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A lot of hearing impaired people tend to stay to away from public social events and parties. They feel uncomfortable in a crowed, always risking being considered rude if you don’t hear the question from the guy next to you. For many this affects their social life and makes them avoid these kind of events. Some of them should consider giving a costume theme party a try. A thing like the Oktoberfest where all are dressed out in tyroler kostumer, or going to a carneval where every is wearing some kind of dress or costume. Putting on a costume is more or less like putting on a new persona. You are suddenly no longer Deaf John from down the block, but an accepted part of a theme. Me and 3 hearing impaired friends went to the local karneval last year and all of us had a good time. At first i felt a little sorry for my friends, that they were unable to hear the cool music, but they were still able to feed the mood and pick up on the amazing atmosphere there was there. Because of the loud music (which can be annoying to some people who can’t hear), all the other noise around you, and the fact that you are wearing a costume over your head, suddenly gives you a completely valid reason not to hear a question someone may ask. And because of all the dancing and more or less drunk people in the crowd, very few will pay any attention to your sign languages. You are actually a lot more likely to be able to communicate with your friends there, than other people are. A bit part of going to such an event is the costumes. You can ofte find some good cheap costumes online at shops like karnevalsshoppen.dk or similar online webshops. Ofte you can find the kostume much cheaper onlie, and they have a better selection of kostumer there, compared to the local shops. Picking out the right costume is a big part of the fun, something that isn’t any less fun just because you are having a problem hearing. Try for instance dressing out as a blind person, and watch how other people react to you, some will think it’s a great costume, others will wonder if you are actually a blind person, who have just stumpled into the party by a mistake. One my the guys i was at the karneval with, did exactly that, and we all had quite a lauch watching how other people react to her.
Being able to dress out in a costume, really makes quite the difference. It’s kinda like putting on some kind of armor that protects you a little more from the rest of the world, and it makes you part of something larger than yourself. I can really recommend that you give it a try. Spend some time picking out the right costume and find something you will feel comfortable in and fits the theme of the party you are going to.
For inspiration take a look at this private blog here at http://kostumer-udklaedning.weebly.com
