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HoobidibooBox! AMAZINGLY SPOKEN!!!!! I've been in many situations in my life concerning deaf people... One is profund and something I'll never forget! I knew a young girl of 14yrs old. Rachel.. I introduced my friends daughter, Jenny, to the deaf community after teaching her BSL aged 15! I was in A&E one night when she came in with her parents... I knew through many constrains worth Rachel that her parents wouldn't get involved with sign language. Had no intention of supporting their daughter, didn't want to know and shunned it. I want impressed at that, but she could sound off on me whenever she needed to. And did. So when she walked in with her parents I was really keen to see their stand on their daughters deafness. Now her mum came and sat by me, it seems she knew of me because her daughter was always going on about this hearing women who signs and does voluntary work with the deaf. LOL She really didn't like that! So she introduced herself to me after I'd had a chat with Rachel, Rachel of course, telling me why she was there... Her mum asked me how I felt about BSL... I told her I believe in total communication... We chatted about that for a few minutes. I asked if she signed... (I never let on I knew because I didn't want Rachel to get into bother.) She said no, there was no need... Ermm... Then she told me they didn't need to learn sign language because they understood Rachel and she understood them... Then she told me that Rachel was in big trouble with them because she went out with her friends, got drunk, collapsed, knocked herself out, threw up in the street. Threw up in her friend's house, in her friend's loo, all over her clothes, the mum had to wash them, etc. The friends parents had to phone for them to pick her up. They brought her straight to A&E... Etc, etc, etc... I let her tell me HER story, HER story, yes, I said that... Because it certainly wasn't Rachel's story! Or her friends story! Then I said to her, 'So you say you don't need to learn sign language because you all understand each other?' She said, 'yes, that's right!' So now I'm on my mettle... And then I indignantly, because I'm really upset for the child now, I told her EXACTLY why their daughter was in the hospital! She hadn't had a drink! She wasn't drunk! And what happened wasn't her fault! She'd been walking up the rd with her 2 friends, when suddenly a speeding car shot up the hill, it caught the curb as it shot round the corner, the wheel trim shot off, bounced onto the pavement... And smacked into Rachel's back! It shocked the 2 girls, but Rachel didn't know what hit her. It took her to the ground and knocked her unconscious instantly. The driver didn't stop. So the girls, in a panic, got her up. Totally disorientated, all over the place, couldn't support herself, but they got her back to their home. The vomit in the street, on her clothes, on the bathroom floor, and anywhere else was NOT alcohol related... So I relayed the actual 'fact' of the reason why Rachel was in the predicament she was in... All the little details, and how come, if they all understood each other, they had absolutely no idea what had happened to their child! What can I say? I had no sympathy for heart, she was mortified! But I had no sympathy for her. She shot over to her husband and clearly told him what I'd said... And since it's signed it all, Rachel from the other side of the room knew exactly what I'd said too! 😉 That incident, and probably my unhappiness at the fact they got it all so totally wrong... Changed things in that child's home. For the better. Because it was more than apparent to her parents now that no, they couldn't understand their daughter! She had severe concussion, thought to be through drink... How wrong did they get it? They started learning sign after that... Better late than never. So yeah, I champion sign, always have, always will! I'll die fighting for it! That child could have easily have died and she was being blamed... I remember that like it was a well all! When really, it's way too many years ago! Some things stay fresh in our memory forever... This has in mine... So do I believe sign should be taught in schools? Damn right I do! Excuse any typos! I don't typo in sign, just in txting... 😉