Deaf Way II Leaves
Strong Impressions
Strong Impressions
by: Michelle Sumner
Deaf Way II was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was thrilled to see people like Gil Eastman in action. I was awestruck as I studied the more than 350 interpreters, noting their positioning and how they handled 6-8 different simultaneous interpretations.
Of the performances I attended, my favorite was the retelling of the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in which Snow White is hated by the evil stepmother for her deafness. I browsed the booths and art show, and chose from what must have been hundreds of workshop topics; including adopting deaf children and interpreting for Deaf-Blind individuals. During a visualization workshop, participants played imaginary instruments and "became" monkeys, snakes and other animals. As excellent as all of those aspects were, none of them were my favorite part.
What had the greatest impact on me was the socialization. I was fascinated to see the unspoken, yet obvious bond between strangers. As a hearing person, I felt welcomed and accepted. I interacted with people from all over world, with whom I did not share a language, yet with whom I was able to communicate with surprising ease. How many other times in my life will that be possible?
I am already looking forward to Deaf Way III, and strongly recommend that everyone in the field attend. I will not be surprised if Deaf Way II continues to be the most helpful experience of my career. My signing skills improved greatly; I was forced to work on visualizing and rephrasing in order to communicate effectively. I heard many perspectives on interpreting, Deaf issues, and the world in general. Deaf Way is as close to total immersion as I can imagine. We may not be able to go to a Deaf "country," but we will have another chance to go to what could be the next best thing: Deaf Way III.
Of the performances I attended, my favorite was the retelling of the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in which Snow White is hated by the evil stepmother for her deafness. I browsed the booths and art show, and chose from what must have been hundreds of workshop topics; including adopting deaf children and interpreting for Deaf-Blind individuals. During a visualization workshop, participants played imaginary instruments and "became" monkeys, snakes and other animals. As excellent as all of those aspects were, none of them were my favorite part.
What had the greatest impact on me was the socialization. I was fascinated to see the unspoken, yet obvious bond between strangers. As a hearing person, I felt welcomed and accepted. I interacted with people from all over world, with whom I did not share a language, yet with whom I was able to communicate with surprising ease. How many other times in my life will that be possible?
I am already looking forward to Deaf Way III, and strongly recommend that everyone in the field attend. I will not be surprised if Deaf Way II continues to be the most helpful experience of my career. My signing skills improved greatly; I was forced to work on visualizing and rephrasing in order to communicate effectively. I heard many perspectives on interpreting, Deaf issues, and the world in general. Deaf Way is as close to total immersion as I can imagine. We may not be able to go to a Deaf "country," but we will have another chance to go to what could be the next best thing: Deaf Way III.