Comments on: Directing People to Indecipherable Gibberish: Dilemmas in Lip Reading Lost Motorists

By: Michele Ketcham

Michele Ketcham — Sun, 27 May 2007 05:19:42 +0000

You asked for advice on how to handle people who come to you for directions. No problem!

I have two favorite approaches that I use all the time, and they both work beautifully.
Approach A (used when I happen to have paper/pen handy): Someone comes up to me asking for directions, and if I have trouble understanding that person, I give that person paper/pen right off the bat and make it clear that the person needs to write what s/he just said. 99% of the time, the person will do it and the experience usually ends with me giving the person info s/he wants.

Approach B (used when I don’t have paper/pen with me…I try to carry them around, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen for various reasons): Someone comes to me asking for directions, and if I have trouble understanding that person, I will sign “I don’t understand” (and mouth each word as clearly as I can) and shake my head at the same time.

100% of the time when I use Approach B, the result is always unfailingly the same: the person gives me a look of comprehension and beats a hasty retreat. :-)
-Michele Ketcham

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sat, 26 May 2007 03:55:37 +0000

Hearing people need to know better not to stereotype all deaf people as a whole just as much as we shouldn’t stereotype all hearing people as a whole based on what a specific individual has committed. Stereotyping-prone individuals are simply ignorant. Our job is to show people what we are capable of in spite of what their previous experience was.

Think about it: We, the deaf, have been subjected to many things by hearing people than vice versa as our encounter with them is unavoidable whereas their encounter with us is rare. Yet, we are the ones under the microscope for every little thing — bad or good.

Give them a break and why make our own people look bad when they’re human just like everyone.

By: Braid

Braid — Thu, 24 May 2007 20:37:43 +0000

After reading over all of these comments, I have to say Chris that I totally agree with you. There’s a difference between being polite and meek. And some things deaf people say make us all look like we’re too stupid to help.

By: Chris Heuer

Chris Heuer — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:22:28 +0000

“You’re lost? I’m sorry, I don’t know how to help you, maybe somebody else can…”

(points at person standing closest)

(-:

By: Jean Boutcher

Jean Boutcher — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:17:04 +0000

Deaf Pundit, I do not either! I am lost! :-)

By: punkybrewster

punkybrewster — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:38:23 +0000

if it’s anything like “Drives me up the wall.” then it’s an idiom.

By: A Deaf Pundit

A Deaf Pundit — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:28:38 +0000

Hmm. I’m not sure if that’s an actual idiom.

By: A Deaf Pundit

A Deaf Pundit — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:28:17 +0000

Serves me right for not watching the video. Whoops.

By: punkybrewster

punkybrewster — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:10:02 +0000

I’m aware of it’s meaning, but it’s nice to know even ASL has idioms.

By: g l

g l — Thu, 24 May 2007 16:55:16 +0000

Ha! Had to go see the video for myself.

Apparently she’s saying “When will my court case be settled?!?” She’s getting exasperated with all the trips she has to make to the courthouse and thus feels enslaved to her case (and to the paper & pen communication method), which doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. COURT [CASE] CLOSED WHEN?! That…