Local first responders learn sign language

EDINBURG - The gestures for “shoot” and “speed” in American Sign Language are similar.

But for first responders, the difference between those two words is critical in emergency situations that demand clear communication.

The Hidalgo County Judge’s Office Division of Emergency Management is teaching first responders the basic sign language they need to communicate with the Rio Grande Valley’s estimated 8,000 to 9,000 deaf and hearing impaired residents. Cameron County is also hosting the classes, which teach police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders practical phrases and words like, “What’s wrong?,” “Show me your license,” and “Calm down.”

The American Sign Language training gives first responders the basic lessons they need to communicate with deaf people, said Lt. Humberto Zavala, one of four officers from the McAllen Police Department who is in the six-week course. In situations where an interview is needed, the police department brings in an interpreter, but emergencies necessitate a faster method of communication.

“We’ll be able to get a point across with this training,” Zavala said. “There’s not going to be any miscommunication in emergency situations.”

Zavala, like other McAllen police officers, usually relies on pen and paper when he encounters deaf or hearing impaired people in routine situations.

But reliance on that method assumes that all deaf people — who communicate most often using American Sign Language, a three-dimensional visual language — can read, said Jennifer Powell, a specialist with the Valley Association for Independent Living.

The assumption that all deaf people are able to read lips can also lead to miscommunication, she said.

“How can you communicate with deaf people if you don’t know signs?” Powell said through sign language. “Many accidents happen and (emergency responders) need to be communicating with deaf people.”

In last week’s class, first responders from the McAllen Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Hidalgo County’s Emergency Management Division and other groups learned signs such as hospital, license and stop.

By the time the class is complete, first responders should know more than 100 signs to communicate in emergency situations, said Cari Lambrecht, the county spokeswoman. The county has also implemented other measures — including the use of Deaf Link, a system that allows access to an interpreter by a remote video connection — to ensure that the county communicates with its deaf residents during natural disasters and other emergencies.

“They’re a valuable part of the community who are often left out because they can’t hear,” she said. “We need to make sure they’re not forgotten.”

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.