Deaf Coffee and Deaf Night out Events

This semester I have gone to several events and observations, but I am going to focus on the events I have gone to. Specifically, the Deaf Coffee and Deaf Night Out events. These events are two similar, but different creatures. Deaf Coffee is a weekly event set up for students to meet and interact with Deaf people for what is normally their first time. Deaf Night Out is a monthly event set up for the Deaf Community to come together and hang out, catch up and enjoy some drinks together.

I attend Deaf Coffee almost every week as a student. I was actually the second person to show up to the inaugural event, and the first outside of the two who set it up. That was two years ago! Now I’m an older student (almost ready to graduate) and on the other side of the coin in comparison. I’ve made several Deaf friends while attending these, which is awesome. They are all very supportive of me on my path to becoming an interpreter. In truth, I had my first ‘real life’ interpreting experiences at this event. I have had some members of the Deaf Community ask me to order food for them (to be fair, it was a specific, complicated order) and even more recently a very serious conversation between an ASL 1 student and the leader, Kyle. That conversation went on so long, we ended up getting kicked out of the mall by security (whoops)! These events have taught me a lot about interacting with the Deaf Community. Mostly, that they are very willing to work with the students who come, and don’t take themselves or the students too seriously. What I mean by that is they’re very straightforward, but also kind. They get it. These students are mostly ASL 1 and 2 level, so they don’t understand it all yet.

As a more advanced signer, I have had their eyes on the conversations that my friends and I have there so frequently, it's become background noise. I feel that this is an important ‘assimilation’ technique, because if I’m worried about people watching me, how in the world am I going to be able to interpret? That job is 100% eyes on me. Fortunately, I have a significant amount of performance and speaking experience, so I think that helps as well. I’m sure its a combination of the two. I will say that this event has helped my confidence grow in leaps and bounds. Just having somewhere that I can go to chat with people in ASL is a wonderful thing.

There is no pressure. Just go, chat and then we’ll do some activities so that the newer signers don’t get too overwhelmed. It’s a fantastic event.

Deaf Night Out, on the other hand, is an event where mostly Deaf individuals show up to interact and connect with each other. This event is a bit more intimidating for me. I’ve gone to it several times, and the reason for this is, in a random social setting, it is rather difficult for me to “break the ice” as it were. I am not good at small talk, and see it as a pointless farce of a conversation. However, I do understand it’s