coffee | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
American Sign Language Coffee Chats, which take place at Pettibone Coffee in Dayton, provide an opportunity for the community and Wright State University students to go have coffee, meet members of the Deaf community and practice signing.
About the events
ASL Coffee Chats are from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the last Sunday of every month and provide an opportunity for students who need to work on an ASL Deaf experience paper, which is required for some ASL courses at WSU.
There are different ways to be introduced to ASL Coffee Chats. Some people, like Caleb Jones, a student at WSU majoring in Communication Studies who is currently taking ASL2010 (Intermediate ASL 1 (ASL3)), are introduced by their ASL professors, such as Deron Emmons, while others like Rafael Pappaterra, a regular at Pettibone Coffee, were introduced by the Deaf Community Resource Center.
The DCRC is a resource that serves the needs of the Deaf community by providing advocacy, support and education to promote self-determination and independence, according to the center’s website.
“I came here as part of the requirement for ASL that allows me to learn more about the Deaf community,” Jones said.
ASL Coffee Chat is also designed for students who enjoy drinking coffee and meeting new people. Pettibone has more than just coffee, also serving cinnamon rolls, different breads and breakfast and lunch menu items.
The history of the chats
Isabella Emmons, daughter of Deron Emmons, explained how the Coffee Chat events started.
“My dad started the ASL Coffee Chat here after he attended [Eastern Kentucky University] Coffee Chat every other Thursday,” Isabella Emmons said.
The ASL Coffee Chat has been at Pettibone for approximately two years. It is held during the fall (August through December) and spring (January through April) semesters. According to Isabella Emmons, on average, the attendance for ASL Coffee Chat is around 10 to 15 people, depending on the month. The biggest crowd was during the month of September, while December has the fewest crowd. Some attend on a fairly regular basis, which is once a month. Jones attends the Coffee Chat once or twice per semester.
Attending the chats
For those that plan to attend the ASL Coffee Chat, there are a few things to keep in mind before coming to any Deaf experience event.
“Come prepared with some background of Deaf Culture and ASL,” Pappaterra said.
Deaf culture is a community where Deaf people use only sign language as a form of communication. Some may be able to talk, while others only sign naturally as a way to communicate with others.
Students going to any Deaf event need to have some sort of knowledge of the Deaf culture. ASL classes are designed to teach students about Deaf cultures and do more than just sign in ASL; ASL teachers go over the basics of how to interact with a Deaf person.
However, for students who are not required to take ASL or for those that do not have experience signing, going to a Deaf event is not impossible.
“It’s okay to be a little lost at first,” Isabella Emmons said. “Come, be open-minded and bring patience with you, too.”
Being fluent in ASL does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of practice and dedication to be skilled in using ASL as a language. For those that are still not convinced, Jones’ last piece of advice may help.
“Go and use it as an experience to learn new signs and meet new people,” Jones said.
This sends a message to people considering going to a Deaf event, just like the ASL Coffee Chats, to not be afraid to get out there and meet others. It is okay to be apprehensive, but people who frequent the chats say that it will be a good experience for newcomers, even if they do not quite understand the Deaf culture at first.
Once people start attending ASL Coffee Chats more often, they feel more comfortable signing with others and have a good time chatting with new people.
For more information about the Deaf Studies program at Wright State, visit the university website. Click here to visit Pettibone Coffee’s website.
