Deaf Coffee and Deaf Night out Events
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This semester I have gone to several events and observations, but I am going to focus on the events I have gone to. Specifically, the Deaf Coffee and Deaf Night Out events. These events are two similar, but different creatures. Deaf Coffee is a weekly event set up for students to meet and interact with Deaf people for what is normally their first time. Deaf Night Out is a monthly event set up for the Deaf Community to come together and hang out, catch up and enjoy some drinks together.

I attend Deaf Coffee almost every week as a student. I was actually the second person to show up to the inaugural event, and the first outside of the two who set it up. That was two years ago! Now Iā€™m an older student (almost ready to graduate) and on the other side of the coin in comparison. Iā€™ve made several Deaf friends while attending these, which is awesome. They are all very supportive of me on my path to becoming an interpreter. In truth, I had my first ā€˜real lifeā€™ interpreting experiences at this event. I have had some members of the Deaf Community ask me to order food for them (to be fair, it was a specific, complicated order) and even more recently a very serious conversation between an ASL 1 student and the leader, Kyle. That conversation went on so long, we ended up getting kicked out of the mall by security (whoops)! These events have taught me a lot about interacting with the Deaf Community. Mostly, that they are very willing to work with the students who come, and donā€™t take themselves or the students too seriously. What I mean by that is theyā€™re very straightforward, but also kind. They get it. These students are mostly ASL 1 and 2 level, so they donā€™t understand it all yet.

As a more advanced signer, I have had their eyes on the conversations that my friends and I have there so frequently, its become background noise. I feel that this is an important ā€˜assimilationā€™ technique, because if Iā€™m worried about people watching me, how in the world am I going to be able to interpret? That job is 100% eyes on me. Fortunately, I have a significant amount of performance and speaking experience, so I think that helps as well. Iā€™m sure its a combination of the two. I will say that this event has helped my confidence grow in leaps and bounds. Just having somewhere that I can go to chat with people in ASL is a wonderful thing.

There is no pressure. Just go, chat and then weā€™ll do some activities so that the newer signers donā€™t get too overwhelmed. Itā€™s a fantastic event.
Deaf Night Out, on the other hand, is an event where mostly Deaf individuals show up to interact and connect with each other. This event is a bit more intimidating for me. Iā€™ve gone to it several times, and the reason for this is, in a random social setting, it is rather difficult for me to ā€œbreak the iceā€ as it were. I am not good at small talk, and see it as a pointless farce of a conversation. However, I do understand itā€™s

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Deaf Coffee And Deaf Night. (June 30, 2021). Retrieved from https://www.freeessays.education/deaf-coffee-and-deaf-night-essay/