Sometimes I Hate Being Hearing

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 I am a hearing person and I work a couple of deaf people.  I work with the deaf community.  At times I do hate being hearing.  Yes, I know that is probably wrong for me to say.  As a hearing person noise is too much for me at times.  It hurts my hears and gives me headaches.  At times to sit in silence is just an amazing thing to do.  I know if you are sitting here reading this and you are deaf, you are probably thinking the opposite.   You may want to be hearing.

Since I started to work more and more with the deaf community I have been asked to interpret more and more. Especially for my deaf co-worker.  Something the hearing need to realize is the interpreting is for them, not you.  Sometimes it's easy for us to understand them.  It's not always easy for them to understand you.  After today I realized how important that was.

After talking with my co-worker who happened to be deaf he was telling me this.  He was saying how he had a hard time understanding our hearing co-worker.  They did not know how to sign.  He could understand enough but, it was difficult for them.  The hearing person was like I got this, I'm good.  It frustrated me and the deaf person.  He really needed my help to make sure things go expressed very clearly. In this case it was important to get things across clearly.

Here is some background on me.  I picked up ASL back in 5th grade.  I learned my alphabet and started to communicate with the deaf then.  I was around 11 or so when I first started to learn.  As the years went on I picked up signs here and there. By the year 2000 my mom started to work for the place I am now at.  Their staff here always had a deaf person working.  I ended up taking a basic class of ASL.  I learned some more signs to be able to communicate.  I took the beginners ASL class three times.  Two for just me and one with my minor child.  

My daughter, who is now 19, started to learn sign from infant age.  I taught her sign before she learned to speak. She grew up with ASL and that was her first language.  She signs pretty well for it not being her primary language. 

We both now can sign and she can hold her own to interpret when needed.  We both have plenty of knowledge under our belts to be able to communicate with the deaf.  Now, working in this office full time and being around their culture, I know more everyday.  I am picking up on more signs and learning more than I thought I ever would.  Which is why I am being asked to interpret when they need a person for just a short meeting.  It beats hiring someone for like $50 an hour.  Ok, maybe that's a bit or low.  The point still stands.  I'm already on the clock.  I really don't mind doing it.

Today when I was signing to my co-worker in private I found myself mad, frustrated, and signing faster than before.  All because a hearing person thought they could do fine with the conversation.  Now, did they do ok.  Yes but, the issue was the deaf co-worker kept looking  at me for support.  I didn't know how to give it to him. I do now.  So, hopefully, when a hearing thinks they can handle it, we need to remind them it's not for THEM, it's for the person who can't hear and needs help. 

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