USA (MNN) — It’s the season for holiday parties! Whether Christmas or New Year’s, these parties tend to bring family and friends together for fun and fellowship.
However, certain individuals usually get left out. DOOR International’s Rob Myers explains, “Deafness creates a language barrier that tends to isolate Deaf people.”
Create space to connect
There’s an easy way to make Deaf friends and family members feel included in holiday festivities. “Charades or other things that are extremely visual are great games to play that don’t require a lot of spoken language, but allow everybody to participate,” Myers says.
Soft lighting may create ambience, but it makes sign language difficult!
(Photo courtesy Bob Jenkin/Unsplash)
He then describes a joke from the Deaf community: “There was a family at this block party, the parents were Deaf, and the kids were hearing, and the whole family could sign,” Myers begins.
“One game they would play at the block party was charades, and they (the community) couldn’t figure out how every year, the Deaf family always won the charades!” he continues.
“Well, number one, Deaf people are super visual. Number two, you can sign the name of the movie or whatever your family has to guess without saying a word!”
Ensuring your space has proper lighting is another way to show consideration if you’re hosting Deaf guests.
“We (hearing people) use soft light as a mood setter. That creates this sort of heartwarming ambiance, but for Deaf people, that kind of environment is actually really hard because they’re extremely visual,” Myers says.
“When Deaf people gather, the lights are actually fairly bright, so that there’s an opportunity for conversation and engagement.”
Myers says, “There are over 300 sign languages around the world, and less than a third of them have even a single verse of Scripture available.”
(Photo courtesy DOOR International)
How to share the Christmas story
Christmas parties can also provide an opportunity to introduce Deaf friends or family members to the reason for the season. “Scripture says we always want to have an explanation or a reason ready to share the hope that’s within us,” Myers says.
“As Christmas is approaching, we want to share with people around us the incredible story of Jesus coming and being a sacrifice for us. Part of that is including Deaf family members.”
Without information in sign language, the true meaning of Christmas usually remains hidden. “That language barrier I described earlier causes a significant barrier to the Gospel,” Myers says.
Connect with DOOR here to get the story of Jesus’ birth in American Sign Language.
Myers says by “having that story on your phone when you encounter a Deaf person, you can let them know through texting or whatever, ‘Hey, I’ve got an incredible story I’d love to share with you!’”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Eugene Zhyvchik/Unsplash.
