We can always improve our communication with others, especially when it comes to people different from us. We often feel uncertain or intimidated when conversing with someone who isn’t like us, as it can be hard to understand how to accommodate their needs without having walked in their shoes. But with a little compassion, curiosity, and education, we can change our behavior to be more inclusive rather than unpleasant or insensitive.
Unfortunately, this woman didn’t put any effort into communicating with her husband’s best friend, who happened to be Deaf. Once, she even managed to exclude him from dinner because she thought he was being ‘so quiet.’ This embarrassed and offended the friend so much that he considered cutting ties with the couple.
Scroll down to read the full story and conversation with Deaf and hard-of-hearing empowerment coach and author Kellina Powell, Deafblind ASL teacher and disability advocate Tracy Stine, and Deaf Plus advocate Jeremy Smith, who kindly agreed to tell us more about the etiquette we should stick to when communicating with deaf people.
