Miss-Delectable
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The Winchester Star
From a distance, it seemed to be a casual conversation among friends.
A slight woman with shoulder-length light brown hair gestured enthusiastically with her hands while smiling broadly. The other women smiled and nodded in agreement.
People walking past the women seated outside the Daily Grind in the Apple Blossom Mall on Wednesday didn’t hear a sound. They met this week as part of Deaf Awareness Week.
The three women are deaf and use American Sign Language to communicate. They and eight other deaf people were conversing while they sat in the mall as a way to socialize and inform the community.
"We’re trying to let everyone know about the deaf population," said Donna Williams, coordinator of the deaf coffee chat. "I think more people are aware of the deaf community now."
An outreach specialist with Access Independence Inc., Williams was unable to estimate the number of people in the northern Shenandoah Valley who are considered deaf.
She has partial hearing and attended a mainstream school, which means she speaks as she signs. She acts as a translator between the deaf and hearing participants at the coffee chats.
The Deaf Chats provide an opportunity for deaf and hearing people to interact and practice American Sign Language. The events began two years ago and are scheduled twice a month at area Daily Grind coffee shops.
Mary Belle Billingsley has been attending the chats since they started.
"I really enjoy it. I like it," she said, using Williams as a translator. "I’m meeting more people who are deaf."
Billingsley, 82, moved to Winchester from Tennessee two years ago. Her sign language is different from the version used by deaf people in this area.
"I can still understand her, but she signs things differently," Williams said.
From a distance, it seemed to be a casual conversation among friends.
A slight woman with shoulder-length light brown hair gestured enthusiastically with her hands while smiling broadly. The other women smiled and nodded in agreement.
People walking past the women seated outside the Daily Grind in the Apple Blossom Mall on Wednesday didn’t hear a sound. They met this week as part of Deaf Awareness Week.
The three women are deaf and use American Sign Language to communicate. They and eight other deaf people were conversing while they sat in the mall as a way to socialize and inform the community.
"We’re trying to let everyone know about the deaf population," said Donna Williams, coordinator of the deaf coffee chat. "I think more people are aware of the deaf community now."
An outreach specialist with Access Independence Inc., Williams was unable to estimate the number of people in the northern Shenandoah Valley who are considered deaf.
She has partial hearing and attended a mainstream school, which means she speaks as she signs. She acts as a translator between the deaf and hearing participants at the coffee chats.
The Deaf Chats provide an opportunity for deaf and hearing people to interact and practice American Sign Language. The events began two years ago and are scheduled twice a month at area Daily Grind coffee shops.
Mary Belle Billingsley has been attending the chats since they started.
"I really enjoy it. I like it," she said, using Williams as a translator. "I’m meeting more people who are deaf."
Billingsley, 82, moved to Winchester from Tennessee two years ago. Her sign language is different from the version used by deaf people in this area.
"I can still understand her, but she signs things differently," Williams said.