Getting the word out

It is a challenge to get the books out. I took the books and personally handed out the books to the 24 students at the Savannakhet school. I had someone take the books to all the students in Luang Prabang and was able to check later that they had been received. The books had carefully been covered with recycled paper.

I had entrusted the books for the Vientiane school with someone else. Two months later, I heard that they were still stored in the director's office. The students knew about them, but had only had a chance to glance at one copy. Some told me they had seen the book at the book store. It's a shame since these are the students that worked the hardest.

I came across an article in the VT times about an international school that had a fund raising project for the deaf. In the article, it said that some of the money would go to, "buying the new Lao sign language book for the deaf schools." This explains why the books were stored away.

In Savannakhet, I have only found 4 deaf people in the city. I was impressed that they had the books. Despite the strange behavior in the VT school, someone has done the work to get the books out to the regions. 

There is hardly a community in Savannakhet. Other than the school, deaf people say they know of maybe 10 at the most. It's hard for them to develop their signing when there's nobody to sign with. It appears that they have to depend on miming to communicate. This isn't really a language. It doesn't help hearing people to understand that there is a legitimate language for the deaf.

I met two people in my neighborhood. I keep my eye out for people signing. I wasn't sure so I stopped by bicycle and when I could see that they were signing, I greeted them. They were really surprised. They are a deaf couple with a 1-year old daughter. I'm surprised to find that their parents who they live with don't know sign language. In fact, the mother seemed a bit suspicious of me when I went to visit.

I dropped by their house. They were napping and watching TV. I couldn't call out to them and didn't dare step into their house unannounced. Even though they were right in front of me, I ended up calling their telephone.

Another deaf man seems lonely and distressed that he doesn't have a partner. He says he's not sure if it's better to marry a deaf woman or a hearing woman. I would imagine he could communicate better with a deaf woman, but he says his fears are that they wouldn't be able to take care of their baby. "What if the baby's crying and we don't hear him/her?"

His other fear is driving. Apparently, many people are afraid of the police. It doesn't seem to take much insight to understand that someone is deaf, but I guess many police think a traffic violator is trying to escape by pretending to be deaf.

I've also heard that medical care is extremely difficult. I've never met an interpreter in Savannakhet, so I really don't know how well they can manage.

I guess they do manage, but for many it must be a very lonely life. I've watched how some deaf are dismissed by hearing people. It's as if the inability to hear or speak erases them.