I have two friends, one is going deaf, the other is about 97% deaf.
How should I accommodate our Deaf wedding guests at our wedding?
Should I hire an interpreter or have a friend do it?
Any ideas? -April
Great question! All Deaf and hard of hearing people have different needs. If your Deaf wedding guests are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), most likely they would like to have an ASL Interpreter at the wedding. You've invited them, so it would make sense that you want them to participate equally in your awesome day.
The Deaf person will always best know their needs. The single most important thing you can do is ask your Deaf wedding guest what kind of assistance they need in making sure they are equally included.
Some things to consider if you're inviting Deaf wedding guests:
- Will a seat up front be sufficient? Some Deaf individuals don't sign and prefer to speech-read as much as possible. Keep in mind that only 30% of speech is visible to even the best speech-readers, so this may or may not be acceptable to your Deaf guest.
- Will giving your Deaf guest a script of the vows/sermon be sufficient?
- Would an ASL interpreter be ideal? Does the ‘terp need to stay the entire wedding and ceremony? Think about how important each aspect of your wedding is to you and to your guest. They may care about the sermon/vows, but not the about the drunken speeches.
- Interpreters can be costly. Who's responsible for paying? Is it possible to find a volunteer interpreter? If cost is an issue, you may want to consider having the interpreter there only for the parts you and your guest think are essential or check your local community college. They may have an Interpreters training program and student's who can volunteer. And don't worry, the interpreter doesn't need to be standing directly in front of you and your future spouse nor in between you, nor do they need to be visible to the entire group of guests.
I attended the wedding of Offbeat Wed's founder, Ariel. She gave me a Word document with her and and her groom's vows. She made me swear not to read it until the very moment of the ceremony. But I knew I wouldn't be able to watch and read at the same time — it would have made me miss the very important visuals and non verbal communication between bride & groom.
So I cheated and found a quiet space on the ferry ride over and read it by myself on my way to the wedding. I'm so glad I did because it was so beautiful watching the ceremony…
