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The Ironton Tribune > Archives > News > Silent Dinner benefits deaf community
The silence was boisterous and inviting as members of the deaf community sat down and “talked” with those who wanted to learn more about the dimensions of their world.
An observer of the scene last Thursday night saw a ballet of hand motions, each corresponding to a letter or word in the English language, that wove together to bring smiles, laughs and that indescribable look of understanding between two people.
The idea of T.J. Bates, new to the Ohio University Proctorville campus, the silent dinner brought together OU sign language students and other members of the hearing community to share a meal and conversation with the deaf.
“So many times the deaf community is that silent minority,” said Bates who looked at the dinner as a learning opportunity for the OU sign language students.
Her first experience with silent dinners was in Cincinnati when the deaf and students would meet at the malls for meals.
“Everyone was signing. It was a community kind of thing,” she said.
Kelsey Kouns, an OU psychology major from Coal Grove, is in her second year of sign language. Admitting she was hesitant about trying out her signing skills in such a public venue, Kouns got into a conversation soon after she arrived.
“I wanted to meet deaf people to have the opportunity to communicate and use the skills I’ve learned,” she said.
Nearby was Ashlee Burgoon, also in her second term of sign, who had had some experience interacting with the deaf community before as there were two deaf students in her high school class. But not knowing any sign language then hampered her attempts to reach out to them.
“It was frustrating not to be able to communicate,” she said.
Sandra Holderby of Willow Wood, understands the challenges of mastering sign language. She learned a great deal from her daughter, Laura, 35, who was born deaf.
“It’s very intimidating. I’m still learning,” said Holderby, who with her husband, Leon, supported the idea of the dinner and encouraged her daughter to participate.
“I thought it would be a good thing for the deaf,” she said. “It gets her out of her world into the hearing world.”
The silence was boisterous and inviting as members of the deaf community sat down and “talked” with those who wanted to learn more about the dimensions of their world.
An observer of the scene last Thursday night saw a ballet of hand motions, each corresponding to a letter or word in the English language, that wove together to bring smiles, laughs and that indescribable look of understanding between two people.
The idea of T.J. Bates, new to the Ohio University Proctorville campus, the silent dinner brought together OU sign language students and other members of the hearing community to share a meal and conversation with the deaf.
“So many times the deaf community is that silent minority,” said Bates who looked at the dinner as a learning opportunity for the OU sign language students.
Her first experience with silent dinners was in Cincinnati when the deaf and students would meet at the malls for meals.
“Everyone was signing. It was a community kind of thing,” she said.
Kelsey Kouns, an OU psychology major from Coal Grove, is in her second year of sign language. Admitting she was hesitant about trying out her signing skills in such a public venue, Kouns got into a conversation soon after she arrived.
“I wanted to meet deaf people to have the opportunity to communicate and use the skills I’ve learned,” she said.
Nearby was Ashlee Burgoon, also in her second term of sign, who had had some experience interacting with the deaf community before as there were two deaf students in her high school class. But not knowing any sign language then hampered her attempts to reach out to them.
“It was frustrating not to be able to communicate,” she said.
Sandra Holderby of Willow Wood, understands the challenges of mastering sign language. She learned a great deal from her daughter, Laura, 35, who was born deaf.
“It’s very intimidating. I’m still learning,” said Holderby, who with her husband, Leon, supported the idea of the dinner and encouraged her daughter to participate.
“I thought it would be a good thing for the deaf,” she said. “It gets her out of her world into the hearing world.”