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Deaf skaters

Pain Eyre, Border city brawlers

“Water.”

I know this one. The sign for “W.” tap chin. We’re moving through the flash cards quickly and my handwriting is sloping down the worksheet. I’ll be lucky to be able to read it tomorrow. “Hop?” Is that what I wrote? Like jump? Two fingers springing from a flat palm. But this says – “Help.” Right. Stormy raises a flash card and the room gestures wildly. What reminder did I write for “fast?” “Fast” is – I know slow (right hand moves up back of left hand), and attendance (the sign for “d,” tap between spread fingers of the other hand) but not fast. No one’s got it yet. Stormy points to the bristol board at the front of the room. Photos show Paulapalooza and Kim Bash acting out each sign. FAST: Bash makes the “d” sign with both hands, bending fingers toward her in the next shot. That’s it.

What’s the sign for “hot?” One of the fresh meat fans herself with her workbook. Twenty or so of us are crammed into a little community center, ten in white scrimmage shirts on one side of the room and ten in black on the other side. Stormy stands at the front of the room with a stack of flash cards. Which team can remember the most signs? The skaters may be at home, but our teams are just as competitive today. She pulls the card for “jammer” and every person in the room rushes to tap the side of her head.

Since 9 am this morning, the Border City Brawlers roller derby league has been learning about Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL) from one of our skaters, Stormy. She’s brought several friends, local Deaf educators, and members of the Deaf community, as well as interpreters, to speak to us about Deaf culture, common misconceptions, and some basic ASL to get everyone communicating. After a quiz, (no, Deaf people do not get parking privileges, and yes, most Deaf people are born to hearing parents), a potluck lunch, and a talk about the art of interpreting, we moved on to learning a few signs for the derby track.

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