Deaf adventures on wheels – a sign of the times

Jul 08, 2016
Deaf adventures on wheels – a sign of the times

Bike Auckland

How to say "Cycling Auckland" in NZSL.
How to say “Bike Auckland” in NZSL, via the Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language.

At the Great Auckland Bike Market in June, you might have spotted an adventurous group of riders talking to each other in NZ Sign Language. Christopher Dempsey caught up with them to find out how far they’d come…  

The Deaf Outdoor Adventures Club is one of a number of different groups within the Auckland Deaf Society, based in Balmoral, that cater to the interests of Deaf and hearing friends, the signing community in Auckland. ADS promotes an inclusive and open membership that New Zealand Sign Language, one of the country’s three official languages, is a core feature to bring all people together. The club runs a range of activities for members, including tramping, skiing… and cycling.

When they heard about the Great Auckland Bike Market, they decided it would make an excellent event to bike to. Susan Thomas, event organiser for the group, says:

Previously I had talked with my work mates about bike riding along SH16. They told me about a NEW PINK Bridge in the city for cycling and walking.

I organised the setting up of a cycle group with the Deaf Outdoor Adventures club under the Auckland Deaf society.

Our 14 Deaf people enjoyed riding their bikes together from Henderson and had a fun journey along SH16 on the Northwest Cycleway to the CBD, through Beach Road and Quay Street. We stopped at Queen’s Wharf at the Cloud, visiting the amazing demonstration of the Great Auckland Bike Market. Afterward, we rode through the PINK Bridge from Nelson Street, and returned to the Northwest cycleway along SH16 (about 30km). It was a fantastic ride.

Many of the 14 had never cycled into the city before. Several expressed great delight in being able to do so along safe routes. Angela Sew Hoy said: ‘I felt energised by a 15km group bike ride with 13 enthusiastic cyclists from the Deaf Outdoor Adventures Club. It was a great fun ride in cool weather, and most of the cyclists did a 30 km return trip.  It is recommended for any novice or experienced cyclists.’

Eric, another member, said, ‘It was a great trip, it felt very safe and it had good views. Better than going by car. Lovely, nice, relaxing with good space in the cycleway.’

Another Deaf cyclist, using an electric bike to commute to work daily, has installed a cycle mirror, so he could “see” (instead of hearing) the traffic behind him for enhanced safety.

I’m deaf (but not Deaf)* – I wear hearing aids, but I have enough hearing to cope with street life. For both Deaf and deaf people alike, cycling presents its own unique challenges in navigating the world around us. Often I don’t wear my hearing aids while cycling; I can hear enough to be aware, but I become more sensitive to what is happening around me, and I tend to rely much more on sight, depending on context.

The thing is that all of us develop our own strategies to keep ourselves safe while traveling, whether we’re just biking or walking around our local community, or traveling longer distances across the city. Being Deaf or deaf is not in itself a barrier to cycling, and it’s clear that separated cycleways and calmer streets absolutely help Deaf / deaf folk get around and get further afield – which can only be a great thing.

— Christopher Dempsey

* NOTE: Deaf, with a capital D, refers to people who primarily use NZSL for communication, contribute to Deaf culture, and socialise exclusively with other Deaf. Conversely, deaf with a small ‘d’ refers to people who generally have hearing aids or other devices, and use spoken word primarily for communication, but do not participate in Deaf culture.

DeafadventureclubLightpath

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