Sign Language Proficient Clerk at DMV? Yep!

Today, I had to renew my driver’s license after my old one’s expiring this month and get new license plates to replace the ones I had since I moved to Columbus almost 8 years ago. I went to the local registrar office of the Ohio Dept. of Motor Vehicles and I had to inform the clerks that I’m deaf just to let them know, so the clerks won’t have to talk to me the same way they do to other hearing people every day: talking fast or incomprehensible nonchalantly or busily while being oblivion to people’s limitations. One of the clerks came forward to ask if I know sign language and I said yep. The young woman, named Nina, proceeded to sign with me but very basically as if she’s learning ASL recently. Turned out she’s been at this job for few years and knew some deaf people coming in from time to time, not so much often as she would like.

It is really to nice to know and see there’s someone working at a DMV who knows sign language, regardless of how really proficient that person is with ASL. How often deaf people around get to have someone working at a DMV who know sign language and assist them while they’re getting license renewal, test administration, question-answer situation and so on? Not often, in my case. Yours? I don’t know. I was not expecting Nina to be really, really proficient in ASL, only the basic signs since, as it would appear from her position in the registrar office, she doesn’t get to see deaf people coming in often and sign with them during any DMV procedure. Her signing was basic, awkward and I had to “teach” her to remind her the correct signs since she would forget a few. I’m not sure she would hang out with deaf people often in her life outside of her job and keep her signing skills intact over the time and it would be unreasonable to demand that she is to sign proficiently well in her job with any deaf person coming in for license renewal or whatever. The procedures at DMV are really basic and standard, so nothing complex of any sort, unless you would wanted a complicated, lengthy, nitpicking, detail-oriented time at your local DMV office with some poor or cranky clerk over a very simple issue such as what you wanted on your new driver’s license or whatever. In sign language.

In most cases, DMVs are always crowded and waiting can be long or short, depending on who come first, first served. Luckily, it was very few people at the one I went, just in time before it is closed for the evening. Nina was very pleasant and did her best to assist me with sign language over the renewal procedure, vision-testing and paying for it. How proficient she must be with sign language is not an issue with me, so as long as she knows the basic ones and to facilitate the renewal procedures while signing along, before moving onto the next person. Incidentally, I was the last person at the registrar office. My timing was perfect.

Wonder if any of you have gone to a DMV office, inform a clerk that you’re deaf and request a DMV clerk who know sign language? Ever demand one when there is none or take your business elsewhere? Usually, hand-writing between you and the clerk should be a simple approach but that’s up to you.

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