Bizarre experience with campus groups

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JennyB

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I was at a little student group conference today for group leaders (I am the president for the ASL and Deaf Culture Club at my uni) and I had the most bizarre experiences with the people there.

For starters this woman runs up to me and says "I know you!", I had no idea who she was and asked where we had met and her response was "we haven't but you are Deaf...you're name is...um...Julia?" and I corrected her "No, Jenny, where did we meet?", and she said "we haven't met but you are Deaf, I know who you are!". So weird. I had two terps all day, one of them who was new two working with me (who was interpreting this odd interaction) and the other was standing in my sight line just behind the woman she is used to interpreting for me at University and found this all some what amusing (because this sort of thing happens often enough for me). I couldn't keep a straight face. I kept looking at the interpreter with a sarcastic "what the hell?" kind of face.

Then I finish registering and this same woman asked my interpreter if she would write my name on a name tag for me. the interpreter obviously said "NO!" and I had already done it myself. The woman seemed shocked I wasn't illiterate. It was just so strange.

Then students from other groups were saying things like "It inspires me that you are here today" and other equally odd things.

I sometimes resent my mainstream campus with a passion. My large, highly ranked and respected campus. For a bunch of smart people they are fairly stupid.
 
Then students from other groups were saying things like "It inspires me that you are here today"
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Ah god don't you just HATE that? Hello....we're human too! Why should we receive kudos/laurels for doing something that anyone does?
 
deafdyke said:
Ah god don't you just HATE that? Hello....we're human too! Why should we receive kudos/laurels for doing something that anyone does?
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They are just never exposed to it and for them I am some fascinating specimen. It drives me nuts! There are roughly 55,000 students at my school, of that 3 of us are Deaf. Of the 3 of us that are Deaf I am the only undergrad and the 2 grad students...well one of them isn't even in the country for the next few months and is done her courses and the other is part time only and they are both in the same faculty. I am an anomaly on campus and they just don't know what to do with me.
 
Eh? That person doesn't make sense saying that.

How can you know someone and then say you don't, but keep saying you do? :crazy:

Anyways, I've had weird experiences with various campus groups... but it's for a number of reasons. One is their lack of parliamentarian procedure.

One time, I attended a deaf club meeting. During that meeting, parliamentarian procedure was not followed. They did have an agenda posted, but it wasn't followed properly. It was difficult to follow what was going on because everyone kept arguing and the sergeant-at-arms wasn't doing his job. Unfortunately, the student advisor was not at the meeting to advise. When the student advisor found out that I was at the meeting, he asked me what happened. I told him what happened and he talked with the club executive board members about it. Some of those members then yelled at me saying that I had no right to interfere because I was not of their race. (This was a deaf club for a non-white race.) I was then made unwelcome to their future meetings. :roll:
 
JennyB said:
They are just never exposed to it and for them I am some fascinating specimen. It drives me nuts! There are roughly 55,000 students at my school, of that 3 of us are Deaf. Of the 3 of us that are Deaf I am the only undergrad and the 2 grad students...well one of them isn't even in the country for the next few months and is done her courses and the other is part time only and they are both in the same faculty. I am an anomaly on campus and they just don't know what to do with me.
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I couldn't help but chuckle at your experience, although I do know that it is irritating. People going out of their way to show how accepting and tolerant they are always end up falling all over the place and making a fool of themselves.
 
jillio said:
I couldn't help but chuckle at your experience, although I do know that it is irritating. People going out of their way to show how accepting and tolerant they are always end up falling all over the place and making a fool of themselves.
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I agree, it is kind of amusing. I used to be nice about it and smile and nod. Now I give them the "you're a complete idiot" face and normally start to mock them in ASL privately.

One of my favorite campus stupid people moments to date was when I didn't have a terp and went to see a prof. I knew the prof pretty well so I went ahead and spoke. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes got huge, she started to shake, she got a nervous smile on her face...then she walked backwards - keeping eye contact and the terrified face - fumbled around for a piece of paper and pen (keeping eye contact and not looking at what she was grabbing at) when she finally got it she slowly handed it to me and gestured in a quick awkward way that I should write.

We wrote notes back and forth after that and that night she emailed me apologizing but she was shocked that I spoke and was not expecting it. Soo funny.:giggle:
 
JennyB said:
I agree, it is kind of amusing. I used to be nice about it and smile and nod. Now I give them the "you're a complete idiot" face and normally start to mock them in ASL privately.
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Starting to do that more and more.

One of my favorite campus stupid people moments to date was when I didn't have a terp and went to see a prof. I knew the prof pretty well so I went ahead and spoke. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes got huge, she started to shake, she got a nervous smile on her face...then she walked backwards - keeping eye contact and the terrified face - fumbled around for a piece of paper and pen (keeping eye contact and not looking at what she was grabbing at) when she finally got it she slowly handed it to me and gestured in a quick awkward way that I should write.
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Probably was an atheist, and saw "God" giving you the power to speak before her own eyes. ;) I means... how are you suppose to react when someone talk to you for the first time? LOL
 
JennyB said:
I agree, it is kind of amusing. I used to be nice about it and smile and nod. Now I give them the "you're a complete idiot" face and normally start to mock them in ASL privately.

One of my favorite campus stupid people moments to date was when I didn't have a terp and went to see a prof. I knew the prof pretty well so I went ahead and spoke. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes got huge, she started to shake, she got a nervous smile on her face...then she walked backwards - keeping eye contact and the terrified face - fumbled around for a piece of paper and pen (keeping eye contact and not looking at what she was grabbing at) when she finally got it she slowly handed it to me and gestured in a quick awkward way that I should write.

We wrote notes back and forth after that and that night she emailed me apologizing but she was shocked that I spoke and was not expecting it. Soo funny.:giggle:
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LOL! Depending on my mood, I will either let goofs like that pass by, or enjoy very much putting them on the spot. Usually the latter.:giggle: It still amazes me how many professors make idiots of themselves when a student with a disability shows up in their classroom. I have to admit I get a kick out of messing with those profs.:P
 
souggy said:
Starting to do that more and more.



Probably was an atheist, and saw "God" giving you the power to speak before her own eyes. ;) I means... how are you suppose to react when someone talk to you for the first time? LOL
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JennyB is AD's own version of the burning bush!:lol:
 
I think it is more fun just to string them along and tease them good humoredly.
 
I am reminded of the time in a Mizzou class (before there were interpreters) when a film was being shown. The professor turned to me and asked if I needed the sound of the film cranked up. There was a blind student in the room, and a student sitting next to me piped up, "Yes! And why not make the room brighter so (blind student) could see better?" The professor's face turned red and the class giggled.
Wish I said that, lol.
 
LOL at Beowulf! Not long ago, one of our blind students came into the office, and an academic advisor wanted to get his attention. She started waving her arms in the air! :lol: I said, "No, Diane...we wave at the deaf students. We call out to the blind students." The expression on her face was soooo funny...she looked like she would like to sink through the floor.:lol:
 
maybe "i know you!" from AD :dunno:
 
jillio said:
LOL at Beowulf! Not long ago, one of our blind students came into the office, and an academic advisor wanted to get his attention. She started waving her arms in the air! :lol: I said, "No, Diane...we wave at the deaf students. We call out to the blind students." The expression on her face was soooo funny...she looked like she would like to sink through the floor.:lol:
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OMG. The rate at which deaf and blind get confused is appalling. I have had people attempt to me guide me before, I have had people assume I know braille (and I do, but not the point), I have had many more encounters which I can't recall too. I do have low-vision but with my glasses do just fine for the most part and I certainly don't do anything which to a hearing person would make them assume I am blind! My interpreters know because they need to sit closer and stuff, but the hearing people have no idea. Sigh.
 
JennyB said:
OMG. The rate at which deaf and blind get confused is appalling. I have had people attempt to me guide me before, I have had people assume I know braille (and I do, but not the point), I have had many more encounters which I can't recall too. I do have low-vision but with my glasses do just fine for the most part and I certainly don't do anything which to a hearing person would make them assume I am blind! My interpreters know because they need to sit closer and stuff, but the hearing people have no idea. Sigh.
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i remember seeing a video on youtube of marlee matlin talking about the odd experiences she's had, and she's had a few blind/deaf (for lack of a better word) encounters...here's the video :)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THzktr1hDe0]YouTube - Marlee Matlin: "I Just Have to Laugh"[/ame]
 
one of our blind students came into the office, and an academic advisor wanted to get his attention. She started waving her arms in the air! I said, "No, Diane...we wave at the deaf students. We call out to the blind students."
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BWHAHAHAHAHAHA.............I just love clueless hearing people.
 
sima1289 said:
i remember seeing a video on youtube of marlee matlin talking about the odd experiences she's had, and she's had a few blind/deaf (for lack of a better word) encounters...here's the video :)
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That is fantastic! :giggle: All Deafies should get together an compile of book of "stupid hearing people" stories!:laugh2:
 
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