working together to help children who are deaf 141
Hearing people who welcome deaf people
can help bring communities together
Many hearing people realize the value of friendship with deaf people.
They may have deaf friends, work with a deaf person, or they may
have family members who cannot hear well. Hearing people who are
comfortable communicating with deaf people can build bridges between
the hearing and deaf communities. When hearing people learn sign
language, they can help deaf and hearing people understand each other
and help deaf children thrive.
Joseph and the deaf choir
Joseph, a young man from Haiti who can hear, learned sign
language at a class in his neighborhood. Joseph made friends
with some of the deaf people in his city. They encouraged him to
volunteer at a church that held prayer services for deaf people.
Joseph learned to translate the prayers from spoken language to
sign language.
As he got more involved, he
began teaching young
deaf people at the
church to sign (and sing
out loud) some of the
songs that were used
in the prayer service.
Soon a whole choir of
young deaf people was
singing and signing
with him.
Now Joseph and the deaf choir drive far into the rural
mountains of Haiti where they sing at other churches. Many
people approach Joseph to ask him about the choir, and tell him
about the deaf children in their own families.
Joseph uses the opportunity to tell people about a program
for young deaf children in one of the towns, and about the
residential school for older deaf children in his city.
By bringing young deaf people to rural churches, Joseph
has been able to bring the hearing community and the deaf
community closer together.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)