude and impatient with them.
Obviously spawned in the shallow end of the gene pool, the cashier had no idea why these people were silent and just waved their hands in the air. If it had gone on for a few more minutes, I suspect she would have called security. The man picked up his card and they left. Humiliation and anger were clearly written on their faces.
I stepped forward and placed my item on the counter. I did not speak to the cashier. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth she would have a really good reason to call security. I don’t know if I was angry with her or angry at myself for not being able to help those people.
Recently I shared this experience with a friend of mine who was raised by deaf parents. He had witnessed this scenario many times growing up. He told me that people who are hearing impaired frequently appear to by angry and frustrated in pubic. They are often ignored, shunned, and treated badly by people that have hearing, but don’t sign.
I finally decided to learn this beautiful language. I have four friends that are my mentors. One is deaf, one is a translator for the deaf, and the other two are fluent signers. My wife, upon seeing my commitment to this, has decided she will also learn to sign. Since she is a natural hand talker anyways, I expect her to zoom right past me.
My goal is to be proficient at signing by the end of 2010. Gracefulness and fluency may take a bit longer. Maybe someday I’ll be in another situation where I can help someone who does not hear.
Am I a great guy or what?
