Deaf Tournaments
 

Someone asked me on another board about accomodations for deaf tournaments. Really, not much to accomodate.

The biggest thing I emphasize when I work these tournaments is holding our signals longer (if possible) and making them crisp and clear for as many to see.

Sometimes, for example, a 2nd to 1st double play, I may point to 2nd and signal the out when I start my pivot towards 1st to watch the play there, and then drop my arms just for a moment to show a pause before making a signal for the play at 1st.

The key is visibility.

As for the pregame meeting, not a problem for me because I'm deaf as well so communication isn't a problem. When I've had hearing umpires come in and work for me in these tournaments, I show them a few gestures they can use for these pregame meetings, such as tapping their heads and their tushie for heads and tails for the coin toss or the yapping hand gesture with a shaking head to emphasize we don't tolerate too much yapping.

These players are smart enough to figure it out, and I've rarely had problems, and the highest praise these players usually get is when the local umpires say these tournaments are the best they've ever worked. I know because my partners told me this last year after working one here.

That's really awesome, and I'd love to be a part of something like that. Do y'all get interpreters for the games for the hearing umpires (for the plate conference and any coach-umpire discussions)?

I know just enough ASL to get me into trouble. Enough to hold a small conversation, but that's about it. ;)

Me, too. Well, at least, I use to. Unfortunately, never get the opportunity to practice and have lost most of it.

Some tournaments have been good about having interpreters around, some aren't. It varies, depending on the host.

You can check out some of the regionals by going to National Softball Association of the Deaf. Somewhere on there are the links to the regionals. I tend to be involved a lot with the Midwest Athletic Association of the Deaf, Inc..

A few years ago, I used to work for one of the local universities doing their tech support. Three of my supported departments were the ROTC detachments: Army, Navy and Air Force. One of the civilian employees was deaf (not HH). She would get so tickled when I would converse with her in ASL.

I think it's great when we take these small steps to "bridge the gap." It's so easy for hearing people to marginalize the deaf and hard of hearing, and ASL is such an easy, fun language to learn. When it comes down to it, it's nothing more than a language barrier, one that's easy to get past.

How about that! The Softball Information Director for the NSAD is a guy named Kevin Ryan.

Don't think it's the same guy, Mike. :)

Well, I've never met him in person, but his picture on this site is different from the ones I've seen, so... Unless you know otherwise... :)

No, this isn't the same one.

The NSAD Kevin Ryan is a nice fella. I've had the pleasure of being around him while working a couple of those nationals. It was funny when you all mentioned the ASA Kevin Ryan a couple of years ago, I had the double take on that name, LOL.

If you work a deaf tournament, do not be stupid. Many of these folks are excellent lip readers. (Not all...please no stereotyping.) One of my cousins in a place not within a thousand miles of Seattle was born deaf and plays in a coed league. Fortunately it is red shirt and not blue shirt, because recently, an umpire in that league made a comment under his breath about so and so coach being an ucking fignoramus. Coach and players were on him like stink on doo doo. Umpire is on suspension.

Yup, you're very correct on this point. That's why I was very selective of the local umpires when I was designated the UIC for a regional tournament hosted in Omaha a few years ago. I already had three deaf umpires come in, in addition to myself, and had to hire about 8 local ones to work the tournament. The first one I hired was a teacher at a school for the deaf across the river, and her normal partner, because they work well with each other and have a high level of respect for deaf players. The others were umpires who had worked league play locally that had deaf teams showing the appropriate professionalism and ability to work with these players, and I had worked with personally, so they got their nods. The tournament director from the regional board was very impressed with my local selections.