Hmmm... I wonder if this is a bit of a cultural thing. As a hearing person, if I ask someone a command question (like "Where is the bathroom?" or "How do I find the next gas station?"), I'm anticipating one of two responses. Either the person responds with an answer, or they tell me to wait a minute. If the person responds with anything else, my tendency is to think "she doesn't want to talk to me." Since I am now more sensative to these kinds of miscommunications, I would never do what that person did, but I could see how a hearing person who was completely unfamiliar might be confused or embarrased and act rude like that.
Maybe a slightly different approach might help. If a hearing person asks a question like that again, try this: Sign a "one" with palm toward them (hearies will think "wait a minute"). Then, grab a pencil and pad and write (or say) "I need you to speak more slowly, I'm reading your lips." I suspect that this might be "expected enough" that the uninitiated hearing person would talk with you rather than walking off rudely. Anyway, it's worth a try.
Isn't cultural difference grand?
