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Don & Cliff - 1945 & 2004 - Similarities, anyone?
Sign Language Natural for Us -
By Don Walker
This article appeared in an issue of
the Eastern Hills Baptist Church publication, 2007.
Over the years, many have asked how I
learned to sign. It takes no effort to learn sign language when raised by
deaf parents, much like a baby born to Spanish parents and easily learning
Spanish. Plus, I have been around deaf people most of my life. I admire
people like Betty Hurley who worked hard to learn sign language and makes an
effort to be with and sign for Louise Wohlford, as well as signing in many
deaf settings.
My mother, Maggie, was born in Verbena and had four brothers (one deaf) and
three sisters (two deaf). They attended Alabama School for the Deaf in
Talladega. My father, Harry, had three sisters (two deaf) and they attended
North Carolina School for Deaf in Morganton. How they met is another
story. They were married in Verbena in July 1940. Dad passed away in 1996.
 My
brother Cliff and I were born in High Point, North Carolina and moved to
Birmingham when I was about two. We attended Central Park Elementary and
West End High School and always felt we had a normal childhood, no different
from that of our friends who enjoyed visiting. They all learned to
communicate with Mom and Dad. Probably, the most asked question by
those who found out our parents were deaf was, “How do they drive?” Our
answer was, “With their hands and feet just like everyone else.” The fact
is, the deaf community has a far better driving record than the hearing
since they always pay attention and are never distracted by radio, noise,
etc.
When we were six or seven, my parents attended St. John’s Episcopal Church
in the West End area of Birmingham because other churches did not have
interpreters. The minister’s three daughters taught us in Sunday School and
one of them, Louise Fletcher, later went on to Hollywood and won an Academy
Award for best actress in her role as Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the
Cuckoos Nest.” Cliff and I were eight or nine when our neighbors began
taking us to Central Park Baptist, four blocks from our home. Gloria, Gene
and Margaret Walker were members there and Gene was my Sunday School teacher
one year. My parents became Baptist in 1963 when they joined a church in
Atlanta. Mom is now a member of Eastern Hills Baptist Church.
As youngsters, our parents counted on us to schedule appointments, make
phone calls, and explain what was going on when we watched
television. Later, after we left home and joined the Air Force, they came
out with Telephone Communication for the Deaf or TDDs and Closed Caption
Television. Relay systems were devised that allowed the deaf community
to call the hearing and visa versa. After those inventions, my
parents, as well as all the deaf, felt true independence.
My brother and I fondly recall our elementary and high school days when we
would rush home after school, complete our homework assignments, eat supper,
and then play games at the kitchen table. We are proud to say that we got
our sense of humor from Mom and Dad and feel blessed to have been raised by
such loving parents. |