During my trip here, I’ve had the opportunity to meet several deaf people. While in Groningen, I had a terrific dinner with several deaf people from Amsterdam and perhaps some of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve had in such a long time. I also by chance bumped into some deaf people from Spain while in Rome, and we spent an excited 10-minutes chattering on a busy sidewalk before continuing in our opposite directions.
When I bumped into the group of three in Rome, I had spotted the three walking on the opposite side of the road signing a foreign language. Although I didn’t recognize or understand a single word they were saying, I knew sign language when I saw it, and these were deaf people. I hesitated for a second, whether I should cross the road and greet them, or just let them pass by. The crazy traffic in front of me nearly made the decision for me, but then the light turned red and I had no choice but to cross the now-clear street.
I ran up to the three and tapped them on the shoulder, scaring the heck out of the them. I signed “You deaf? I sign,” in Universal Sign Language. The look on their faces was priceless, and you would have thought I was handing them a million-Euro check right there on the spot. Their first question to me, and I’m sorry to disappoint them, “were there more deaf people?” When I explained that I was traveling alone, their excited look turned into one of worry, and they immediately wondered why. I simply smiled and said it was something I chose to do with the biggest reassuring smile on my face possible, and I wondered aloud about their plans. We spent a good 10 minutes glued to the spot exchanging travel experiences, before I had to continue on my way; I had some plans that day and wanted to keep them. When I said I had enjoyed meeting them and was about to travel on my way, it was as if the imaginary check had bounced as well, and they were sad looking for a way to meet again. The three insisted on meeting again later in Rome, and although I hesitated for a minute, thankfully there was no way for us to contact each other efficiently (my Blackberry did not work). Thankfully I didn’t have to let them down.
During my dinner in Groningen, I learned a lot about Marten Konig and his beautiful wife Suzanne Davina, who have three children together with just about the blondest hair I’ve ever seen. Marten is a cosmetic dentist who is the sole owner of his own dental practice in the city of Amsterdam, complete with a building and seven staff who report to him and operate out of his office. He has operated his practice very successfully, and lives a comfortable life in the pricey city. I also got to know Stefan Russel, who is the General Manager of The Foundation for Welfare of the Deaf Amsterdam (SWDA), the Dutch equivalence of the NAD in America. Although a main topic of conversation was learning about each other and our successful experiences as deaf individuals, communication and accessibility was also a very heavy topic we discussed as well.
It was interesting establishing communication rules as we all got together for dinner. The deaf people spoke Dutch (and pretty fluent English) and used Dutch Sign Language, but were no match for my ASL. They suggested using Universal Sign Language, but I barely knew enough to carry a conversation and I figured we would pick things up as we went along. I preferred to learn Dutch Sign, and the Dutch preferred to learn ASL. So it was interesting going back and forth, with me signing my responses in broken Dutch Sign (what I could pick up) and the deaf communicating back to me in broken ASL. You would think it’d be the other way around, but we both have natural curiosities for other languages. Interestingly, the deaf thought that ASL should be the universal language for the deaf, and not USL. The reason being they justified, was that English is rapidly becoming a global language in commerce, and with so many countries practicing bilingualism, it only made sense for the deaf to pick up ASL (which is based on English). Although I think European sign languages are beautiful and unique, there are no objections from me!
Based on our conversations, the deaf in the Netherlands (and I am supposing this is also true for much of Europe) experience a much disenfranchised community. The national organization is very weak, yet many deaf people look to the organization for progress. Deaf people are scattered across the country, isolated and banded in “clichés,” yet they speak of each other as if they were family. In America, there are several large organizations for Deaf people to look to and gather; NAD, the AGB, Gallaudet, and NTID among other smaller organizations. But with no truly strong national organization or a symbolic centre such as Gallaudet, it is very difficult for the deaf to gather together in large numbers and to rally the community to make positive differences. The people I spoke with dream of creating a European Union of the deaf, because each individual country collectively shares the same experiences and the goal of building a stronger, more unified deaf community.
Marten has been able to build his practice in a most difficult environment, and is a rare success story not just in the Netherlands, but globally. Very few deaf people operate a professional practice of the size and capacity that he has, a major feat considering the complete lack of accessibility laws in Europe similar to the ADA that we cherish and take for granted in America. Stefan has had a very difficult time himself, growing up with a very poor education before overcoming the deficiency in his teen years and being accepted to one of the top Universities in Amsterdam. But even there, he experienced blatant discrimination, and his professors encouraged him to choose less challenging paths because quite simply, he was deaf and could not accomplish the ambitious goals he had. To this day, Marten continues to take advantage of technology to advance his business in whatever way possible, and Stefan is continuing to prove his narrow-minded professors wrong. Many of the issues that Marten and Stefan speak of, are issues that the American deaf community has had frustrations with in the past, and while some similar frustrations still exist, the majority of the things I took for granted my entire life are absent in countless other deaf people’s lives. Although I had met Marten and Stefan only briefly, we instantly bonded because the depths of our life experiences were so similar.
No matter where you are in the world or what language you speak, the deaf experience links us all. The global deaf community is a myriad patchwork which continuously endures isolative challenges. It is time and time again proven that the thread that binds us all together is, although loosely stitched, immensely strong and nearly unbreakable. It will take a hard pull on the needle to tighten the seam, and the tight stitch between our communities is absolutely necessary because so many fall in between the seams. Although I don’t share the same needs, with many of my basic requirements fulfilled by the Americans with Disabilities Act, I still realize where I come from and understand the fortune I have of generations before me fighting for the rights I have today. But seeing others equally capable in even today’s society denied the same opportunity instinctively compels me to want to do more.
In an increasingly global society, will the globalization of the deaf community ever occur? For others’ sake, I hope it will soon.
