Friday, September 28, 2007
Sentence of The Month: September
It's been a while since I posted one of those. Not that I don't hear pearls of wisdom all the time, but none of them made the cut, or I was too busy.
But today... Ah, today was different.
I attended a meeting in which representatives from several organizations. We each raised our own issues we wanted to share, and then came the turn of DiploK, the Vice President of an organization that has recently started to hire the services of a sign-language interpreter. They are the only art organization around here that offers this service, and it's a wonderful initiative, as it enables hearing-impaired people to enjoy the services that the organization offers.
Now, one of their members complained that it's too much money for the club to spend on such a thing. DiploK was asking our advice on addressing such issues. Some of us tried to suggest profound ways to handle this, while the rest were listening.
And then came the glorious moment that made waking up in time for that meeting worthwhile.
"So, do you have members who cannot hear?", asked one of the women in the room with a heavy NY accent.
"We have one deaf member", informed her DiploK.
"Just one? One member who cannot hear?!", crescendoed the woman.
"Yes. One so far. But we are hoping to have more, as - - - "
But DiploK's sentence was cut in its prime.
"So why don't you just use a microphone instead of all that mess???", asked the woman.
Silence fell on the room, except for one carefully-choked giggle (that would be yours truly). Everyone was suddenly showing an increasing amount of interest in the ceiling, the floor, the contents of their purse - whatever was closest. I was still working on choking that erupting giggle, making sure to not make eye-contact with anyone, to avoid the Giggle Loop. I did the only thing that would take my mind off and ensure a serious state of being: I sketched the cure-finder (she had a great face!)...
"Because", explained DiploK with all the patience in the world, "that one member is deaf. She is DEAF. She can not hear".
Y'know, in this stage, most people would simply revert to quiet embarrasment.
But not Mic-Woman.
Not her!!
"She cannot hear??", she proceeded with sheer astonishment. "Not even with a microphone???".
previous Sentence of The Month... ...next Sentence of The Month
Labels: People, Sentence of The Month, WTF?
Actually you have to be sorry for her....poor thing, she's actually more handicapped than anyone ...she's thicker than two planks!!
# posted by 
: 9/29/2007 10:10 AM
Oh yes, it was a highly bloggable moment!
And yes, Valerie, I guess her being totally blind and deaf to the needs of others makes her handicapped in that sense.
It's like when people tell Wheeler to have a seat.
(awkward pause)
This where I say, depending on my mood "He brings his own chair, thanks".
A microphone??? I agree with Valerie!
I think the problem is that you need TWO microphones. One for each ear. Might as well go for stereo, even if it is a bit of an extra expense.
I'm with Neil!
Other than that,
And then came the glorious moment that made waking up in time for that meeting worthwhile.
THAT's the line that had Me laughin' out loud!
Glad you made it.
But I wish I knew how to write "Great post!" in Sign Launguage.
{sigh}
{-,
Amazing!!! Some people don't mind letting everyone know... beyond the shadow of a doubt... how stupid they are, and not just stupid but insensitive (hmm, sounds like the person who is running this country).
Reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live sketch where they had a special news broadcast for the hearing impaired. They had another person there who would LOUDLY repeat everything the anchor-person had said.
Post a Comment
<< Home
: 9/29/2007 10:10 AM And yes, Valerie, I guess her being totally blind and deaf to the needs of others makes her handicapped in that sense.
(awkward pause)
This where I say, depending on my mood "He brings his own chair, thanks".
A microphone??? I agree with Valerie!
Other than that,
And then came the glorious moment that made waking up in time for that meeting worthwhile.
THAT's the line that had Me laughin' out loud!
Glad you made it.
But I wish I knew how to write "Great post!" in Sign Launguage.
{sigh}
{-,
Reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live sketch where they had a special news broadcast for the hearing impaired. They had another person there who would LOUDLY repeat everything the anchor-person had said.
