Bringing together the Deaf* community together over cookies and coffee

The Deaf Coffee Chat brings the hearing, deafened and Deaf GBC students, interpreters and professors together, to mingle and have free cookies and coffee. Illustration: Sam Bullis/The Dialog

“This room is small,” said Brian Ghov, grinning as he took in the crowded room. “There should be more space.”

The reason for his good humour is obvious as the Deaf Coffee Chat has attracted many more people than anticipated, even using the most optimistic estimates.

At the busiest point of the hour-long event, the crowd spills out over the entire room in the Community Action Centre, filling the couches and chairs in the main lounge room.

Given how popular this event is, this was the first social hangout that Sheethal Kudva plans to make into a monthly event. Plans have been made for the event to be held again in January, and it will be advertised on leaflets dispersed throughout the college, as well as posted on Facebook.

Profoundly deaf herself, Kudva organized this gathering to give people from the Deaf* community at George Brown College (GBC) the chance to hang out, and many students agree with her on the importance of having events like this.

“I feel like it is important to keep social hangouts like this alive,” explained Randi Larmour, a hearing student in the ASL and deaf studies program. “It gives hearing students an opportunity to practice their ASL and meet people in the Deaf* community.”

College students are not the only ones who like this informal social gathering, the professors do as well.

“I’m glad to see my hearing ASL students from three different groups (classes) meet each other and use sign language,” said professor Susan DaDalt, who is also Deaf and teaches ASL at GBC.

The Deaf Coffee Chat brings the hearing, deafened and Deaf GBC students, interpreters and professors together, to mingle and have free cookies and coffee.

The event will be held at St. James campus on a monthly basis.