Deaf Event

On November 19, 2009 I was able to encounter a person who was hard of hearing. I was at Turning Stone Casino eating at their buffet. I asked him if he was Deaf and he said yes. His name was Stephen. He was a cook. He said that he was 38 years old and that he lives near Syracuse. I asked him if he liked his job at the casino and he said yes. I asked him if he had a wife and he said he had a girlfriend. He was at one of the cooking stations. I wanted to order something from him, but my plate was already full. He asked me where I went to school and I told him Cortland. I told him I was in Physical Education. He also asked me how long I've known ASL. I wasn't able to make out what he said about where he went to college. There was someone else ready to order. His hand movements were expectedly crisper than mine. ASL was second nature to Stephen.
I enjoyed getting to communicate with a person who was Deaf, albeit brief. I was a little nervous about what I would ask him. It was so unexpected. It was almost like it was over before it started. Stephen seemed very friendly. I'm sure he was happy to see many Cortland Physical Educators who came for the Physical Education Conference. A few other people had mentioned how they got to talk to him. I barely ever encounter Deaf people, but since taking ASL I have tried to be more aware of what is around me. It was cool to see how knowing ASL (albeit a small amount) could allow me to communicate with a Deaf person. Stephen seemed to carry no chip on his hsoulder when it came to communicating with a person who is hearing. It made me feel good because I've learned to be prepared for a Deaf person to possibly not have a whole lot of patience with me.
This event benefitted me because it made all the classroom material seem real. In the classroom sometimes things seem so rehearsed and repetitive. It was neat to see the random order in which I was able to communicate with Stephen based on the knowledge I have of ASL. I learned that ASL truly is a good source for communication. I learned that I am capable of communicating with a Deaf person. I could never say this before I started taking ASL in September.
I look forward to future encounters. I like the spontaneity of randomly seeing a Deaf person. To pick up on the fact that they are Deaf and to sign to them is intriguing. I would go to another deaf event regardless of whether or not there was a classroom requirement. It seems like it would be fun to go to a Deaf movie. I would like to try going to one of those. Just hearing about how loud it is at the theatre because of no sound restrictions intrigues me. It would be like going to a library that is really loud. Overall, this was a fun learning experience.