Don't you hate it when hearing people being ignorant about deaf customers?

Aimra said:
Do most people, in a customer service environment, ignore deaf customers? I hope not! Even though I was very ignorant in the above situation I still wanted to make an attempt to be polite and friendly. ::shrugs:: I still feel bad about it!
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Hmmm well I do know a deaf woman (who taught me ASL) whose situation is kind of the opposite of what you described: she's the one who works in customer service at a grocery store, but she has to interact with hearing people. Yep, using a pencil and paper. (And no, she doesn't stock shelves - she's got too many hip/back problems for me to name.) She constantly comes across customers who glare at her, shrug her away, and of course simply seek help from a different hearing employee.

But in my personal experience, I've never received too much rudeness in a customer service environment. The only rudeness I've experienced is when a person gets annoyed when you ask for a repeat (or too many repeats...) and their tone of voice just changes to slightly more annoyed... But just recently I went to a restaurant with my other (only!) deaf friend, and she's the only person I communicate to in sign. (Actually Total Communication since she reads lips/has a CI and I have a BTE and a bit of residual hearing) So it was one of my first experiences signing in a public area where it's highly noticeable that both me and my friend are deaf. But our waitress was really nice to us, and didn't avoid coming up to us, asking us if we needed anything, and she was just very sweet. Some guys in the restaurant stared, but nyeh. We left the waitress a nice tip.
 
jclarke said:
And we will be like star wars! >_<
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Ahh I love star wars! lol if that ever come true in real life be like star war,, I sure hope I can get my hands on luke or han solo LOL I think I like to kiss the wookie first ! lol Just kidding. :laugh2::laugh2::nana:
 
R2D2 said:
Hey, do you know that we now have internet relay? I had a go with it with their trials and I believe that it's being formally launched today in Canberra. Here is the link in case you didn't know about it already:
http://www.iprelay.com.au/call/index.aspx
You will need Java to run it though - but if you don't have it, you'll get a pop up to help you download it.

By the way I have one of the 3G mobile phones too. The video call option is great although I hardly use it and the sound quality for making voice calls is excellent too, much better than the GSM network.

6 million out of 20 million Australians are deaf?? Where are they all?
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Yeah. I love i711. It's my favorite internet relay. Although I can talk to family members via the cellphone, I'm not ready to order pizza on my cell phone.
 
I remenber one time i was at Mcdonald and wanted to odear food and the cashier was being rude cuz she was laughing at me when i asked her to speak louder, so i said to her"Well i hope ur children become a high school drop out since you are working here" then she got sad and she listen to me and i got my Big mac meal(those thing arent big)
 
Dixie said:
Sorry to butt in on your conversation guys but I read whats been bolded and I got quite a giggle from the typo.

Carry on mates, this is an interesting conversation....
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Wow! I didnt know dead people can do things. :giggle:

That would be creepy and just perfect for Halloween. I am weird sometimes. LOL!
 
Been there, done that. But this time with a hearing customer and a deaf client.

When I was working, whenever a customer come to ask me about something. I gestured to him or her I couldn't hear, but wait I can have pen and paper if it's ok with you? I'll be glad to be of a help here. Most of times the customers were willing to let me help, until a man asked me for a help. I said I can't hear - my name tag says deaf, but he refused to let me help him out... I was merely trying to get my pen and paper out of my pant pockets. I assumed that he was a walking time bomb, looking for some stuffs for his wife for Christmas. Hell, it was only 10 in the morning. He got pissed because I was unable to speak and he won't let me to ask him for help and walked off. I ended up laughing in the back of my mind. I was the only worker in this area that time. Too bad for him, good for me. I don't feel bad nor embarrassed by this.

Nothing's perfect.
 
I assumed that he was a walking time bomb, looking for some stuffs for his wife for Christmas. Hell, it was only 10 in the morning.


Every one should stay away from men shopping for their wives.
And grumpy people will find a reason to be mean even if you
are hearing. Rude is Rude. When I was a waitress I can't tell
you how many times I was tempted to pour coffee on the rudies!
 
I am a deaf cashier... I think it's more of hearing customers being ignorant about deaf people.
I have had everything happen to me, from "sympathy" hugs to having the police called in my defense... It's ridiculous. People don't get it.
 
Victor_Zolo said:
I remenber one time i was at Mcdonald and wanted to odear food and the cashier was being rude cuz she was laughing at me when i asked her to speak louder, so i said to her"Well i hope ur children become a high school drop out since you are working here" then she got sad and she listen to me and i got my Big mac meal(those thing arent big)
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Please don't say things like that to ANYONE. That's horrible... I know firsthand how hurtful it is to be laughed at... But as a "poverty" line worker, I know nobody deserves to hear that...
 
TheIronQueen said:
Please don't say things like that to ANYONE. That's horrible... I know firsthand how hurtful it is to be laughed at... But as a "poverty" line worker, I know nobody deserves to hear that...
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you're probably right about that but she certainly needed a reality check =P

also I'd probably die if I had to be a cashier, ugh. I was at mcdonalds the other day and I always make a point to lay my entire order out before the cashier can ask all those little questions like "for here or to go?" and "what do you want to drink" etc. so I said everything first and I gave the cashier enough time to process it, but then she asked me if i wanted my chicken grilled even though i'd already said crispy chicken. I had to ask for like 5 repeats and in the end it was SO confusing for me because "grilled" is generally not an easy word to hear ("crispy" is 10x better but she just said grilled) and when i asked for repeats, all she said was "grilled?" not "do you want it grilled?" or "would you like grilled chicken?" BALHAHALHALHLALAHLLHAHLh in the end it was just awkward having to stand there and figure out what she was asking me, requesting that she give me a full sentence, say it a bit louder/slower, blah blah blah. see how huge a fuss i can make over such a small incident?!?! head explosion in t minus 5 seconds....
 
Just found this! I have one story about the relay too.

I still remember when I live in Salem, Oregon and I was looking for jobs so I called a hotel. Here's what happened:

Relay- Explaining about the relay

Woman- Hung up

Me- Redial

Relay- Redialing

Woman- I am sorry, I don't accept any 1-800's calls then hung up

Me- Redial

Relay- Redialing

Woman- Don't call again, I will call the cops! Then hung up.

Me- Redial

Relay- Redialing

Woman- What do you want?

Me- I am not sure if this is your first time, I am deaf that's why I am using the relay to translate for me while typing on the TTY and I was looking forward to know if you are hiring, but guess you are not Deaf-Friendly. I just let you know, I guess I would just pass this away. Thank you for finally patience, byebye sksk.

Then I hung up.

Also other one, at McDonalds, when my friends and I went for the drive-thru because it was close, only drive-thru open so.. One woman, I suspect she was a leader worker, she look at us like stupid and she ask "what?" I sign to her that I don't hear and need paper 'n' pen, she scoffing at us and tell us to go IN the resturant. She closed window and one of my friend say "OMG! That is so discrimination!", and I banging on her window and she come to us and told us to go IN resturant again then close the window. I got really pissed off so I drove fast to the parking lot, but not park properly, but I don't care and went to the door, happened I was right the resturant was closed because the door was locked! I banging on the door till one crew worker came to us. I told her that I don't hear and need paper 'n' pen, she was like okay and hand us the paper 'n' pen.

I wrote and asked for the complaination phone number, and she gave me the number then she ask us "So what else do you want?", I told her no we don't want anything from that "deaf-unfriendly resturant". Then we left.

Next day, my friends and I called the McDonalds, then they offer us the free foods, but I told them no I don't want it. I am only here to prove that they are deaf-unfriendly.

I was usually get more aggrestive when people treat deafies shit. I really hate it... But not all hearies can understand that, oh well... *sigh* :(
 
Long time ago, few of people looked at blank paper with pen and look at me like I am alien or something. I said I am deaf and please write it down and tell me what you like for me to do your dog. The man looked at me and walked off with dog to get manager to come in shop. That made me furious enough. The manager told the man that he needs to write down what he want for dog to be groom. So the man wrote down what he like to do. So I processed to get dog in cage and went back to front. I was so speechless. He wrote down and said "CUT." I had manger to call him and he said that he just want dog to be shave and trim ears. So after that dog got serviced. Man came back and pick dog up. He went to manager and told the manger that i did a great job. I was thinking "Yo, is my face too ugly for him to tell me that I did a great job?" :pissed:
 
I feel funny when I have to talk around people I don`t know. they all stop and look at me and laughing I hate that.:rl:
 
VanG said:
Long time ago, few of people looked at blank paper with pen and look at me like I am alien or something. I said I am deaf and please write it down and tell me what you like for me to do your dog. The man looked at me and walked off with dog to get manager to come in shop. That made me furious enough. The manager told the man that he needs to write down what he want for dog to be groom. So the man wrote down what he like to do. So I processed to get dog in cage and went back to front. I was so speechless. He wrote down and said "CUT." I had manger to call him and he said that he just want dog to be shave and trim ears. So after that dog got serviced. Man came back and pick dog up. He went to manager and told the manger that i did a great job. I was thinking "Yo, is my face too ugly for him to tell me that I did a great job?" :pissed:
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you tell your manager or boss to tell them that ! i hate hearing people who are gutless. This is one of the thing im going to research on, and form a basis for discriminatory laws to accomodate this situation to be recognised as inappropriate, even ultimately I believe this treatment should be illegal.
 
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