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Lillys dad said:
SR, very true. I use to explain everything to anyone who asked. My wife kept telling me that most people are just curious about it. They really dont want to know everything, just enough to know what it is. After a while, I realized she was right. I would start explaining everything and watch their eyes galzed over and thier brain start to go into a coma. Now I just keep it simple. Are you firmiliar with the acronym K.I.S.S.? Keep It Simple Stupid.
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Will keep the K.I.S.S acronym in my mind. Well..last night, my husband and I went over to a friends' house for dinner and poker game to celebrate his birthday. He wanted to drink so I didnt drink due to driving home. We left around 230 am and we stopped at the 7-11 so he can grab a sandwich. He was really buzzed from drinking all night but not drunk. Anyways, we were waiting in line to pay for his sandwich ..we were just conversing in sign language and we noticed that the other customers and clerk were staring at us. My husband said "CAn I help u?" The clerk said "Have u both been drinking?" We were like huh? My husband said..."Why?" U can tell that he had been drinking and the clerk said "U shouldnt be driving if u are drunk." I asked him why would he think I am drunk and he said cuz we were flailing our hands and arms around. My husband said "We are using sign language cuz my wife is deaf." The clerk said "Nice try." Whoa...so he and the other people kept watching us walk to our truck and all I could think was "Oh boy..they better not call the cops." I only had pop all night but I was tired and just wanted to get home. I woke up this morning thinking I dreamed it so I asked my husband if that really happened. He said "oh u bet it did!" Wow....people thought I was drunk cuz I was signing? That is new to me. :crazy:

BTW..no cops were called...whew! Imagine if that happened?? I would flip out for sure!
 
shel90 said:
The clerk said "Have u both been drinking?" We were like huh? My husband said..."Why?" U can tell that he had been drinking and the clerk said "U shouldnt be driving if u are drunk." I asked him why would he think I am drunk and he said cuz we were flailing our hands and arms around. My husband said "We are using sign language cuz my wife is deaf." The clerk said "Nice try."
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I read over your post about five times trying to wrap my head around the level of ignorance necessary to allow someone to say something like that. Wow. Just... wow. You didn't happen to be singing Gilbert and Sullivan showtunes at the same time, did you? Or were you doing cartwheels and pulling invisible rabbits out of imaginary hats?

This kind of response is a new one by me, too, and really quite embarassing for the idiot customers and clerk in the store (if only they knew it!). But hey, at least you've got a story to tell from it...
 
Eneles said:
I read over your post about five times trying to wrap my head around the level of ignorance necessary to allow someone to say something like that. Wow. Just... wow. You didn't happen to be singing Gilbert and Sullivan showtunes at the same time, did you? Or were you doing cartwheels and pulling invisible rabbits out of imaginary hats?

This kind of response is a new one by me, too, and really quite embarassing for the idiot customers and clerk in the store (if only they knew it!). But hey, at least you've got a story to tell from it...
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I was too speechless when the store clerk said that. It just didnt feel real. LOL! My husband said he had a strong Middle Eastern accent so maybe he wasnt educated about sign language? Still, he was looking at us like we were commiting a crime or something. Never experienced a look like that.
 
Lillys dad said:
SR, very true. I use to explain everything to anyone who asked. My wife kept telling me that most people are just curious about it. They really dont want to know everything, just enough to know what it is. After a while, I realized she was right. I would start explaining everything and watch their eyes galzed over and thier brain start to go into a coma. Now I just keep it simple. Are you firmiliar with the acronym K.I.S.S.? Keep It Simple Stupid.
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Why is there even any obligation to explain anything to complete strangers? The way some people act is that if there is anything even remotely not "normal" then there is some duty to explain it to them. You and Lilly are entitled to your own privacy, especially Lilly. I personally think that it's our responsbility as parents to protect children from nosy adults who might give negative messages such as "it's sooooo saaad". Children cannot put things into context the way we can.

I think the "why do you ask?" prompt following a curious question is a good way of reminding people gently that they may need to be minding their own business. It's also a good way of screening out genuine people from the sticky beaks. If someone replies "I am thinking about getting a CI" or "I'm learning ASL" then this is a good sign that the conversation is going to be a positive and relevent one and you can run with people like that. Otherwise nosy people who have nothing better to do will say "oh just curious!" and you can reply "Oh okay. It's a beautiful day today isn't it?"
 
R2D2 said:
Why is there even any obligation to explain anything to complete strangers? The way some people act is that if there is anything even remotely not "normal" then there is some duty to explain it to them. You and Lilly are entitled to your own privacy, especially Lilly. I personally think that it's our responsbility as parents to protect children from nosy adults who might give negative messages such as "it's sooooo saaad". Children cannot put things into context the way we can.

I think the "why do you ask?" prompt following a curious question is a good way of reminding people gently that they may need to be minding their own business. It's also a good way of screening out genuine people from the sticky beaks. If someone replies "I am thinking about getting a CI" or "I'm learning ASL" then this is a good sign that the conversation is going to be a positive and relevent one and you can run with people like that. Otherwise nosy people who have nothing better to do will say "oh just curious!" and you can reply "Oh okay. It's a beautiful day today isn't it?"
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I don't agree with that concept. People ask about CI or sign language or deafness it is because they are ignorant on the subject. At least they have the courage to say i don't know what that is, please educate me. By your attitude you are perpetuating ignorance. How can attitudes toward Deaf people change if hearing people know nothing and continue in their ignorance?
 
Southern said:
I don't agree with that concept. People ask about CI or sign language or deafness it is because they are ignorant on the subject. At least they have the courage to say i don't know what that is, please educate me. By your attitude you are perpetuating ignorance. How can attitudes toward Deaf people change if hearing people know nothing and continue in their ignorance?
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:gpost:
 
I didn't understand like 1-2 words in that, which threw off the entire question. x.x (Surprisingly, i understood that much) I didn't understand the last part, and then i saw 'devil' *question mark* . o.O ?
 
so i was woundering, this is so random i know, it's considered rude when you talk and eat at the same time. so for a deaf person signing to another deaf person is it rude to chew and sign at the same time?
 
Southern said:
I don't agree with that concept. People ask about CI or sign language or deafness it is because they are ignorant on the subject. At least they have the courage to say i don't know what that is, please educate me. By your attitude you are perpetuating ignorance. How can attitudes toward Deaf people change if hearing people know nothing and continue in their ignorance?
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I agree but the problem is if people approached u numerous while u are doing your business about your deafness or CIs year after year, wouldnt u get tired of it?

There are times when I just dont feel like educating people especially when I am out with my family or friends. I value my time with them so I am not gonna waste it educating people about my deafness or about sign language. I am human and I get pretty burnt out from the same questions asked over and over again for so many years by different people.
 
I am hearing.
I have a question about getting your drivers license.
I think it's cool that deaf are able to get them, I was just wondering how it is during the test.
When I took my driving test ,the instructer would say:
Turn left at the next intersection.
Or turn right at the 2nd intersection...blah blah blah!

He would tell me ahead of time so i was just wondering how they go about doing the driving test.

I hope that doesn't sound bad. It's not meant to.
 
they uses signs on a piece of paper and showed me exactly what they wants the signs that says like arrow to that way or that way, stop sign, etc and as for parking... she would show me the sign that shows a car with an arrow following the parking area ... i immediately knew she wants me to do paralled parking. etc like that.

what really worries me though is motorcycle road test LOL
 
trish_e87 said:
I am hearing.
I have a question about getting your drivers license.
I think it's cool that deaf are able to get them, I was just wondering how it is during the test.
When I took my driving test ,the instructer would say:
Turn left at the next intersection.
Or turn right at the 2nd intersection...blah blah blah!

He would tell me ahead of time so i was just wondering how they go about doing the driving test.

I hope that doesn't sound bad. It's not meant to.
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That's why I failed the first test cuz the instructor said something to me and I turned to read her lips and ran thru a stop sign. :ugh3:

2nd time, I told the instructor beforehand that I do not want to fail so pls SHUT UP while I am driving! :giggle:
 
When I went to Deaf Expo and DPHH with my best friend and his sister I felt completely comfortable and enjoyed myself. Everyone was great and treated me as one of them. Some were surprised that I am hearing. When you meet a hearing person at a Deaf event do you ever think they don’t belong, they are not one of us? No one made me feel like that but I did wonder if people thought it.
 
i keep hearing that deaf people are the same as hearing people (and i agree), but then ask why hearing people are soo stupid (granted there are a lot of stupid people out there). the thing is "hearies" feel sory or whatever for deaf people i think because they truly don't know how to handle a situation with a deaf person. most hearing people hardly if ever come across a deaf person. i don't know if i'm right or not, just kinda throwin' it out there.
 
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