Working Together in a Team for You and Me
The bible has so much to say about working together. As the cliché goes, there is no “I” or “me” in a team. Rather, it’s us. It’s you and me — together.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
— Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10
Growing up, I had no idea who I was. I struggled with being deaf for so many years. I knew I could speak and I knew people took advantage of that, even to this day. Because I could speak, why should I or they sign? What people didn’t understand was that I still could not hear—which meant I couldn’t understand them, nor could I easily carry on a conversation. Even the best lipreader catches only 30% of what is actually said; the rest is guesswork. That’s 70% (or more like 80-90%) of guesswork. How in the world is that even possible to carry on a conversation?
In high school, long before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, I had a “signer” who fingerspelled every word my teacher said. I say “signer” because she was far from qualified to be even a signer, let alone an interpreter. Can you imagine having someone spelling out every word in every sentence in every paragraph to you letter by letter? I fell asleep a lot of the time, and the teachers often would slam the desk to wake me up. I would go to school every day and watch the “signer” fingerspell and then go home every day and redo all of my classes. It was double the schoolwork, triple the energy required, and quadruple the frustration. I didn’t do well in school, for obvious reasons. I definitely was not motivated, and that made me feel even more alone. How could anyone, especially the teachers and school administrators, allow to have that happen? Obviously there was no team at work. They simply didn’t care. There was no law in place.
I then went to college and I finally had the most amazing certified sign language interpreter. I excelled in school because I finally had access. Everyone worked together to provide the best education I could get — this was the perfect example of a team.
One evening, I remember sitting with my ex-husband and his family at dinner one day. I struggled in following what they were laughing or talking about. I talked with my (hearing, non-signing) husband later that evening and he replied, “You need to try harder at lip reading.” My heart sank. I felt so alone. This is where we should have worked together. Help me be a part of that laughter. Help me be a part of the family conversation. You can’t tell a deaf person to lipread harder. You can’t tell a blind person to try seeing harder or a person in a wheelchair – to try harder at walking. That’s not how it works.
The bible says to work together at work, at home, anywhere, everywhere. Today, the ADA has been in place for 33 years. Yet there is so much work to do in terms of sign language or accessibility.
A few weeks ago, I had an event for work. I saw a little boy with bright blue hearing aids. Of course, I went up to him and signed/voiced, “Hi!” He smiled and spoke back, “Hello.” I asked his parents if he signed, and they firmly said, “No.” I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I was sad for this little boy and for all of the deaf children deprived of their identity and natural language. I remembered how, when I was a little girl, my deaf brother and I had the weekend with my father and his wife. We went to a fast food restaurant and as we sat down, my brother and I started signing. I glanced over to my father’s wife and saw that she whispered something to my father. We suddenly had to leave immediately. To this day, I have no idea what she said, but one thing was clear: she was embarrassed because my brother and I signed, so we left.
Even today, I will never understand why parents are ashamed of their children being deaf or for using sign language. I am a parent of two amazing teenagers. If they were born deaf, I know my children would have the best support they would because of increased awareness, increased understanding of the power of sign language in language acquisition, and most importantly, my support as their mother.
Sign language is a beautiful, visual language that deaf people find natural. It defines who we are. It defines who I am. I was so ashamed of who I was for so long because I did not know who I was, nor did I have support. I only knew people constantly told me that I had to use my voice, every single day.
As an adult today, I am a daughter of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I am also Deaf and I use sign language. It is who I am. No one, not one person, will take that away from me. I’ve had people tell me that my voice is so beautiful, so why should I sign? Because it’s who I am. I was gifted with a voice and hands to sign, and so I will use my hands and voice in His glory.
I beg, I literally beg, all parents of deaf children: while I know you will do what you think is best for your children — just as I do for my children — taking away sign language from them is taking away their true identity, their natural access. Sign language does not stop them from excelling. In fact, it doubles their opportunities. As research has shown, sign language helps language acquisition in English (both written and spoken). I was lost for so many years. While I turned out okay for the most part, it wasn’t because my parents deprived me of sign language. I turned out okay because I finally gained access to sign language — on my own. I don’t ever want any deaf or hard of hearing child to feel as lost as I did.
Helen Keller said it best, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
Two is better than one, and that applies two languages. Two languages — such as English and sign language — is better than one. Together, we can ensure no deaf or hard of hearing child ever struggles to understand what is being said, nor ever experience complete exclusion and loneliness. Teamwork glorifies God. We give the world a glimpse of God’s love when we work together. We are called by the Bible to be in unity within ourselves, in unity with all followers of Jesus (1 Peter 3:8).
Together.
Jennifer Kalina 