Rob Myers - DOOR

It’s January 1, 2025 for many of us! But not for all… there are a number of calendars being used around the world. Check out this graphic that shows the year of various calendars from around the world.

Looking for Christmas signs in American Sign Language? Check out this video from ASL Nook! Remember to learn ASL signs from Deaf people, as it’s their language and culture; they know it best!

ASL Nook - Christmas in ASL First it was Halloween...then along came Thanksgiving. Now, Christmas is just around the corner! Learn some Christmas and holiday words in American sign lang...

"Can Deaf people drive?"

If you don't know the answer, you're not alone... there are government officials and law enforcement officers today who also don't know the answer! (So share these posts and spread the word!)

The question of whether Deaf people can drive is really three questions in one:

1. Can Deaf people acquire the skill to physically drive a car?
2. Where is it legal for Deaf people to drive?
3. Are Deaf people more dangerous on the road than hearing people?

The answer to the first question is a resounding yes, with 48 million Deaf or hard-of-hearing drivers on the road today. Admittedly, many of these individuals lost their hearing later in life, so maybe it's best to point to a specific example here of someone born deaf:

Kris Martin is the first Deaf person to join NASCAR as a professional race car driver. He rose to NASCAR racing at the age of 26, but he has been racing since he was 10 years old, beginning on go karts. His grandfather was a professional racer and served as a strong mentor to Martin, and now Martin spends some of his time traveling around to schools to encourage Deaf and hard-of-hearing kids that, in the words of I. King Jordan (former President of Gallaudet University), "Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do except hear."

Kia recently put out a commercial featuring Martin... find the link to that commercial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CsM5DtHy_k

Stay tuned for the answers to the second and third questions this week!

❤️👏🏻

God is changing the lives of Deaf people across the globe! Deaf churches have been gathering in people's homes, outdoors on the sides of mountains, under trees, and more. Deaf leaders are using their spiritual gifts in their home churches. Deaf people are receiving the Word of God in their languages and it is transforming their hearts. Here's one story from the field.

Maxwell, a Deaf translator working to translate the Bible into Kenyan Sign Language, invited his friend Dennis to help out with the community feedback sessions. Dennis lived about seven and a half hours away from the center, so he came and stayed with Maxwell for a week.

One day, the team showed the translated passage of Peter at Cornelius’s house from Acts 10. Dennis became curious after watching Peter preach about who Jesus was and how people needed to believe in Him to receive forgiveness.

That evening, Dennis shared his thoughts with Maxwell and asked some questions. After his curiosity was satisfied, he said he was ready to receive Jesus as his Savior. The joy in his eyes was evident to Maxwell, and the next day he shared the good news with other people who came to the community feedback sessions.

Praise God for the power of His Word to change lives, especially when it is translated into the heart languages of Deaf people!

Sign language interpreters aren't there for Deaf people.

Think about it... if everyone in the room knew sign language fluently, then no sign language interpreter would be needed. We see this every day in Deaf churches, where Deaf leaders can lead using their heart language, and Deaf people can gather and worship using that same heart language. We also see it in leadership meetings at DOOR International with Deaf and hearing holding all-signed meetings together.

So why do we have sign language interpreters? It's actually mostly for those among us who are sign language impaired... who don't know sign language fluently.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sign language interpreters are not just there for one-way communication. Oftentimes, hearing organizations provide a sign language interpreter just so that the Deaf person will receive all the information. But there's so much more that can happen. Deaf people have amazing wisdom and perspective to contribute to conversations, and sign language interpreters allow that two-way communication to happen well.

So the next time your organization hires a sign language interpreter, remember that it's not "for the Deaf person." It's really for everyone, but particularly for those who are sign language impaired.

Interested in improving your sign language knowledge? Check out DOOR International's resource page here: https://doorinternational.org/resources

(Note: Because there are around 375 sign languages around the world, it's possible for a sign language interpreter to still be needed among a group of Deaf people, if those Deaf people use different sign languages to communicate and do not have a common sign language - especially if very specific information needs to be shared and discussed. The sign language interpreter will interpret from one sign language into the other sign language and vice versa.)