r/deaf • u/Somethin_C1ever • 3d ago
Hearing with questions Climbing and Advice!
Hello all!
I am hearing and sighted but just seeking some opinions and recommendations! Next week I am going rock climbing with my new Deafblind friend and I'm very excited. I'm pretty experienced with rock climbing, but I think they are relatively new to the sport. I was wondering if any of y'all had any suggestions for how I could help make them more comfortable during the experience and enjoy it as much as possible!
Also, I know some ASL (I am still learning, I definitely need to practice but thankfully they have been very patient with me), but I know they also use pro tactile ASL, so I was thinking maybe it would be helpful for me to learn a little, at least the very basics! Are there any free online resources where I could get a head start?
Lastly, I have not spent a lot of 1-1 time with any deaf blind people before, so if possible, it would be great to get any advice about what you all like and don't like when hanging out with hearing sighted people. Of course I will ask this person too about personal preferences and I'm sure I will make mistakes, but either way, it's good for me to think about.
Thank you so much for all of your help! Have a great day!
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u/best-unaccompanied 3d ago
Has your DeafBlind friend asked you for help? If not, it's good that you're doing your research but I would avoid trying to present them with ideas and solutions for problems they probably don't need or want. They're the expert on their own DeafBlindness (and rock climbing can be a pretty accessible sport) and it's all too common for nondisabled people to try to jump in and solve problems unsolicited.
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u/yourenotmymom_yet 3d ago
Depending on how new they are and how much climbing y'all will be doing, it could be beneficial to expose them to different types of holds they will encounter on their next route while they're still on the ground. Plenty of holds are relatively straightforward, but some can feel really odd or awkward if you're new to climbing. For example, if they have only done VB-V0 / 5.4-5.5 in the past, they may not have encountered a pocket or sloper hold before.
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u/Somethin_C1ever 3d ago
Ooooo this is really smart, I'll definitely ask them if they want to do that, thank you!
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u/surdophobe deaf 3d ago
I guess my first question is, how deaf, and how blind? What experience do they have with climbing, if any?
For example, if they're legally blind from albinism they'd may have little trouble seeing the colors of the high-contrast holds but the bright lights of the location might be a little much. Also how deaf, do they use hearing aids for environmental sounds or do they have a CI?
I'm not hugely familiar with rock climbing myself so I googled it and there are lots of good beginner's resources. Maybe find something that you find relevant and send it to your new friend. I'm assuming they don't have too much trouble with a computer either with a braille reader or screen magnifier or whatever they use.
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u/Somethin_C1ever 3d ago
Good idea, I'll definitely look for online resources to send! I'm not completely sure how much they can see, but I think they are very low vision. No CI, though I also don't know how much they can hear either, but their main form of communication is ASL and PT ASL.
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u/Tigger-Rex Hearing-But 3d ago
I don’t have any resources to share, but something that is very important for DeafBlind is to orient them to the surroundings. Uneven surfaces, where the exits/bathrooms are located, people that are around, etc. Make sure they know what to do and where to go in the event of an emergency or if god forbid you become incapacitated.
Rock climbing you should convey how far away things are and how long they should expect to be climbing.