Never-Mind!!!

Never mind, never mind!… I am tired of being told nevermind. It just pisses me off whenever someone try to talk  to me and  I tell them I am deaf, then they said never-mind. What the heck is wrong with some hearing people?!! Do they think if a deaf person cannot hear them, he can’t understand them? I was just setting in RIT Wallace library and typing a paper on my laptop. Then a guy came to me asking something. I told him I am deaf, and asked him to type what he was saying. He looked at me strangely and said "never mind" and walked way. What the heck!!. I was  patient enough to stop my work and was  willing  to help him, but he replied never-mind.

Understanding  and hearing are two different things as they are two different words. We deaf people lack of  only the hearing, but we do have  understanding capability.I have experiences  many times a  stranger hearing person stop me  trying to talk to me or asking  me something, but when I tell them I am deaf, they just say never-mind and walk away. What does my deafness has to do with my understanding with people? I simply, can’t hear you, but if you want to talk to me there is a way we can understand each other.

Deaf people don’t tell hearing people never mind when they don’t understand them. Deaf try to make their best to understand hearing people by using any possible communication methods. I remember the other day, I was with my hearing friends, and I signed “I have to go  now”. They did not understand what I was saying so they were like, “huh?”! Just what a deaf persons feels when they don’t understand hearing person. I walked to my friends and  typed in my Iphone notes, "I have to go". I did not say never-mind. But it annoys  me sometimes when my close friends are  being lazy to type or write for  me something when I don't understand them and they say never-mind. 

The hearing people lack of sympathy. They don’t know that we- deaf people are just human like them. We are just missing one thing they have which is hearing. However, there is nothing wrong with our  human being. I was an event last week with a group of my deaf friends. There was a hearing friend who did not know sign language. My deaf friends were chatting in sign language. They were having a good laugh, but the hearing friend  was feeling left behind.  I looked and felt like what I usually  feel when I am around with my hearing friends who are chatting and having a good laugh, but  I don’t understand anything about their conversation. When I saw that my hearing friend was feeling left behind, I interrupted my deaf friends and told them that they should include the conversation with the hearing friend. I asked them how they would have felt if they were with hearing people and not understand their conversation?

Hearing people need to understand that deafness does not make anyone different. if you are hearing person and become deaf tomorrow, would that make you a different person? You don’t walk on people and interrupt their work and when they try to help you tell them never-mind. This is unacceptable. Let me be clear those immature  hearing people out there; Deaf people lack only the sense of hearing, but they do have whatever else you have. We are all human-being!.

Flight Hostess Uses Sign Language

I was on flight from Netherlands to Sweden yesterday. I was  fascinated when the airline hostess used signs to give safety instructions. She used  sign language to show how to use each safety materials such as oxygen mask  and how to exist the plane in case of emergency. It surprised me how effective it was to give instruction in signs than spoken language.

Usually when I ride airplane, I never get to understand what they are saying. They always talk when they are giving safety instructions. I remember my flight from Philadelphia to Amsterdam, I was using my Iphone and the airline hostess come and told me to turn  it off. I know usually airlines ask their passengers to turn off their electronics  when the plane is taking off or landing, but how could I know when and when not  to turn my phone off? When the plane takes off, they inform passengers by microphone that they can use their phones and electronics  now. But deaf can’t hear it.

If the airlines would use  sign language to give safety instructions would be helpful to everyone. Both hearing and deaf  people can grasp when the airline hostess uses sign to show how to use safety materials and in case of emergency how to exit from the plane. Most deaf people who travel on airlines, don’t have right like other passengers to understand safety instructions and in case of emergency how to exit from  the plane. I think airlines should give all their instruction on sign language and that would be easier and helpful to all passengers. Most passengers who travel on airlines don’t speak same language. Yesterday I  met  on the flight with  people who were from different  countries  who could not understand either English or Dutch. If they had not seen hostess signing, they would not have understood how to use safely material. Sign language is very effective language which can be used by everyone to understand each other.