Text Messaging Dilemma

Last summer, when I mentioned to a Non-Deaf classmate in my Conversational ASL class that I don’t have text messaging enabled on my cell phone, her response was, “And you want to work in a field working with the Deaf?” At the time, I did not understand the role text messaging played in the life of a Deaf person. In fact, it never occurred to me at all until I started taking ASL classes, how does a deaf person call roadside service if their car breaks down in the desert? (This actually happened to my ASL1 teacher, who is Deaf.)

My cell phone, aside from making phone calls, has many of the bells and whistles that enable the Deaf to process the world in ways never imagined not that long ago. To name a few, I have applications such as Google maps, web access, e-mail access, and text messaging capabilities. However, the latter, is not included in my monthly phone plan. I observe non-Deaf students or friends text message during a class lecture or while gathered for dinner with friends. To me, their behavior removes them from the current conversation or environment. But, for the Deaf, text messaging is the opposite from isolation—it allows them to connect with others in their world.

How does wireless devices fit into Deaf Culture? Before, the Deaf (and some still) use TTYs, VideoPhones and similar technology, and/or Video Relay Service. Text messaging, exchanging brief written messages via a phone, has changed the way Deaf communicate. While text messaging wasn’t created for the Deaf, access to it has enhanced their lives.

What would Alexander Graham Bell think of his invention today?