Page 117 - Reading Between the Sign Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters

102 Reading Between the Signs

If one’s relationship to one’s hearing parents had some posi-
tive aspects that go against the stereotype, these will be men-
tioned at this point with a but. For example, “I had hearing par-
ents...” (1) “...but they could sign,” (2) “...but I was lucky, they sent
me to residential school early,” or (3) “...but I had a deaf sister.”
The search for a connection during introductions is a dogged
one and not easily abandoned. If the exchange of names, family
members, and schools does not bear fruit, more obscure associa-
tions may be tried. Each person will share the names of a list of
friends and acquaintances in the hope that the other person may
know one. Possible events that both people may have attended
will be enumerated. For example, a woman who was a graduate
of Gallaudet University in the 1980s met a man who had never
gone to Gallaudet himself but had attended a couple of events in
the area around Washington, DC. When the time frame of the
early 1980s was established, intense questioning back and forth
finally proved successful. They pinpointed a certain New Year’s
Eve party given by a man named Joe in 1983. He: “Yeah, I was
there…. I was so drunk I fainted and they had to call an ambu-
lance.” She: “Oh sure! I remember you now! So, have you seen
Joe lately?”
The search for connections is the search for connectedness.
In the small world of the American Deaf community everyone is
somehow connected to everyone else, either through their own
experiences or through mutual friends. For us, the hearing, it would
be like meeting a distant relative whose relationship to you is un-
clear. You might both run through the names of your grandpar-
ents, aunts, and uncles until you finally figure it out. “Ohhh. Your
uncle Jack from Boise was my cousin Freida’s first husband.”
The “You are who you know” maxim can help establish one’s
place in Deaf society. If a relative newcomer to a community can
enumerate the names of well-respected Deaf people with whom
he or she has connections, it serves as an unwritten list of refer-
ences and can hasten acceptance. This is especially true for hear-
ing people/interpreters who may not have a history of personal
connections. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. People
change. If asked, John may name all his old pals at Gallaudet, but
knowing that this crowd was famous for its drinking and partying,
he may feel he has to add, “I was wild then, but I’ve changed—I
grew up.”

05 MINDESS PMKR 102 10/18/04, 12:00 PM