Deaf Experience

Deaf Experience

The service began and the musicians readied themselves to play. People lined the pews and the pastor stood to pray. People around bowed their heads and listened intently to the prayer except for the man in the front who focused his attention on the hands of the interpreter that stood in front of him. Her motions were swift and brief and he nodded his head in agreement. Although he could not hear, he understood the prayer being said. Church interpreted for the deaf.

Sitting in a pew to the side watching this scene, both fascinated and taught me a lot. There were two kinds of interpreting that happened during the service, one for the worship portion and then one for the sermon. During the worship the interpreter signed basically word for word along with the songs and even demonstrated the music interludes. If there was something the man didn't understand, he questioned her and she explained or revised. Because the songs were displayed on a projector, the man spent a portion of his time reading as well as watching the signs. The man signed along with the interpreter as his way of worship.

When the sermon began, the interpreter switched modes. She went from signing word to word to interpreting in ASL. She would listen to a phrase and convert it into sign for the man to understand. If there was a sign she did not know, she fingerspelled. In some cases, the man would show her the sign and she would learn. In others, no sign existed. If the man had a question or a comment on what she signed, he asked and she explained. In a way they helped each other learn. He watched both the expressions and lips of the pastor and the interpreter signing.

As I sat, watched and listened, I was able to understand some of the phrases and learn some new words. It could be seen how despite the lack of hearing, the man did not miss out on the experience of church. Listening to the sermon and watching