Wellington, NZ---> Rotorua, NZ---> Auckland, NZ---> Melbourne, AU---> Sydney, AU

 Both countries were vastly different. In New Zealand, NZSL was an official language, which was a huge accomplishment for the Deaf community there. Despite this, they still experienced struggles that in some way mirror the human rights struggles of the Deaf community in the United States. Like the United States, they still wanted to fight for the rights of Deaf education in New Zealand. Another similar issue that they faced was their lack of qualified interpreters. Often, the excuse for lack of accessibility is due to the interpreter shortage, but this is just an excuse; it should fuel the motivation for change in the system. This is something that more and more Deaf people we met agreed on, and it was something that I felt more passionate about as the trip progressed. 

Another drastic difference in New Zealand’s government was that there were specific buildings in the Beehive to represent minority groups. In America, there tends to be tension about the idea of division, yet in their culture, their differences were celebrated. While visiting New Zealand, it reinforced my confidence that spaces made for Deaf people were necessary: at the Deaf society we visited, many Deaf people were empowered to say what they needed/their thoughts for change. Despite many ways that New Zealand was progressive, there were still people who did not understand how to interact with Deaf people. Many times throughout this trip, people misassumed that we were all Deaf just because we were signing. Thinking that we couldn’t hear them, there were often remarks made about being shocked to see us signing, or even that signing was “weird.” There were also many times in which, after realizing that most of our group was actually hearing, they began to neglect the accessibility of their information. They seemed less concerned with if the Deaf people were understanding, and just relieved that the hearing people did. This was always very hard to witness, but helped provide me with important knowledge about life as a signer and is a valuable memory that I will keep with me. 

Australia

During the second half of our trip in Australia, we visited the Victorian College for the Deaf in Melbourne. This was a unique experience, as we got to see how the classrooms were divided into modalities of learning (signing, speaking, or combinations of both). This school also had vocational training that the high schoolers could do in order to help them prepare for getting a job post-grad. This kind of schooling was very impactful for me to see, as well. I couldn’t help but compare it to the current Deaf education system in the United States, and the effectiveness of each. One interesting and controversial thing to note about Australia’s Deaf education, however, was that immigrant children would likely not be allowed into the country unless they had a cochlear implant. We also learned about some issues that Deaf people had in order to get interpreting services, as they could choose what they spent their allocated funding on interpreters. It seemed like this would often lead to Deaf people paying out of pocket for an interpreter. 

One moment that has stuck with me months after being on this trip occurred when we were doing the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb in Sydney. I was terrified of heights, but we were all excited to go. For our group, there was an interpreter brought along. As mentioned, all of the students signed the whole time. We never told the tour guide for the bridge if we were Deaf or hearing because it didn't matter at that point. We continued to sign and go about the experience, when the interpreter judgmentally told the tour guide, "they're all hearing. I don't know why they're signing." This statement offended all of us deeply. There were Deaf people present, so we were signing. Regardless of the fact that every student around me held a deep passion for signing in general, signing when Deaf people are present isn't just about accessibility; it's about respect. As an interpreter, that person is meant to be an ally to the Deaf community, and witnessing an "ally" act like signing wasn't for everyone was upsetting to us. This experience was one that I will keep in the back of my mind as I go into the interpreting workforce post-grad; I aim to be someone who does not say things that unintentionally harm the Deaf community. 

I was also surprised by the perception of our group by some Deaf people. Of the Deaf people we met, there were a lot of people who were hesitant about meeting our group, as their communities have bad histories with researchers, especially the Aboriginal Deaf community. This reinforced the idea that Dr. Cripps has taught me about several times; Deaf people have scars from research, and to be a good researcher, you must actually understand the culture. You must get to know the people and live amongst them to earn their trust. It’s also vital that you don’t “speak” for anyone else; their own messages are powerful enough. 

Similarities/Conclusion

Despite a lot of the differences that I noted in each culture, there were also many similarities. Many of the Deaf people that we met were also concerned about the rise of mainstreaming Deaf children and cochlear implants at younger ages. They also worried about deaf spaces, such as Deaf Clubs and Deaf schools being closed. Despite these fears, most Deaf people we met were also deeply connected to other members of the Deaf community, and wanted to connect with each other and support each other. Our time abroad, specifically when at Deaf Clubs, left me feeling very connected to signers around the world. It reminded me of my time at home with my Signing Starbucks event in Greenville. This trip changed my perception of what it’s like to be a person who signs all day, and reinforced my understanding of Deaf culture as a unifying concept.  It reminded me that language is about connection, and sign language is an amazing way to connect with people, just as any other language is.