Skip to main content

Student Tribune

Rochester Deaf Awareness Week

Hands are waving in the air in celebration! Why? This is Rochester Deaf Awareness Week (RDAW)! The community is buzzing with excitement, as workshops and events are scheduled in our local area during the week of September 23-29, 2018. Click here for a schedule of local events!

Deaf culture adds another rich layer of diversity at MCC for the benefit of everyone in the community. Not all deaf individuals identify as members of the Deaf culture. In the Deaf community, the capitalized "Deaf" is typically used to indicate a cultural identification, as opposed to the lower case "deaf", which simply represents an audiological category.

To help us honor Deaf Awareness Week, take some time to read these basic tips and strategies for communicating with Deaf/deaf and hard of hearing people, from MCC faculty member Rita Straubhaar:

  • Not all Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing people know sign language. Not all are able to effectively speech read. It's always best to ask the person how they prefer to communicate. Asking "Do you read lips?" is catch-22 question because every person with a hearing loss understands that question, but maybe not what is said after that.
  • Do speak/communicate directly with the Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing person using direct pronouns such as "you/your" even when using an interpreter. Also, maintain eye contact with the Deaf/deaf/ hard of hearing person.
  • If you can't walk around a signed conversation, feel free to walk right through without apologizing or doing the "limbo" dance. That's perfectly acceptable in Deaf culture. Seeing someone try to bend down, or duck-and-run, under a signed conversation can be distracting enough to make everyone forget what they were signing about in the first place.
  • The interpreter is not the Deaf/deaf/ hard of hearing person's assistant/teacher/tutor. They are only there for facilitating communication. And remember that the interpreter is there for everyone in the room, not just "for" the Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing person.
  • Do feel free to engage with the Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing person as you normally would do even if there is no interpreter around. You just might need to be a little bit more creative in how to communicate.
  • There is no need to over enunciate or be louder when communicating without an interpreter. Instead it's preferred that you just speak a little bit slower.
  • If you know a little bit of sign language or gestures, then please feel free to use it with other signers.
  • Deaf/deaf/ hard of hearing students should be held to the same academic expectations as other students in the classroom. However, they may need additional assistance to make that possible. Check with them to see what they want/need.

Prosceo, Jennifer
Services For Students With Disabilities
09/24/2018