Page 108 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

American Deaf Culture 93

cally, I have bumped into these very same Deaf people on several
occasions when they have greeted me with statements such as,
“Oh you’re looking good now, not like after you had your baby
and put on so much weight” or “Hi, I know I look terrible. I didn’t
put on any makeup because I didn’t think I’d run into anyone I
knew and then here you are. But it’s okay. You don’t have any
makeup on either. You look as bad as I do.”
Besides the feeling of intimacy with other Deaf people, an-
other factor that may contribute to comments on people’s physi-
cal appearance is that ASL is a visual language and Deaf people
live in a visual world. Anything that is visually observed is open
for comment. If one needs to refer to another person and does
not know his or her name, a set of physical attributes (usually two
or three in number, such as “short, curly hair, glasses”) is used to
describe that person. Many Deaf people are keen observers of
physical traits and mannerisms. In residential schools a favorite
pastime was for the most gifted mimics to imitate the posture,
facial expression, and mannerisms of their teachers, which kept
their classmates in stitches.
Tom Holcomb says that it is hearing people’s easier access to
communication which allows them to satisfy their curiosity more
indirectly and thus avoid direct confrontation. Suppose I see an
acquaintance of mine named Mary at a large gathering and no-
tice that she is not wearing her wedding ring. I am curious and a
little worried about her, so I might talk to a mutual friend or a
neighbor, or call up her sister (if I know her) and see if she knows
what’s going on. In contrast, if Tom was curious about Mary’s
missing ring, he would probably ask her to her face if she was
separated or getting a divorce. Because Mary’s family and neigh-
bors might all be hearing and thus more awkward to communi-
cate with, it’s just easier and more direct to ask Mary herself.

Keeping Others Informed
The expectation in Deaf culture that one needs to keep others
informed operates on several levels. One is the practical reality
that in a family situation or group meeting, if a deaf person leaves
the room, no one can call to the person to find out where he or
she went. Consequently, it is polite and expected that one inform
at least one other person that one is, for instance, on one’s way to
the rest room. Then, if that person’s absence is questioned, some-
one can enlighten the rest of the group. “Even temporary unex-

05 MINDESS PMKR 93 10/18/04, 12:00 PM