I have a couple of deaf coworkers - and a couple of others that know American Sign Language. I also have a regular customer that speaks just fine, but can barely hear due to meningitis when he was young - he has hearing aids in both ears (he's probably... 21? 22?). He's told me he gets frequent ear infections due to having the hearing aids in all the time, and when he has the infections he resorts to reading lips. Awesome guy, always super friendly, and well, frankly, he's really cute too, so I don't exactly mind when he comes through my line.
Today though... took the cake. A couple that I would judge to be early-mid 50s came through my line. The husband immediately started bagging the order, and I notice the wife is signing to him and realize that not only is he deaf, he's also mute (only making some grunting noises here and there along with a couple of odd sounding giggles). A bagger came up, asked if she could take over for him, and he made some hysterical motions basically referring to him grabbing everything in sight and slamming it into the bag, made a motion of the bag ripping wide open (my store only has paper bags, not plastic), with some amusing motions from the wife as well, and plenty of chuckling from both.
After I finished ringing the order, the bagger that came up to help was almost done, so I started talking to the wife. Asked her how long she'd known ASL and she admitted not very long and she was pretty rusty at it. I asked her how to sign "Thank you!", she showed me. I got the husband's attention and signed thank you to him. I've seen the motion before since I have a couple of deaf friends, but the ones I do have can read lips and speak what I call "Deaf-Speak-English", but it's been awhile, so I needed to be reminded. She did say they were married and that the guy is both hilarious and brilliant, but can't read lips.
So she showed me how to motion Thank You. I got husband's attention and did so - and he got the biggest smile I think I've ever seen on anyone's face and signed back the same thing.
Seems like something pretty minor for me to do, but it really seemed to make the guy's day, he had an absolutely massive grin on his face all the way out the door. He seemed happy to begin with, but still...
I've been wanting to learn ASL for awhile, especially since one of my coworkers is both deaf and mute. When we run into each other we pull out our phones and start tapping out messages to each other, or just writing on the nearest piece of paper (both of us have smartphones with full keyboards). My deaf/mute coworker can't read lips either, can't hear a thing, but he has one hell of a loud laugh when he's amused.
Today though... took the cake. A couple that I would judge to be early-mid 50s came through my line. The husband immediately started bagging the order, and I notice the wife is signing to him and realize that not only is he deaf, he's also mute (only making some grunting noises here and there along with a couple of odd sounding giggles). A bagger came up, asked if she could take over for him, and he made some hysterical motions basically referring to him grabbing everything in sight and slamming it into the bag, made a motion of the bag ripping wide open (my store only has paper bags, not plastic), with some amusing motions from the wife as well, and plenty of chuckling from both.
After I finished ringing the order, the bagger that came up to help was almost done, so I started talking to the wife. Asked her how long she'd known ASL and she admitted not very long and she was pretty rusty at it. I asked her how to sign "Thank you!", she showed me. I got the husband's attention and signed thank you to him. I've seen the motion before since I have a couple of deaf friends, but the ones I do have can read lips and speak what I call "Deaf-Speak-English", but it's been awhile, so I needed to be reminded. She did say they were married and that the guy is both hilarious and brilliant, but can't read lips.
So she showed me how to motion Thank You. I got husband's attention and did so - and he got the biggest smile I think I've ever seen on anyone's face and signed back the same thing.
Seems like something pretty minor for me to do, but it really seemed to make the guy's day, he had an absolutely massive grin on his face all the way out the door. He seemed happy to begin with, but still...
I've been wanting to learn ASL for awhile, especially since one of my coworkers is both deaf and mute. When we run into each other we pull out our phones and start tapping out messages to each other, or just writing on the nearest piece of paper (both of us have smartphones with full keyboards). My deaf/mute coworker can't read lips either, can't hear a thing, but he has one hell of a loud laugh when he's amused.
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