Miss-Delectable
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MiltonCanadianChampion.com: Opinions & Letters: Article
My ears were closed and my eyes were opened.
That's what happened Tuesday afternoon as I trekked through Milton Mall wearing a big pair of earphones, trying to ignore the strange looks I was getting.
Moments later I entered Towne Dental and attempted, without being able to hear or speak, to describe a jarring pain in my jaw.
Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.
This activity was all part of the 'Deaf for a Day' -- or in my case, about 10 minutes -- program put on by the Canadian Hearing Society at Milton Mall.
Each participant was equipped with ear buds and headphones and given a scenario that involved going into one of the stores or businesses and inquiring about a product or service.
My companion, Jim Hardman of the Canadian Hearing Society, explained through an interpreter what I was doing to the surprised-looking women behind the counter of Towne Dental.
Then he stepped back, no doubt ready to be amused.
Wanting to truly make a genuine effort and not take the easy way out, I tried to figure out how I could describe my imaginary situation by motioning or mouthing.
But I froze. There was no chance of success. Sure, maybe I could convey that my jaw was in pain, but there was no way I could ask if the pain was due to an infection or from clenching my jaw.
I've never been good at charades, and that talent wasn't about to manifest itself at that particular moment.
After a few painfully awkward moments -- I was literally stupefied -- out came the pen and notepad in desperation. From then on things went smoothly as the pad was passed back and forth, and I got what I needed.
Relieved, I walked back to the hearing society's booth.
At the "debriefing," I asked Hardman how he'd handle a similar situation. Probably the same way I did, he said, perhaps interspersed with some motioning and maybe a word or two.
Unfortunately, writing things down isn't a solution for every deaf person, he said. What about someone who's illiterate? How about a deaf person from a non-English-speaking country? What if the person was injured and couldn't write?
As I learned Tuesday, the Canadian Hearing Society offers all sorts of programs to help deaf or hard-of-hearing people with their individual needs. This is vitally important, since almost one in four adult Canadians report having a hearing loss, according to the society.
I'm not ignorant enough to think that 10 minutes without hearing catapulted me into the world of a deaf person. But it did give me a smidgen of insight into what someone who can't hear goes through on a daily basis.
Oh, and FYI. Deaf or hard of hearing people don't like to be called hearing impaired.
"We have a culture, values, our own language -- we're not impaired in any way," Hardman signed.
Enough said.
My ears were closed and my eyes were opened.
That's what happened Tuesday afternoon as I trekked through Milton Mall wearing a big pair of earphones, trying to ignore the strange looks I was getting.
Moments later I entered Towne Dental and attempted, without being able to hear or speak, to describe a jarring pain in my jaw.
Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.
This activity was all part of the 'Deaf for a Day' -- or in my case, about 10 minutes -- program put on by the Canadian Hearing Society at Milton Mall.
Each participant was equipped with ear buds and headphones and given a scenario that involved going into one of the stores or businesses and inquiring about a product or service.
My companion, Jim Hardman of the Canadian Hearing Society, explained through an interpreter what I was doing to the surprised-looking women behind the counter of Towne Dental.
Then he stepped back, no doubt ready to be amused.
Wanting to truly make a genuine effort and not take the easy way out, I tried to figure out how I could describe my imaginary situation by motioning or mouthing.
But I froze. There was no chance of success. Sure, maybe I could convey that my jaw was in pain, but there was no way I could ask if the pain was due to an infection or from clenching my jaw.
I've never been good at charades, and that talent wasn't about to manifest itself at that particular moment.
After a few painfully awkward moments -- I was literally stupefied -- out came the pen and notepad in desperation. From then on things went smoothly as the pad was passed back and forth, and I got what I needed.
Relieved, I walked back to the hearing society's booth.
At the "debriefing," I asked Hardman how he'd handle a similar situation. Probably the same way I did, he said, perhaps interspersed with some motioning and maybe a word or two.
Unfortunately, writing things down isn't a solution for every deaf person, he said. What about someone who's illiterate? How about a deaf person from a non-English-speaking country? What if the person was injured and couldn't write?
As I learned Tuesday, the Canadian Hearing Society offers all sorts of programs to help deaf or hard-of-hearing people with their individual needs. This is vitally important, since almost one in four adult Canadians report having a hearing loss, according to the society.
I'm not ignorant enough to think that 10 minutes without hearing catapulted me into the world of a deaf person. But it did give me a smidgen of insight into what someone who can't hear goes through on a daily basis.
Oh, and FYI. Deaf or hard of hearing people don't like to be called hearing impaired.
"We have a culture, values, our own language -- we're not impaired in any way," Hardman signed.
Enough said.