Halloween is nearly upon us! That Spooktacular time of the year! Many of you will be making plans and the Halloween party season is here!
Halloween parties are a great way for everyone to have fun, dress up in the scariest costume you can find and hopefully meet a lot of new and interesting people. As always, here at Deaf Umbrella we want to make these celebrations as deaf aware as possible.
Of course, d/Deaf people love a party too! However, if festivities are not planned with deaf awareness in mind, our deaf friends can feel excluded and sidelined.
Here are 5 tips to ensure this doesn’t happen:
1. Dress up as the zombie version of a famous deaf person. Stuck on ideas? There are many! The composer and pianist Beethoven, the actresses Millicent Simmonds or Marlee Matlin, the American football player Derrick Coleman, the lifestyle blogger Luke Christian, the deaf activists Nyle Di Marco or Jessica Kellgren Fozard... We are sure you could think of a few more!
2. Be aware of the darkness, it can make communication challenging. It is a good idea to take a flashlight with you to shine your lips or hands when communicating. This can also add to the spooky atmosphere – a double advantage for sure!
3. Take off your mask! If you are wearing a mask covering your mouth, remember that if they can´t see your mouth, they won´t be able to read your lips. Maybe some surprise make up under your mask can make people laugh out loud too? Remember that as you munch your trick or treat candy that lip reading can be harder too!
4. Don’t forget your signing skills – brush up on your fingerspelling and basic signs to ease communication. Why not ask the deaf person to teach you some Halloween signs?
5. If your deaf friend is a BSL user, they may wish to book an interpreter for full access to the banter! – Do this in advance!
Relax, have fun and get to know the deaf community a little more at this spook-fest!
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