Kaitin, thank you for your honest response. This is exactly the kind of input that I was looking for. Your worry isnt silly at all. J was somewhat on topic with evading arrest. If a suspect flees from a peace officer it is considered a felony in the State of Minnesota. I feel that law enforcement needs to be taught/given more incite to the deaf community. To help you a little on putting your fear to bed...before I began taking ASL courses, my big thing with communication was primarily non-verbal. I understood that not everyone knew english. So, When talking to someone I was always concerned with what my body language was telling them. This included:
1. Taking off my sunglasses so they could see my eyes (lets them know Im ready for some one on one)...also helps people feel less paranoid and allows them to calm down.
2. Body position. If I felt like someone was "stand-offish", I would angle my body. If someone was concerned, scared, or hurt I would stand directly infront of them and maintain my eye contact.
*After taking ASL I've become aware that more people are either hard of hearing or deaf. When I talk, I watch people's eyes. Whether or not they are trying to read my lips. Your parents are giving you good advice when they told you not to reach in your glove box. The way I would feel most comfortable in a traffic stop situation would be if the person tried to sign that they were hard of hearing or deaf.
This is some great feedback! If anyone out there is affraid to post on this topic, please...dont be. With your feedback we can adequitly equip law enforcement to better understand the deaf community and what types of fears they may have.
