Officiating Game where One Team is Deaf
 

My first reg. season game of the year is tomorrow night and I am the R for a GV game featuring a school for the deaf against a regular private school.

Please excuse my ignorance but I am wondering if there is anything special I need to be aware of heading into this. For one, one of my pre-game staples of "blue talk to blue and white talk to white" probably isnt appropriate.

My understanding is that the players can hear the vibration of the whistle and will know when play has been stopped but just wondering if others have any experience with this and if there is anything I should be mindful of in particular.

TIA

We have the State School for the Deaf here in town, so I have worked quite a few of their games over the years. Call your normal game, just be very crisp and a little exaggerated with all signals - keep your travel signal going a few extra turns, etc.

I played in a conference the one year I was in Missouri against a school that was a "Deaf School." The only difference I remember is that you did not hear much from them as they would sign to each other. It was a little weird the first time we played them, but not after that. We even played football against that school and they used a drum to hike the ball (from the sideline). I do not know anything you would necessarily need to do but to be descriptive with your signals. Believe it or not your question is not a bad one. If you have never been in that situation you might be worried about things you have never witnessed. I am sure you will be fine, but it will take some getting used to early on I am sure.

Peace

You won't have too change much. Exaggerate and be crisp with your signals. Also, when reporting fouls to the table, I pointed to the bench of the fouling team while saying their color. You may or may not need to do this depending on if your scorer is deaf or not. Lastly, we were a tad bit more lenient regarding the coaching box.

Everything else was that same.

Personal Interest
 

I would appreciate an update on this once it's available. As the father of two hearing impaired children I've always had an interest in these sorts of things. My oldest son played some HS and AAU ball. He had some trouble hearing the whistle, but his team mates for the most part were helpful to him with visual clues when he didn't hear either their calls or whistles.

Don't Forget To Have fun ...
 

Wait until you get a game where both teams are deaf. I've had several over the past thirty years. By the end of the game one finds that one's signals have become very much improved. We have the benefit here of having a hearing site director that knows sign language, and a boys varsity coach, who is deaf, who is also a member of our local officiating board, so he knows what it's like, deaf vs. hearing, coach vs. official, and makes our jobs as officials much easier, as he's been "around the block a few times". When it really comes down to it, it's a basketball game. Really.

A few years ago, when my daughter played college soccer, they had a game against Gallaudet University, a school for deaf and hard of hearing undergraduate students. Although highly skilled, my daughter said that the Gallaudet women were really at a disadvantage because they couldn't talk to each other, and had to rely on other forms of communication.

We have a Special Needs School in our area, mostly deaf students. They always have an interpreter, and the V coach is hearing impaired, but can understand most of what we say. An interpreter is present for the captains meeting before the game, and is at the table for any needed communication.
Many of the players and staff read lips well. Just remember that they read lips that use normal speech -- don't exagerate your facial expressions when you speak. And don't forget to speak as you normally would, when reporting to your table crew, or giving any information you would in any game.
They are more than willing to give us the simple signs for the two colors we'll use in a particular game, and appreciate that we use those signs, as we report verbally to the table. When we've had a need to explain something to a coach or player, the interpreter is available. The environment gives an official the chance to slow down, be crisp with signals, make eye contact with one's partner, and table personnel, and really communicate with the skills that our mechanics are intended to use.
Most of all, be yourself, let your positive personality come through. When the players and staff can see that you are at ease, and smiling, and enjoying the activity, their enjoyment will be enhanced. Of course, that is true of any game we do. It's a great opportunity to work these games, and be reminded of the value of the service we give. The blessings can go in both directions.

Having refereed at the Deaf Olympics a few years back, couple of things:
1) we had to use whistles with peas so that the players could feel the vibrations. Fox forty whistles were useless in these games.
2) some patience, as sometimes play tends to go on after the whistle has gone off.
3) sometimes we had to go on court to seperate players playing too physically especially on the low post area.
cheers and have fun- Nick

I've never worked a game for a completely deaf team. I have worked with a deaf player or two. They key off of things we're not used to considering. When the other player's stop, they kown to stop. Just be slow to start the signals so they have a moment to realize you're making a call.

Now, I have also worked with a blind partner or two...according to the coach's account.

Thanks
 

Lots of good responses. I found this one particularly helpful as I was kind of anxious about the captain's meeting for whatever reason.

I have worked games with a hearing impaired player but never a whole team. And living in the DC area I am very familiar with Galludet University and through my job have had the chance to work with their Head Baseball Coach, Curtis Pride, a deaf former MLB player.

I am definitely looking forward to the game and agree that it is a great opportunity. Just wanted a little more background from those who have experienced this. Again, lots of great responses and thanks to everyone. I will post after the game this evening.

I have done both volleyball and basketball games with one deaf team. What has been said so far very much mirrors my experience. There was always an interpreter present at the pre-game captains meeting. Since their scorekeeper was also deaf they taught us the signs for the two colors, and we used them when reporting. Sometimes you need to have a little patience as play may not stop immediately.

The pea whistle v. Fox 40 is a new one. If I ever get the chance to work this school again, I'll have to try it out and see if I notice a difference in the players' response.

Another difference that hasn't been mentioned is that the deaf players, obviously, cannot hear you talk. I normally use my voice and try to talk players out of stuff when I can (clear, hands off, straight up, get the knee out, etc.). It seems to me that, where one team is deaf, talking to the hearing team gives them an unfair advantage. So I just don't talk in those games. Seems kinda quiet.

Thanks and Update
 

The info shared was definitely helpful. They did not have any interpreters and the coaching staff and just about all of the players used sign language exclusively. One injured player was able to verbally communicate better than most and gave us the sign for white and blue (jersey colors) as did some others. And the JV officials who worked the game before ours gave some insight as well.

I didn't really enjoy the game but it had very little to do with one team being deaf. It was pretty standard bad girls basketball. Our area, like most I imagine, has some really good girls teams and some awful ones. Neither of these teams was very skilled and the game was not really competitive. Also, as much as I tried to be myself, part of me felt like I was overcompensating and bordered on being condescending. Not to mention I'm battling the flu which didn't help matters either.

Overall, it was a good experience just not a good game based soley on the basketball. And definitely will feel more comfortable next time I have to do a game involving deaf or hearing impaired players in the future.