When you have met a deaf person and have started learning a little bit about the deaf culture and their world, you may want to contact them by telephone. You are probably wondering, ¡§How in the world can I call a deaf person?¡¨ or ¡§How do deaf people call each other?¡¨ 

Let me show you. This is a TDD, or, as it is sometimes called, a TTY. TDD stands for Telecommunications Device for the Deaf. What happens when you are at my house and the phone rings? I pick up the receiver and I say, ¡§Hello?¡¨ If there is no answer, I assume there is a deaf person calling me. I take the receiver and I put it in the couplers of my TTY. Then I turn my machine on and start typing across here. What I am typing will print out across the top here. The deaf person is reading this while I am typing. When I¡¦m finished, I type, ¡§GA,¡¨ which means, ¡§Go ahead.¡¨ Now it¡¦s their turn to have a conversation with me. It¡¦s very exciting because most people don¡¦t think they can do this. But, if you have a TDD or a TTY as it¡¦s called by some, you can call each other and it¡¦s wonderful! This is how deaf people call each other and communicate. They have done this for many years but most hearing people have thought, ¡§They don¡¦t have telephones.¡¨ 

When you are talking to a deaf person, you may want to call them sometime. You will ask them, ¡§Do you have a TTY?¡¨ How do you sign this? You will say, ¡§Do you have¡K¡¨ My fingertips are touching my chest. I have taught you the manual alphabet so you should know how to spell ¡§TTY¡¨ or ¡§TDD.¡¨ Remember this from the manual alphabet. If the person says ¡§yes,¡¨ which most deaf people will, you may want to find out what their phone number is. This is still a shock to a lot of hearing people who do not know that deaf people have telephones. Let me teach you how to ask, ¡§What¡¦s your phone number?¡¨ My left palm is facing up. My right index goes down the palm of my hand. ¡§What¡¦s your¡K¡¨ My palm facing that person, ¡§phone,¡¨ doesn¡¦t this look like it should be ¡§telephone¡¨? Hearing people do this all the time. ¡§Phone.¡¨ The next sign is ¡§number.¡¨ Fingertips are touching. Let¡¦s do that again. ¡§What¡¦s your phone number?¡¨ now that you¡¦ve asked that question, you need to be able to read some numbers. I will not go very far into the numbers. I¡¦m going to teach you the numbers zero to ten. Let¡¦s start with zero.

Zero. Doesn¡¦t that look like a zero? One, two, three¡K the thumb is out. It¡¦s not what you may have thought. Three, four, five¡K now six is different. The thumb touches the baby finger. Six, seven¡K your thumb touching the ring finger. Eight¡K your thumb is touching the middle finger. Nine¡K your thumb is touching your index finger. Ten¡K you have the ¡§A¡¨ hand shape. Then you move it back. That¡¦s it!

Now that you have learned these numbers and you have asked the deaf person if they have a TTY or a TDD, you may want to ask them, ¡§May I call you sometime?¡¨ Let me show you how to say that. The hand shape is the ¡§S¡¨ shape. You know the ¡§S¡¨ from the manual alphabet. Take it down. ¡§May.¡¨ Let¡¦s do that again. ¡§May I,¡¨ point to yourself, ¡§call,¡¨ same as the telephone sign, ¡§you,¡¨ pointing out. The next sign is ¡§sometime.¡¨ The palm is out. Remember for ¡§what¡¨ you went down. You don¡¦t do that for this. You go up. ¡§Sometime.¡¨ Let¡¦s do that again. ¡§May I call you sometime?¡¨

The deaf person may say yes or they may say no. For ¡§yes¡¨ you have the ¡§S¡¨ hand shape. Take it forward like your head is nodding ¡§yes!¡¨ The ¡§No¡¨ sign is thumb, index and middle fingers closed. ¡§No.¡¨ Let¡¦s do it one more time. ¡§Yes.¡¨ ¡§No.¡¨ You may want to tell the deaf person, ¡§I would like to see you again.¡¨ Let me show you that. ¡§I.¡¨ We¡¦re not going to sign ¡§would¡¨; that¡¦s implied. ¡§I would like,¡¨ the ¡§like¡¨ sign is the middle finger and thumb first part, then bring them out and touch them together. They¡¦re resting on your chest and then bring them out touching together. ¡§Would like to see.¡¨ This is the ¡§see¡¨ sign. Take it forward. You have your middle finger touching your cheek with the index extended up to see ¡§You.¡¨ Now the sign for ¡§again.¡¨ Your palm is extended with the other hand¡¦s fingertips pointing up and down. Let me do that again. ¡§I would like to see you again.¡¨ Remember, you are signing to a deaf person so make sure you move your mouth and say the words. Let¡¦s say you sign something incorrectly. They may see what you say with your mouth. You may sign it wrong, but they may catch the right word from watching your mouth. It is important to remember that you are using your signs, your body and your expressions to communicate.

Next, a very common question that hearing people ask deaf people is, ¡§Do you drive?¡¨ or ¡§Do you have a car?¡¨ A lot of hearing people think that for some reason, deaf people don¡¦t drive. Here¡¦s how you ask this. ¡§Do you,¡¨¡X point to them¡X¡§drive?¡¨ It¡¦s just a mime sign. The ¡§S¡¨ hand shape on my hand, back and forth. Or, ¡§Do you have a car?¡¨ It¡¦s the same sign, but with your mouth, you are asking, ¡§Do you drive?¡¨ ¡§Do you have a car?¡¨ You may want to say, ¡§I can drive and visit you sometime.¡¨ Here¡¦s some new vocabulary. Point to yourself, ¡§I¡¨ using the ¡§S¡¨ hand shape, ¡§can drive¡¨¡Xa new word, ¡§and.¡¨ Watch this again. Fingertips are open, bring it across your body and close it. ¡§And visit.¡¨ Use the V¡¦s on your hand. Take them forward to the right and left like you¡¦re peddling a bicycle. ¡§Visit you.¡¨ If you want to say ¡§sometime,¡¨ you know this sign ¡§sometime.¡¨ I¡¦m trying to give you general things to say and build your vocabulary at the same time.

You may say, ¡§My parents live near you.¡¨ New word ¡§parents.¡¨ That¡¦s a ¡§P¡¨ hand shape but it looks like a ¡§K.¡¨ Start down here and take it up. If we did it like this it would be awkward to sign, so do it on the side of your face at the chin with your middle finger touching and then take it up. ¡§My parents live.¡¨ You know that sign. ¡§Near¡¨ is a new one. I have my left hand in front of me, my right hand with both of the thumbs up. Take them in. this means ¡§near¡¨ or ¡§close.¡¨ ¡§Near you.¡¨ 

You may want to ask them ¡§Do you work?¡¨ or ¡§Do you go to school?¡¨ The sign for this is ¡§Do you¡K¡¨ using an inquisitive look on your face. ¡§Do you work?¡¨ Use the ¡§S¡¨ hand shape on the left hand the ¡§S¡¨ hand shape on the right hand. ¡§Work¡¨ or ¡§Do you (pointing to that deaf person) go to¡K¡¨ that¡¦s a new sign. ¡§Go to¡K¡¨ index fingers up and point to any direction. It doesn¡¦t matter. ¡§School,¡¨ hitting my palms together. ¡§School.¡¨

You¡¦ve learned quite a few new signs. Now you can ask a lot of questions. Please feel free to ask these questions when you have met a deaf person.