This past Sunday, I went to the Mill Neck Manor Apple Festival with the American Sign Language Club. It was a lot of fun. The people volunteering at the vendors did not just sell apples. In fact, pumpkins were sold along with cakes and other baked goods. At the festival, I got two deaf pride pins and a medium-sized pumpkin. Best of all, a very nice deaf man named Bill generously gave me a small Gala apple.
I spoke with a lot of deaf people at the event using sign language. I understood most of what the people were saying, with only a little bit of confusion. At the vendors, I did not just sign the object I wanted to purchase, but I decided to have mini-conversations with the people. The deaf people were very nice to me. It was a rainy day, and Bill, the man who gave me the Gala apple, let me sit under the tent. Although I am not completely fluent in ASL being that I am only on level 2, I feel altruistic as a hearing person communicating with the deaf community.
When signing with the deaf individuals, I did not ask questions or spur up conversations pertaining to their deafness. In fact, I mainly talked about apples and the weather. The first person I spoke to named Liz told me that her favourite apples are Gala apples. Interestingly, Liz knew my professor, Carol Kearney. I also spoke with a deaf couple getting married. The woman named Mara wore a beautiful engagement ring.
Additionally, I asked where the people were from. I asked this question because, in class, Professor Kearney said that festivals like these are opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the country to reconnect and catch up on current times.
Overall, communicating with deaf individuals makes me want to learn American Sign Language more. I hope I can attend another deaf event soon if one is available. I think that the deaf community should set up more festivals and events like these. To reiterate, these events help keep the deaf community connected. That being said, Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf along with other deaf schools including should hold Holiday-themed festivals in December. Moreover, it would be beautiful if New York City had a deaf pride parade, similar to how they have a gay pride parade every June.
I researched deaf events online, and I found that there are many upcoming open-captioned public events. On Saturday, October 15th, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is having an interpreted family tour. On the same day, there will be an opened captioned showing of Hamilton. Recently, Adelphi had an open-captioned performance of Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation. More plays should be open-captioned. They help make the deaf community feel more included with the culture of hearing entertainment.
To conclude, these events not only bring the deaf community together but also deaf and hearing people.
