Today is the second day of the NZSL Week, in New Zealand.
I took the Somalian Deaf lady – Alisa* for her shopping after we have a coffee and chat in Hamilton this morning. We were signing as chatting just like everyone else in the cafe and staff asked for the signs such as please, thank you and coffee. The weather was perfect and a warm day during the Autumn season.
Fast forward to the Pak n Save, in Mill Street, Hamilton. we were inside the shopping and people watched us when I was explaining the name of the foods on the shelves even in the vegetable area. They were not nosey, just seeing us – Deaf people communicated with each other. One checkout lady asked for a sign – thank you and I responded the sign – thank you to this staff. the staff repeated the sign to Alisa.
We walked out into the car park and Alisa put her foods at the back of my car. She put the trolley back to the trolley bay.
Something was not right!
One driver, who her car was parked next to my car, she was reversing her car out while Alisa walked behind the driver’s car. The driver gave a glared and scowl at Alisa and lucky Alisa responded back in sign language – DEAF. It was not about where she came from. It was about telling Alisa to look where she is going.
The driver was shocked and said nothing. I saw the drama and I tapped on the driver’s window lightly. I spoke to her if she thought about invisible disability than any children or pets behind the car or not. The driver did not know about Deaf as an invisible disability. I said to her if she would like us to wear the label on the front or at the back of our body.
She replied well, perhaps and I told her that many disabled people refused to wear the label as a disability. To wear a label of any types of disability is a medical word for many years. I showed her my hoodie sweater which it had got a message and I said to her to think about when coming across to any person who can not hear the car reversing. No matter if it was children or elderly people but what about the disabled person including Deaf person in the car park.
I know there are few cars that came in with reversing sensors in New Zealand a couple of years ago. I saw a couple of cars with reversing sensors in the car park with my partner. I asked my partner if he knows about it or not. His reply was yes and it was expensive but safe for anyone to see the sensors or to hear the reversing alarm. I know buses, trucks and large earthmovers have got one BUT not many cars available in New Zealand. Here is one of the websites and I posted the link below.
example of tools reversing alarms and sensors
At the end of the day, my job was over and Alisa said she is to continue to tell people by signing “DEAF” back: if other people ask questions, scowling at her. This is her sign message as a voice to other people so they need to know and learn that she is Deaf and her language is ESOL/NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language).
*Note: Alisa is not a real name and her real name is protected from other people in any blogs.
Deaf History New Zealand and International fundraiser for Sine Peader (Jean Masters)
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1995566747363589/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Life in Eureka 