SCSDB

I went to the South Caroline School for the Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) yesterday. I went with my ASL class. It was really fun. We played musical chairs with kids all of whom were deaf or hard-of-hearing. Some of them had hearing aid or cochlear implants. I got to meet a really cool 11 year old named Sarah. We didn't talk much because of my very limited vocabulary but it was still cool. At least for me. She even gave me my name sign! I am officially becoming a part of the Deaf community! Yay!

But before I was able to visit with and play with the kids, I had to get to SCSDB. Now that was the difficult part.

Like a good little Self, I got directions online to and from SCSDB. I got there with no problems other than slow traffic making me 5 minutes late. I celebrated when I saw the school and knew that I would be okay now that I found it. Wrong! I had some indication of where I was on the way there as I had been in that part of collegetown previously. Unfortunately, I had never been on campus before.

As you probably have guessed: I got lost. Yes, I got lost on the school campus. You wouldn't think deaf and blind kids need so much space to exist in a boarding school. That campus is huge! I took the first turn I saw that had SCSDB's sign on it. I turned in and began looking for the building where my class was to meet. I searched and didn't find it after driving in a substantial distance. I knew that I shouldn't have needed to go that far in to get to the welcoming center. So I turned around hoping to see a sign I'd missed.

Nope, no sign. I see a guy getting out of a car and decide that I can just ask him for help. I blow the horn. Smart move, yeah, I know. Deaf school so I blow the horn to get a guy's attention. Brilliant.

I decided to see if I could find anyone else. There were no other people out and about. Very frustrating: when you want pedestrians to be around you, they are no where to be found; when you would really like to get where you are going, they step out in front of you and walk slowly. Go figure.

Anywho, after circling around, going places I shouldn't, and calling two classmates I finally saw I girl walking toward me. Salvation! So I wave her over and ask if she knows where to find my building. Of course she responds by signing "deaf." To my joy my brain did not panic but instead, I simply fingerspelled the name of the building I needed. And guess what, she pointed to the building right next to me. The one right next to me! The only building that wasn't labeled was the one I needed! I was really glad to have found her. In all honesty, I was more comfortable asking for directions in real life than talking with Sarah in our immersion experience. I guess I felt I was expected to preform on a certain level in class than outside of it. It makes me feel good to know that I have had a successful experience with a member of the Deaf community. And own my on. It was good even though it was the result of my poor directional skills.

But one thing still bothers me: why is the only building on campus not labeled with it's name is the very one I needed to go to and the one required for all guests to go to? Next time I won't take the back entrance. But at least I know my way around the school.

Self