Catholic Charities In the News
Coffee Talk: Deaf community gathers monthly to relax, socialize
April 18, 2010 - The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com
By Nancy Carollo
Coffee and conversation are a natural combination -- even if the conversation is hand-signed. Participants of Deaf Chat Coffee indulge in both at monthly gatherings in Kenner. The group was organized nearly 10 years ago as a way for members of the deaf community to meet, socialize and support each other.
The newest chapter in the metropolitan area meets at the Starbucks Coffee in Kenner. Luling resident and New Orleans native Hanson Touchard, 42, is the founder of the group.
"Deaf Chat started in California and quickly spread throughout the country," said Touchard, a local landscaper. "It is a loosely structured way for deaf people to connect, especially when traveling. Coffee shops were chosen as a setting to provide a safe, comfortable environment. In Louisiana, groups meet in Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Slidell, Marrero, Metairie and now Kenner. They all meet on different days during the month."
Touchard said Deaf Chat is extremely helpful to the deaf community because whether you communicate through sign language, by reading lips, or if you can speak well, a bit, or not at all, you have a place to go to interact with people who can communicate with you.
"The reason we decided to organize is to keep deaf communities and the culture close once we've graduated from deaf high schools or deaf colleges," he said. "We would be lost if we weren't able to stay in touch and see each other.
Michelle Simoneaux, 28, is a sign-language interpreter with Deaf Action Center, an Archdiocese of New Orleans Catholic Charities community service program. She often attends to keep up with her skills.
"Both my parents are deaf, so I grew up in this community," said Simoneaux, who has full hearing. "The deaf community is very close-knit. Before all the new technologies, like e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, meetings like Deaf Chat provided the only opportunity some people, especially those with no hearing, had to connect with each other. There's no replace for one-on-one interaction."
Recently making his first visit to the coffee group was Kenner resident Robby Bright, 18. A radiology student at Delgado Community College, Bright said Deaf Chat is a way to practice what he's learning in class.
"This is my first semester as a hearing American Sign Language student," he said. "I took ASL because I needed another language to meet the course requirement, and I thought it would be fun. But it's more difficult than I ever imagined. It's a challenge because signing is so fast. It's a skill I'm glad I'm learning. The other day, I was actually able to sign with a deaf person while I was shopping in a Winn-Dixie store."
Everyone is welcome to join a Deaf Chat group Touchard said, whether you are deaf, hard of hearing or an ASL student, but most of all because it's fun.
"Deaf people are normal people. Not being in the hearing world is a barrier for us. Sometimes you are the only deaf person in your family," he said. "This is a way to relax, socialize comfortably, share information on deaf events and activities."
The Kenner Deaf Chat Coffee meets on the first Saturday of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Starbucks Coffee, 817 West Esplanade Ave. For more information, visit www.deafcoffee.com.
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