Philadelphia Bound!

My Grandma Jean is awesome.

I had been wanting to attend the National Association of the Deaf’s biennial conference in Philadelphia this July, but it was going to be way too expensive.  Since they only meet every 2 years, the conference lasts 6 days—which makes sense economically, instead of having a 3- or 4-day conference every year and paying for an additional flight.  But, 5 nights in a downtown convention hotel, a $500 flight, transportation, and the conference registration adds up to way too much for an unemployed writer to afford.

So, my Grandma Jean told me on Sunday, when we were back home for Mother’s Day, that it was really important for me to attend the conference and she was going to help me out.  Wow!

Aside from the cost, I still have some concerns (ok, fears) about this trip.  First is the language.  Keep in mind that the NAD is the reason American Sign Language did not go extinct after Oral-only education was mandated for deaf students in 1880.  So everything is going to be conducted in ASL: the workshops, the Miss Deaf America finals, the College Bowl Tournament, etc.  They also provide CART live captioning, but I’m afraid of getting overwhelmed by the super-fast, nonstop signing.  I’m also worried about trying to communicate with the other attendees.  I have a feeling I’ll be saying “SORRY I SLOW I LEARNING ASL” and “I CAN’T READ FINGERSPELLING!” quite a lot.  That, and just staring blankly with very wide, lost eyes.

Second, this is the first time I will ever be flying by myself (Brandt can’t go because he has to teach summer school).  I’ve always flown with either family, classmates, co-workers, or Brandt.  I know that’s pathetic, but I have a very poor sense of direction and I hate airports!  Luckily my flight is nonstop, and I’m going to carry-on my luggage so I don’t have to worry about finding the luggage claim.  Just the thought of finding the taxi line is making me really nervous, though.

My third concern is acceptance.  We have been graciously welcomed into our local Deaf Community's events, but we are still outsiders to their culture.  Deaf people are generally very patient with ASL students, but after a few minutes, it gets hard to simplify and slow down your speech enough to make it accessible to someone who is just learning your language.  Have you ever tried to talk with someone who is new to speaking English?  It's hard to maintain without getting frustrated and bored.  So even though I'm an ASL student, a Nearly Earless spouse, and an Anthropologist who loves exploring new cultures, I am and will always be an outsider to the Deaf culture.

To prepare for the conference, in addition to studying up on ASL, I need to read a few more books on Deaf culture from the big stack sitting on my desk (which is actually the coffee table).  At the top of the stack are A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America, Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, and A Journey into the DEAF-WORLD.  That last one is 500 pages long, so I have a lot of preparation to do!