Originally Posted by deafbajagal

A touchy subject, huh? I wish the social events would be labled "closed" for d/hh only and "open" for all. I have nothing against hearing people learning to sign (in fact, I wish more would) or hanging out with "us" - but there are times when I need a place to go to that is truly deaf-friendly. A haven, if you will.

A parent of one of my students told me that she looks forward to Fridays because there is a group of friends who speak Spanish that get together. She said, "I can't wait for Fridays where I can go and spend time with friends in my culture and my language. I like English and try to use it - it's everywhere - billboards, maps, restaurants, etc. But I NEED my Spanish language where I can feel at ease." I am trying to learn Spanish, but this social event is NOT the appropriate place for me since this is their haven.

Plus the idea of learning ASL in this environment is almost impossible because most Deaf people will start coding as soon as a hearing person is seen to be observing the conversation. (Hearing people take notes on this - it is RUDE to observe a conversation without permission). Also, most Deaf people switch to using English-structured signing when a hearing person approaches and talks with them. It's just a natural reaction, especially when the desire of language preservation kicks in. It's very hard for me to use ASL with most hearing persons, even interpreters. I almost have to develop trust before I would even use ASL. If I'm approached by a deaf person who is learning ASL, I -for some reason- feel that it's my ultimate responsibility to do everything to help this person learn signing (ASL or whatever) because that's may be the person's way of life and affects the quality of his/her life. If this was a hearing person with a deaf child, it's the same feeling. However, if it's a hearing person who is joining the social for extra credit, excuse me- I got other things to do. Learning ASL is not just something cool to do in college or taking the class because it looks fun isn't a valid reason to waste my time. ASL is fun and cool - but it is also something to be taken seriously.