Steve and I went to Home Depot to buy some tools that he needs for his new job making neon signs. Voc Rehab is paying for these tools. He is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to buying tools. Since my feet were starting to hurt, I found a spot on one of the shelves that was empty, sat on it and waited while he took his time figuring out exactly what he needed.
Another customer came down the aisle and stopped to examine the many varieties of hammers on the shelves. She picked one up, looked at Steve (who was completely focused on his task at hand and did not notice her), and exclaimed in a loud voice, “Excuse me! Is this a sledge hammer?” Now I could have answered her question, but she was asking Steve. So I nudged him and signed to him her question. As soon as she saw this she said, “Oh! I’m sorry!” Was she sorry he was deaf or sorry for being embarrassed because she “yelled” at a deaf person? This sort of reaction from people is common and I find it amusing.
Steve immediately went over to help the poor lady. She forgot rather quickly that he is deaf. While he helped her, she rattled on about how her husband wanted her to get a small sledge hammer, and none of the hammers had the word “sledge” on them. She kept asking him if the one she was holding was a sledge hammer. Steve pointed out that the big heavy hammer was a sledge hammer. I was still sitting on the shelf, and Steve was ignoring me anyway, so I did not interpret any of the conversation. I just sat there listening to it, and grinned. I do not know how he managed to understand what she was saying, but he told her the small hammer she was holding would do the job just as well as the big oversized sledge hammers. She walked away happy and satisfied with her little hammer.
As knowledgeable as Steve is about tools, he would have no problem helping customers at Home Depot. The only hindrance to his ability to help would be customers knowing how to get his attention and that initial reaction people have when they find out he is deaf. It is nothing to be sorry about or afraid of. I’m happy I was there to get his attention for her. She could walk away thinking this nice deaf man helped her rather than thinking a man was rude and ignored her plea for help.
Filed under: Deaf Characteristics
You should know about Scotty Lee, who worked at Home Depots in Tennessee and Florida. He wore a vest with words to get his attention visually. I think he was successful at HDs.
I was just talking to my friend today who has a BA in accounting. She is deaf and hasn’t been able to find a job in her field for the last few years. There are plenty of jobs and she applied for most of them. But she said that she can’t compete in the hearing world because hearing employers aren’t willing to give her a chance. They won’t even let her TRY to communicate and work for them.
She’s currently teaching Conversational Sign Language as an adjunct at a local community college.