One evening while working at The Mustard Seed, a woman who was using vigorous gestures caught my attention. Since ASL is my first language, I responded instinctively to this person who used their hands in this way. This woman was gesturing to another that she wanted coffee. I looked to see if she had a hearing-aide, and sure enough, she did.
“Are you deaf?” I asked in ASL. “Yes, I’m deaf, are you?” It is difficult to overstate the importance of this step in meeting other deaf people since most live in isolation, and when they discover another deaf person, there is usually an immediate sense of relief knowing that one is not alone in a world of sound and verbal/aural communication. I pointed at my hearing aide to show that I was in fact deaf, and then proceeded to sit down and converse with her.
If I can recall, her name was B. and she lived in a small apartment nearby while subsisting on AISH which barely meets her needs. She is living in an unfulfilling relationship and has a hearing son somewhere in Calgary who, reportedly, won’t have anything to do with her. (Stories of hearing parents being ashamed of their deaf children and hearing children being ashamed of their deaf parents are not uncommon.) We talked about her living situation and how difficult it is for her to find a job because of this almost-insurmountable communication barrier. How does an employer who hears and speaks converse with someone who cannot hear and does not speak? If there is a job posting that she would like to apply for, how can she call the employer? I know exactly how B. feels because I have been overlooked—despite my graduate education—in favour of someone who is not as qualified as me but who is ‘normal.’
Since I moved to Edmonton in January 2008, I have wondered about the quality of life of many deaf people who may live near or below the poverty line. Given that our provincial school for the deaf has been notorious for graduating under-educated people, it is difficult to even get into NorQuest, let alone Grant MacEwan, NAIT, or University of Alberta. Without the education needed for upward mobility, how can people who are unable to hear or speak succeed in life without support?
Written by Matthew G. Hysell
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