Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with deaf

Please hope me keep "hearing!"

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:37:38 -0800

I'm losing my hearing. What are my options? Almost every woman on my mother's side of the family eventually loses her hearing. The good news - this won't be a big problem for another ten years; the bad news - the first signs are showing up years earlier than my mother's and grandmother's did.

I do not have the option to see a doctor or audiologist right now and the chances are good that I won't have the option for a long while, but I will do as soon as I am able. Until then,I know that there's nothing I can do to turn around the hearing loss without seeing a doctor, but is there something I can do to allow me to continue functioning in society?

What I do know:
From my family history, I will most likely be completely deaf within thirty years, but I will be severely impaired within the next ten to fifteen. My symptoms are showing up ten to fifteen years earlier than the other women in my family. I don't want to find myself deaf with only a notebook and pen as my primary means of communication, so I want to start now and help reduce the impact of the problems I foresee. I know almost nothing about the deaf community, but I certainly don't want to offend anyone by asking ignorant questions or making inadvertently offensive comments.

I need tips on how better to read lips, and what options I have for cheap or free sign-language classes. Where should I look first? What questions should I ask when I get there? Should I try to learn ASL or should I go for a more international version? I live in the southern US, but I have friends from and will be traveling to the UK a lot, so I'm not sure what I should be doing. I'm at a loss about where to start.

Throwaway email: ehwhatdidyousay@gmail.com

I wanna know about the old country.

twistofrhyme — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:42:14 -0800

I'm going to be at a rainy cottage all weekend with 3 senior citizens: my dad, aunt, and uncle. I want my non-talkative dad and his sister to reminisce about their childhoods, but I suspect my aunt's talkative husband will dominate the conversation. If that happens, Dad and Aunt won't talk much. How can I encourage them to reminisce without hurting my uncle's feelings? Here's a little more info about the personalities:

My dad, age 70- good-natured, physically active, not very talkative, has terrible hearing (like 30%, even with a hearing aid).
My aunt, age 65- dad's younger sister. Has badly arthritic knees. She's fairly chatty, but can get a little tense with her husband.
My dad and his sister have not spent more than 3 hours together in about 30 years (no specific conflict- they just drifted apart). Also, they are both retired and spend a lot of time alone so they have withdrawn slightly- lots of naps and newspaper crosswords, not much socializing.

My uncle (my aunt's husband), age 65- professorial, very social, still works so he's "younger" than my dad and aunt and more plugged into the world. He tends to be dominant with planning and conversation, which irritates my aunt and causes tension between them. He is really sweet, and I like him a lot, but I am really more excited to spend time with my dad and aunt, since they are never ever together and my aunt is hard for me to contact (whereas uncle and I share some interests so we communicate by email already).

Two questions:

1. How to get Dad and Aunt talking about life in the old country?
I already asked Uncle to bring old slides and photos.
I'm gonna grab some photo books & a DVD documentary about the country to spark memories.
Any other ideas?

2. What else would be fun for us to do together?
My dad's bad hearing can make it really hard to do group activities.
My aunt's bad knees make walking a problem for her (so no hikes).
The cottage has electricity, TV, DVD player, etc.

I really want this weekend to be special and help my dad and his sister connect after so long apart!
I'm not gonna be all stressy and neurotic about it or try to force them to reminisce, but I would like to go in with a couple of ideas.
Thanks in advance for your help!

Deafness in dogs

specialagentwebb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:24:46 -0800

How can I tell if my dog is partially deaf? I got my first dog this past Saturday, and so far, everything is going great (well, except for his food obsession, but we're working on that). I'm a bit concerned, though, because it's hard to get a response from him when we make noise.

I first noticed it when working on his food obsession. Basically, whenever his nose would get too close to the dinner table, I'd shout a loud "AH-AH" (a la Victoria Stilwell). When that got no response (not so much as an ear wiggle), I escalated to two sharp claps. I can clap really loudly, but again, no response. Then we tried a can of pennies, but again, there was no indication that he even heard it. I've never met a dog who didn't at least look your way when you shook a can of pennies. I would have written it all off as "he's too focused on the food to even care", but it's not only when food is around. If we call his name (or call anything, for that matter), we don't even get a flick of the ear to indicate that he's heard us.

On the flip side, it could very well be that he's not used to listening to humans, and that he's very new and doesn't understand that the things we're saying are directed at him? I find myself worrying more and more about this, and looking at each scenario to see if he could have reacted because of non-auditory cues. Did he hear the door open, or did he smell the whiff of outside air? Did he leave the food alone because I barked "MINE!", or because of my body posture? So far, I can't think of a single time that he's definitively "heard" something, but then again, I'm probably in overprotective new-mother mode. We're going to the vet this Saturday for a wellness check, and I intend to bring it up then.

So after all that long lead-up, here are my questions:
Are there definitive tests for hearing in dogs?
Is there anything I can test out at home, for my peace of mind?
What kind of things should I ask my vet about?
Is is possible that there are just certain frequencies that he's not hearing?
Have you ever encountered a hearing dog that has no Pryor's reflex?

Additional information:
3.5-year-old male retired racing greyhound. Neutered. Tested negative for worms and TBDs, fully vaccinated. Had been living in the track kennel until this week.

Possibly relevant:
He has barked, growled, and whined. He's very uncomfortable walking at night. He has shown absolutely no aggression toward anyone in the house, although we don't approach him while he's asleep. And just to head off arguments, I have no intention of returning him if he is deaf or partially deaf. I made a commitment to this dog, and I am more than willing to put in all the effort and patience he needs.

Thanks in advance for all answers/suggestions/advice.

How to Learn ASL in DC

gyges — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:03:02 -0800

What's a good way to learn ASL in Washington, DC? I'm aware of Gallaudet, but it looks as if I've missed the fall enrollment deadline for classes. I can enroll in the springtime, of course, but in the meantime, I'd like to start learning how to converse with the deaf community in DC. I should point out that I have a 9-5 job outside of the city, so my options are limited to home study and evening/weekend instruction. My motivation for wanting to learn ASL (and start sooner rather than later) is because I've been half-deaf since early childhood, and my hearing in my remaining ear has inexplicably diminished throughout my adult life to the point that I now (at 31) wear a hearing aid and have significant problems when holding conversation in noisy/crowded environments.

So, where's the best place to start? Thanks everyone!

Hey how's it going OH SHI.. I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:21:13 -0800

Wacky ear question: Sometimes when I speak out loud one or both of my ears will pOp and I can't hear anything but my own voice. What the heck is going on and how can I get it to stop? To better describe the sound (or lack thereof): it's like when you wear earplugs; outside sound is greatly reduced and muffled, and all you can really hear is the vibrations of your own voice and breathing.

It happens often enough that I get jarred when it happens because suddenly all the sounds are off balance and my voice sounds so close and LOUD. Sometimes it "sticks" and I have trouble responding to people because I just can't hear a darn thing they're saying.

Strangely, this happens to my nose sometimes too. I'll be speaking then suddenly one nostril will seemingly close up and my voice becomes very nasal and odd sounding.

What the heck is happening here? Is this some earwax/booger issue? How can I fix it? It's driving me crazy!

Huh?Filter: Advice needed on getting a hearing aid

mad_little_monkey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:22:59 -0800

Huh?Filter: Advice needed on getting a hearing aid My beloved husband has suspected hearing loss for years. It's time we get him a hearing aid, he has trouble hearing basic conversation. Can anyone advise on the first step and maybe the best device that is out there now? What kind of doctor should he see?

Looking for closed-captioned or subtitled media

desjardins — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:52:50 -0800

Looking for streaming (or downloadable) closed-captioned or subtitled TV shows and movies, preferably relatively recent and mainstream. Is there a repository of this stuff that I've been missing? I know Hulu has some CC media, but it's very limited.

Insurance companies are evil. Who knew?

LittleMissCranky — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:56:51 -0800

Has anyone successfully had a cochlear implant covered when the insurance company says that it's excluded? My son needs a cochlear implant. Our insurance (United Healthcare), provided by my husband's employer, says that they won't cover it. There seems to be some evidence that the exclusion is illegal under Title V, but I'm having a hard time finding much support. Any thoughts?

Please don't debate cochlear implantation here. Thank you.

ASL in Houston

LittleMissCranky — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:30:54 -0800

Learning ASL in Houston Could anyone recommend a good ASL class in Houston? Preferably in the loop, preferably evenings, but I'm flexible. Any signing coffee-club sort of groups would also be great. Thanks!

Is it possible to beatmix with only one ear?

iivix — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:25:26 -0800

My girlfriend wants to learn to DJ. The problem is that she's deaf in one ear. Any experience, anecdotes or advice about one ear DJing would be greatly appreciated. So a little background. Since I've been DJing a while, we have all the equipment required (2x Technics 1200s, Vestax mixer, closed back Sennheiser headphones (HD25s), good monitor set up (Tannoy Reveals)). There's split cue on the mixer (splitting cue and master hard left and right on the headphones), but no way to mix incrementally between cue and master channels on the headphones. We have a stack of records with easily identifiable beats (techno, breaks, a bit of trance). My girlfriend ideally wants to learn basic beatmixing, to transition between 4/4 tunes in a mix.

The thing is, the way I've learnt to beatmix is the classic one-headphone-on-for-the-cued-track, one-off-for-the-monitor technique. This obviously requires two ears. And I suspect the only way I can actually get the mix working is by being able to process two different sounds as coming from two different spatial directions. If you only have one working ear, what do you need to do to be able to distinctly hear two different tunes at the same time?

Is it even possible?

On behalf of my other half, any advice is massively appreciated.

Deaf safe words?

sperose — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:32:26 -0800

How would a deaf person use a safe word? [Answers may be NSFW.] This came up in a conversation elsewhere on the internet. I was wondering how a deaf person would use a safe word, especially if their hands were immobile. Obviously, it would make a difference if the deaf person was the dominant or submissive, but I'm curious for all sides of the equation, so to speak.

Two Master's Degrees... What are my options?

msposner — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:57:38 -0800

This spring I will be finished with my second Master's degree. I've been at my current job for almost three years and while I enjoy it immensely, I am wondering about other opportunities that having two graduate degrees might open up for me. Am hoping to obtain answers especially from individuals who have multiple degrees and have gone into somewhat different career paths. My first graduate degree is a M.S. in Secondary School Education. I am qualified to teach in public school (context area: Social Studies). I also am certified to teach at schools for the deaf but that is not something I want to focus on because of how such institutions are being shut down at an alarming rate.

My second graduate degree is going to be a M.S. in Professional/Rehabilitation Counseling, which I'll be obtaining in May of 2009. I'm not going to be pursuing my Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) certificate because I was recently on their advisory panel and signed a waiver stating that I promise not to take the CRC test for at least five years due to first-hand exposure to potential test questions. This is perfectly fine with me because I'm not planning on having my own independent counseling practice and I have no desire to work for any of the major insurance companies around here.

I currently work at a state agency as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and while I do enjoy this job very, very much, lately it seems as if I'm often hearing from people (respected professionals) that I should be doing something "better" and so forth.

For me, "better", would be to obtain employment as a researcher (researcher scientist?) or a professor at a college/university, which is actually my ultimate goal but I'm also open to acquiring other, relevant experience that might enhance myself as an educator. I'm a voracious reader and I'm always conducting research- I'd really like to go into education/rehabilitation policy if the opportunity ever presents itself.

For now, my intention is clearly to "stay put" because as I mentioned, I love my job and I enjoy working with my colleagues, however, I have my goals outside of this field and have oftentimes thought about returning to the classroom as a high school teacher.

In a nutshell, my inquiries are defined as follows:

(I) I've been told that having Master degrees in both education and counseling will make me very attractive to school systems. True?

(II) Will the fact that I do not have terminal degrees in either fields (education and counseling) hurt my chances in obtaining research-based positions and/or work as a college instructor?

(III) For someone with two Master's degrees, what are the other fields I could go into when I have specialization in both education and counseling?

(IV) Has anyone experienced negative pitfalls of having multiple graduate degrees such as frequent rejections on the basis of being overqualified?

--------

Caveat #1: I am profoundly deaf. This, unfortunately, creates a lot of barriers for me in the workplace. Many schools have refused to hire me because in order for me to instruct in public schools, they would have to also pay for a full-time sign language interpreter since I communicate primarily in American Sign Language. In their eyes, I'm not cost effective- I'm a budget burden. As I mentioned earlier, I do not want to work at schools for the deaf because of the lack of job security and their notoriously low salaries.

Caveat #2: I've mentioned that I love my current job. However, I am also trying to plan ahead (1-3 years) and have always been open to other opportunities.

Caveat #3: Not really looking to relocate anytime in the near/distant future. Wife loves her job and is pregnant with our first child. We also put a lot of work in our present home.

Caveat #4: I'm 27 years old.

Caveat #5: My current job is paying fully for my second graduate degree, which is really the only reason why I went back to school after I completed my first Master's.

Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions/insights.

Where can I find streaming news videos with captions?

spaceman_spiff — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:13:06 -0800

Where can I find streaming news videos with captions? I want to watch the debate tonight on my laptop, but I need captions or subtitles. Does anyone know if any of the sites streaming it will have captions? And generally, if any major news organizations have begun putting captions on their streaming videos?

Help me locate a transcript of this clip.

UnclePlayground — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:00:14 -0800

Please supply me with a transcript of this Australian interview. An interview with an Australian senator regarding an oil spill. I'd like for my wife, who is Deaf, to be able to understand what is being said in this clip. If you can locate a transcript... Thanks!

How can I fix my hearing?

rybreadmed — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:03:37 -0800

What can I do to fix my hearing? (Don't forget to use caps so I can hear you.) I went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor this past week for a hearing test. I've felt that my hearing has slowly been degrading over time. I say, "What?" a lot, and usually have the TV too loud (compared to where other people seem to hear it fine).

Based on the results of the hearing test (listen to the beeps and click the button if I can hear it), the doctor said that I indeed possessed "mild to moderate hearing loss," but that he thought it was not bad enough to warrant a hearing aid. I asked him if there was any way to fix it besides a hearing aid, and he said there wasn't: the cilia in my inner ear is all messed up (he used more appropriate medical terms--but you get the idea). He said that all I could do is just get my hearing tested each year and stay away from loud noises.

I'm only 28, I don't work in a job with a lot of loud noises or power tools, I don't listen to really loud rock music, and I don't spend a whole lot of time around loudness in general. I play my music and TV a bit louder, but it's not deafening. My father said he's experienced the same thing through his life (messed up cilia in the inner ear--again, substitute the medical terminology in here). He's almost 60, and he said that in the last year or two, he has started hearing a constant low white noise (like TV static) or grasshoppers.

Fantastic. So this is what I have to look forward to. Grasshoppers, white noise, and playing the TV too loud. My father can still hear and doesn't have a hearing aid; in fact, he has great ability with tonal differentiation (he plays piano).

So the doctor says there's nothing that can be done. He said it definitely wasn't a wax build-up, either. I humbly ask you if you can think of any potential fixes for this? Is there some kind of audio therapy? Or new-fangled technology to overcome hearing problems?

Save me from the grasshoppers.

it's off to work we what?

phoeniciansailor — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:26:19 -0800

for anyone who has trouble hearing, seeing a movie at the theater means missing out on a lot of dialogue and piecing together the story as best they can. thankfully, many movies are now distributed with (optional) captions, and some theaters will have 1 or 2 special screenings where they show the dialogue on-screen. however for some reason, disney/pixar refuses to participate. who at disney do i need to talk to about this, to try and set things right? for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, having on-screen captions includes them in the movie-going experience like you wouldn't believe. the only other option for them is to wait for the movie to come out on dvd -- with captions. but for the summer blockbusters, that's just not the same.

i'm so happy that the alamo drafthouse here in austin shows movies with on-screen captions, but they can't get disney/pixar to send them the captioning info. i'd like to talk to someone at the studio or the distributor who can explain why. maybe all they need is a little nudge to change their mind.

but i can't seem to find any good information on who to get in touch with. can someone with a better understanding of the disney machine help with me names / email addresses / phone numbers?

any other advice or ideas are also welcomed.

Need history-tour services for the Deaf in Boston

UnclePlayground — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:07:00 -0800

Are there any history-based tours in Boston that accomodate the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing? My wife is Deaf and we are visiting Boston on May 18-21. While I'm attending my conference during the day, she would like to soak up as much natural American historyas she can. We've been unable to find any outfits that accomodate D/HoH with interpreters. She would be willing to settle (*heavy sigh*) for a tour that supplies well-written reading materials that follow the tour. But she'd MUCH prefer a 'terp. Anyone local, or had experience similar, that could help out?

i want to learn asl at home

phoeniciansailor — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:22:19 -0800

help me learn sign language (asl) in the comfort of my own home my boyfriend is fairly-well deaf, and although he's very good at lip-reading and understanding what i'm saying, i feel that we'd talk faster (with less repeating) if we used sign language -- almost as a supplement. and maybe later on in life, we'd come to rely on the signing more. we've both taken college-level ASL classes many years ago, but neither of us has ever hung out in deaf circles, so that knowledge sort of .. evaporated. we found the classes fairly mediocre and often embarrassing, and have no interest in going back and trying that approach again. and frankly, we're not the most social people in the world, so crashing a "deaf coffee night" at the local starbucks is (unfortunately) out of the question.

are there any good online courses or dvds, or other types of learning tools which we can use at home, which will bring us back up to speed and help us get better with our signing? most of the dvd's i've found have been the same kind of old-fashioned, corny videos where they have very artificial conversations. online mostly all i've found have been "video dictionaries", which are great, but not what we need for learning how to have a conversation. so far, the best sites i've found have been deaf video blogs, since it's really people signing at normal speed, using "slang" and so forth. but they're probably not the best learning tools.

What is it what is it GIVE IT HERE GIVE IT -- oh God it's gone now hope it wasn't chocolate

Countess Elena — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:34:51 -0800

How can I train a deaf dachshund to Drop It -- without hand signals? I have a deaf dachshund, and she is my pride and joy. She is deaf by birth, and is three years old now.

Like all dachshunds, she loves to eat. Unfortunately, the vet considers her to have a sensitive stomach by nature, and has put her on a strict I/D diet. I'm sure he's right. I took her in a year ago because she had been vomiting clear liquid every day, and the vet said that she just can't handle anything but bland food. So she spends her life trying to get anything else.

I live in a city, and twice now I have had to take her to the vet because she was scary sick from something she ate on one of our walks. It's often too late, especially in the early morning or evening, for me to realize that a light-colored object on the ground isn't a dead leaf but instead a piece of torn bread or half a muffin, before Short Round can inhale it. People around here throw a lot of crap from the nearby Dunkin' Donuts on the ground. These things just make her throw up, which doesn't require a vet visit. What's worse is that she likes things that make her really ill, like woody objects -- nutshells, pine cones -- and, just recently, sidewalk salt. Those symptoms were fun to wake up to at 3 am, boy howdy.

Clearly, she has to learn to Drop It. But how can I get through to her?

-- Hand signals? They worked briefly when she was a puppy, in a specialized class situation until she learned that she didn't have to look at me. She's too short to be forced to look. By the time I manage to grab her attention, often physically, she's eaten whatever it was. When we walk, her attention is strictly on the many smells of life.

-- A laser pointer or flashlight? She's agitated by strange lights. Car headlights or garish Christmas displays give her barking fits. I don't know that I should associate this reaction with something I do (should I?) Besides, a laser pointer could damage her eyes.

-- The water bottle? She associates this with being a Bad Dog, and it is almost never used, because she runs and hides and is quiet when she sees me pick it up. I feel terrible about this -- I've squirted her maybe once. Is it healthy to associate this with our walks?

-- A vibrating collar? Are these healthy for 12-pound dogs? I'd hate to think the solution costs $250, but if it's safe, it may be the best option. Still, I don't know anyone that's used one on a pet.

-- The "Here, have a treat instead" method? She'd have to finish eating the thing she's already got before even considering the proposition. Nevertheless, this may be worth a try if I can find some hypoallergenic treats for her.

I'd appreciate your ideas. (And by the way, don't be discouraged from the idea of having a deaf dog. She loves everyone, she's smart as a whip, and she was very easy to housetrain.)

Yoga in Spanish or sign language in the San Francisco area

salvia — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:32:36 -0800

Know of any yoga classes in the San Francisco Bay Area that are in Spanish or in sign language? A friend of mine is hard of hearing. Her native language is Spanish, so that is easier for her to understand. She also knows some sign language.

We have been going to yoga class together, but some of the instructions are actually fairly hard to pick up by sight. By talking to her afterwards, it's clear she's missing about half of what was said.

So, I'd like to find a class in the San Francisco Bay Area that is taught in sign language or in Spanish. Alternatively, maybe we could get by in a small class with a teacher who would really take care that she was understanding.

She's a 60-year-old beginner, so we need something fairly introductory and maybe even healing or meditation-oriented.

I'm sure there must be some non-english-speakers or deaf people in this area that are learning yoga, but I don't know how to find these classes. I've googled to no avail. My yoga-teaching friend even sent a note to a yoga teacher mailing list and didn't get a response. So, any ideas are welcome.

Thanks!

Quality intergenerational time that transcends disabilities

moreandmoreso — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:26:57 -0800

What activities can I initiate with my substantially-deaf, substantially-blind grandfather? I am 23. A while ago I moved to the same metropolitan area as my grandparents. Grandpa's vision and hearing have been going downhill for a while, leading to his increasing frustration. Grandma is not experiencing such problems. Help me make the most of our quality time together, either just with Grandpa or with both. I could meet with them up to twice a month either alone or with other family members.

They are in their mid-80s and still live in their own lake-front house. They walk (slowly) for exercise every morning and manage to do most of the things they need to do around the house on their own. Active activities would generally be difficult.

The current pattern of activity is Grandma invites 3 of us over for dinner, we chat over dinner, and Grandpa misses most of the conversation. If you take care to speak loudly, slowly, and in his direction, he understands most of it.

General suggestions are welcome, but if you need something to get your imagination going... Grandpa was a chemist before he retired and is interested in science, ancient civilizations, Italy, fiction writing, classical guitar/jazz music and harassing squirrels. He taught me to play chess. Grandma reads the newspaper and crossword puzzles aloud to him every day.

Perhaps activities specifically geared to stimulate touch, taste or smell would be engaging?

Your what is in your what?

Skyanth — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:55:03 -0800

My grandmother is hard of hearing/deaf but refuses to wear a hearing aid. Conversation with her is becoming all but impossible. I'm thinking of giving her one of those old-fashioned horns, because although it will look a bit silly, it will at least be functional, and available to her when necessary. And it's not "some electronic thing" she has to "fiddle" with. My question is, where would you get one of those? Preferably not an antique.

How written Deaf sounds?

unmake — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:16:50 -0800

When translated into English, do different locality's sign languages read - or sound - very different? Or, for that matter - do deaf writers tend to write somehow differently from hearing writers? Any examples?

How a Deaf Person Communicates with a Blind Person?

Locative — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:19:40 -0800

How can a deaf person communicate with a blind person? My neighbors are a married blind man and deaf woman. I've communicated with the deaf woman via pen and paper before, and she wrote that she can't lipread. She seems to be completely deaf because when she vocalizes, it isn't understandable. I don't know them well enough to just ask them about this, and googling only brings up info about people who are deaf and blind. How do they talk to one another?

Do deaf people get distracted by very expressive hand and body movements?

lychee — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:49:49 -0800

Is it annoying, distracting, or offensive to a deaf person who is using an interpreter to interact with hearing people who gesticulate a lot and have very expressive facial or body movements? I know being expressive with your face and body language is important when communicating in sign language, but let's say you have Person A, who is deaf; Person B, who is the interpreter; and Person C, a hearing person. If C is standing next to the interpreter and C is moving their hands around at the same level as the interpreter's hands, using expressive body language and moving around a bit, all while talking to A via the interpreter, is this distracting?

(One thing to note, C is expressive in general, so I don't think they are aping the signer's movements, but it feels to me like subconscious imitation, because I do sense a change in their body and hand movements when we are interacting with hearing persons versus when we are meeting with the deaf person.)