Miss Deaf America

I’m not usually a big fan of beauty pageants, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Miss Deaf America Ambassador Pageant.  Brandt stayed in the room, since the last-minute tickets were $80, so I sat towards the back by myself.  Several people excused themselves and asked if they could sit on my row, and I understood them perfectly.  Then a woman asked to sit next to me, and asked where I got my program.  I was about to tell her that I was still learning sign, and then realized that I had understood her!  I told her that I got it at the entrance door, but they ran out, and I asked if she wanted mine.  She asked if she could borrow it and it give it back at the end, and I said “SURE!”  Then the man in front of me asked if his head was blocking my view, and when I told him I could see just fine, he said “Good, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t blocking your view!”  These conversations all took place in ASL, and I was very excited that I didn’t have to apologize or explain to anyone that I was still learning.

The contestants opened the show by signing the national anthem, as they had done for the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday.  It was just as powerful the second time.  Then they signed the song “Dream On” by Aerosmith, and it was so beautiful.  They must have practiced a lot to be able to able to sign along to the words perfectly. 

There were 11 contestants, and they were narrowed down to 6 semifinalists who would perform their “artistic expression,” “platform presentation,” and on-stage interviews.  Miss Deaf California’s platform is Deaf Mentorship programs for youth, and performed “Overcoming Her Struggle,” her own story of overcoming childhood abuse.  If she could change one thing about the world, it would be to stop child abuse and domestic violence.  Miss Deaf Illinois, the contestant who spoke to me in the elevator on Thursday, performed an ASL poem: “Deaf Role Models from A-Z.”  Her platform is Sign Language Literacy, and when asked to tell us something to help us remember her, she said that she loves reading and teaching, and recently taught 200 Hearing students about Deaf culture.  Miss Deaf Maryland’s platform is Deaf Literacy, and she performed The Giving Tree.  If selected as Miss Deaf America, she answered that her plan of action would be to work with Deaf youth.

Miss Deaf Minnesota’s platform is Deaf Access to the Performing Arts, and she signed the song “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway musical Wicked in full dress as a witch.  One notable thing about her is that she can spell “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”  Miss Deaf Missouri’s platform is Breast Cancer Advocacy, and she performed her personal story of surviving a plane crash.  Her plan of action as Miss Deaf America would be to protect Deaf rights, and prove that “everyone is a leader.”  Miss Deaf Pennsylvania’s platform is “Accessibility is Freedom for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.”  She performed the poem “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, dressed as a Greek goddess.  If she could change one thing about the world, it would be “world peace!”

Miss Deaf Maryland was second runner-up, Miss Deaf Pennsylvania was first runner-up, and Miss Deaf Illinois won the title of Miss Deaf America 2010-2012!  I like to think that it was all thanks to my wishing her good luck in the elevator.

It was 10:30 by the time I got back to the room, so we went to eat at Hard Rock Café because we didn’t know what else was open nearby.  There was a live band playing, and it was so loud I couldn’t even hear myself talking.  Brandt and I tried signing back and forth, but we couldn’t have a real conversation with our limited vocabulary.  Finally, Brandt pulled out his iPhone and we had to write back and forth.  He asked me if I thought any Deaf people would ever come into the restaurant, and I said, “Why not?  A lot of Deaf people love loud music, because they can feel the vibrations.”  About that time, a Deaf couple came in and sat down next to us.  The waiter asked the man something, and he pointed to his ear and shook his head.  I wondered how anyone would be able to hear anyway, over the pounding rock music.  I noticed that everyone else was having trouble ordering their meals, too, and were giving up and just pointing to the menu.  The waiter stopped even trying to talk to us and just pointed:  to the water, to the dessert menu.  I looked over at the Deaf couple, deep in easy and effortless communication.  I couldn’t help but smile.