I am often asked how I came to be involved with people with disabilities. I would love to be able to say that it was this event at that time in these circumstances. However, the reality is that there were many events, many times and many circumstances. I share one of my experiences with you in relationship to people who are deaf.
I think I can honestly say that people who were deaf were invisible to me for the first 30 years of my life.
I never thought about them: how they felt, the barriers they had to face in society and Church and how these all affected their learning, their sense of belonging and their faith development.
My involvement with people who are deaf began at a social function for Deafness Awareness Week in 1976.
I went to the function out of curiosity and to support a hard of hearing friend. When we arrived, the friend promptly dumped me and began to socialise with others; so much for needing my support.
Simon, a 19 year old man approached me. The first thing that went through my mind was “He’s DEAF!” The second thought was his appearance.
Simon’s body was twisted and turned. His limbs, upper body, head and hands were not what I considered as being in proportion.
These thoughts were needless barriers I placed between us. Simon came close to me and he wanted to communicate with me.
Confronted with Simon’s presence, I rationalised, “I wasn’t good at this and I have very limited signing skills”.
I felt overwhelmed, embarrassed, not in control and so I indicated to Simon that I was going across the room to be with others and I took off.
Simon followed me. I left him again and he followed me again.
It was then that I realised that I was literally running away from this human being. I realised that I hadn’t even given Simon a chance.
It was like hearing the voice of the Apostle Paul, “Barbara, why are you persecuting me?”
My response was “Who me?” So I stopped running and then followed one of those ‘Ah’ moments with God. I was faced with a choice.
Do I, will I, get out of the boat, out of my comfort zone and walk on the water, or do I give in to my fears, my reluctance to change, my sense of inadequacy and walk out of the hall?
I stayed. Simon had a vocabulary of maybe 100 words and we communicated and it was the beginning of a friendship that lasted until his death from cancer a few years later.
About 300 people attended his funeral, not because his parents or family were famous and not out of pity because Simon was deaf, but because Simon had touched the life of each person present.
Simon reached out to others in love.
So for me and my awareness of people who are deaf, the first agent of change in life was a personal encounter.
In that experience it was not only of others, but an experience of my own self, my need to be in control.
Jesus often confronted people about their lives and gave them the opportunity to change. Then came my own decision time, “come follow me”.
I moved through the normal cycles of change – unconscious incompetence, (I didn’t know that I didn’t know about sign language), conscious incompetence (I became aware that I couldn’t speak with my hands to a person who was deaf), to action and competency.
I often reflect on how different would have been my life if I had not been challenged by Simon; how rich my life is because of his persistence.
Not only have I learnt sign language and am still learning, but I have become aware that words can be used either for power and control or simply for sharing thoughts and feelings.
I have become aware some people live in a world of silence. I can join them in their world and learn from them, what a wonderful gift.
I have also learnt about trust, trust in others and trust in God.
How privileged and honoured I am that a person who is deaf will trust me to impart truth.
When I interpret for a person who is deaf, I am used as a bridge of communication that otherwise would not exist.
The privilege given me through my involvement with people who are deaf is life enriching.
For me, belonging, sharing and developing faith in a faith community is so important. It is also very important for people who are deaf.
How else can a person who is deaf “hear” God’s Word, “hear” the homily, or “hear” so many things that are taken for granted.
Modern technology is now used for providing captioning and this is now available live for conferences, seminars and talks.
Together with more use of interpreters, there are increasing opportunities for people who are deaf and hard of hearing to be more fully involved in a world and Church that I as a hearing person have taken for granted.
If you are interested in going on a journey, learning sign language or being involved in any area relating to deafness and hard of hearing, contact Barbara on 9328 8113 or emmanuelcentre@westnet.com.au. Barbara Harris is coordinator of the Emmanuel Centre, Perth’s Archdiocesan centre run for and by people with disabilities.