Realistically? Many wait staff are single parents and/or going to school and/or working more than one job and to ask them to learn another language or part of one on top of all that as well as their regular, pretty crappy, duties isn't really fair. Convicts have a LOT of time to sit around and learn things.
Healthcare workers, law enforcement...yes, these should be required to at least know fingerspelling, I agree. And in a perfect world EVERYONE would know at least fingerspelling if not other basic sign. But I think waitresses can be let off the hook.
(Sorry to derail the thread.)
