Deaf Beggers?
Posted by chillygurlz on December 30, 2007
Homeless deaf beggers? while I was visiting San Diego last Sept, me and my friend went down to del taco resturant for lunch. as we were sitting down to eat our big burrito, an deaf lady came up to us, when i saw her, i noticed she was a homeless person and was holding those little paper cards that has finger spelling signs and it also says “i’m deaf”. She was asking us for money cuz she was deaf and needed money for food for her and a dog. at first i kinda felt sorry cuz she looked like she was homeless but at same time I felt she had no respect for herself and the deaf culture. so i said sorry no can do. in my mind i was like, what she was doing is insult to deaf community. I was warned by the teachers for the deaf and other people about those deaf beggers. tell me your opinions pls…
December 30, 2007 at 6:35 am
Hi Rita,
I’ve seen deaf beggars (peddlers) in my home area few times….each time they come to me I would sign “I’m deaf too” they just say oh ok and walk away…just once one of them stayed to have short conversation with me, he appeared mentally fine to me and able to hold a job.
And the other one after a guy was done peddling on the street (I was watching him when I was eating by the window) he walked back to his nice car….maybe like 5 years old car. What the heck, you know. I do not know if he was really deaf but sure was peddling.
I think in my lifetime I’ve been approached by them about 5 times since moving to the city I’m living now for little over ten years.
To answer your question, yeah I believe it’s wrong for anyone to peddle.
If you ever think about peddling, check with Jon Savage….I’m just kidding, I hope he didn’t read this.
December 30, 2007 at 6:38 am
just so u know, i would never be a begger…. it just not right…. i am sure jon savage will be reading this lol…
December 30, 2007 at 6:45 am
Deaf Beggars could be false. I remember a Deaf guy dressed up as a homeless, bad breath, bad hairs and so forth. One day, he came to my work - I couldn’t believe it as he couldn’t believe I work there. I told him take a hike. My wife later meet him at the car wash bay on a main street. She told him take a hike. She mention me of what he is wearing his clothes. It was the same as I saw him. Few weeks later, we saw him again at the food court in the mall. Guess what he wore a finest clothes and shoe like us. He was no homeless. He earn from begging for money, social assistance and a free health care. Next time, I see him then I will kick his nuts for abusing my taxpaying for the health care.
December 30, 2007 at 7:30 am
Jesus love homeless people.
December 30, 2007 at 7:48 am
My mother was shop at a grocery store when she finished and walked outside with a bags of food in a cart. A guy approached her, hand her a fingerspelling card. She took a look at it and straight in his eyes, wondering he was actually deaf or not. He turned around walked away, she knew something was not right, she called him by a voice. He HEARD her, walked off disppear. She realized he was a hearing. Of course, she was disgusting the way he disadvantage of deafies.
Good topic.
December 30, 2007 at 10:37 am
Some deaf beggers often go to bed hungry. I had met several deaf beggers in 1970’s. My ex deaf boy friend was a begger. that time he had no job, and his mother kicked him out when he was the teenager , and he had no choice so he had to sell the cards to survive. Some deaf beggars from Mexico came here to sell the cards to eat. They couldn’t get a job here because they can’t read. They couldn’t get the jobs at Mexico either. Sad! Recently I went to WallMart to shop, and I met a deaf guy who was selling the card to me. I talked to him for about five minutes and he said that he needs the money for gas so I gave him one dollar. i know that many deaf people don’t like the deaf beggers but some of them are starved and have no jobs. Not all deaf beggers are homeless. They have place to live on SSI income but no food. Food stamps don’t cover the whole month so they sell the cards so they can have enough food for every end of the month. Selling cards is no fun.
December 30, 2007 at 10:50 am
My partner and I were approached in the UK whilst having a meal, by a man of middle easten origin who asked us for £3 (About $5), for a tiny key ring, he spoke (!), “I am deaf if you will buy this I can eat today..”, he’d picked the wrong couple because we were both deaf, so I signed to him which deaf school did he attend ? and he grabbed the key ring and ran out of the cafe ! I explained to customers there deaf people in the UK do not beg like this, so please don’t buy anything from these people. An interesting comment was “Deaf people accept charity, isn’t that begging ? don’t many deaf people belong to charitable groups ? it’s still begging even if you aren’t out on the street..” discuss !
December 30, 2007 at 12:54 pm
There are tons of hearing peddlers out there, why can’t there be deaf peddlers? There are much worse ways to ‘earn’ money.
December 30, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Most Deaf beggars in San Diego (that I have encountered) are usually drug addicts or alcoholics so I usually refrain myself from giving them money which they possibly use to buy drugs or liquors. I usually offer to buy them a sandwich from a nearby store but that’s it.
Most of the times, they just wanted to chat with somebody Deaf (they saw me signing) because they often spent time with hearing homeless people. Most Deaf beggars in San Diego is harmless. I never saw them selling any ABC cards although.
I don’t see how drug addiction is an insult to Deaf community– it is a problem that doesn’t discriminate as it occurs to every minority *and the majority too!*. Usually in most cities there are Deaf rehab groups to help them overcoming their addictions.
In San Diego, I think “Signs of Life” is the organization that works with addicts to overcome. They used to host monthly Wednesday coffee night in Pacific Beach to give Deaf people a chance to socialize (and join SOL’s rehab program).
December 30, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Mr Carter (US President) who signed in 1970s to let deafies drawing SSD. …..in 1950s and 1960s many deafies were peddlers. True story, police arrested deaf who peddlied in town, asking if police likes to see deaf to rob or peddle then police answered ROB, ha…..If no SSD or SSI, what would you do even no job?
December 30, 2007 at 4:11 pm
It is common knowledge that deaf peddlers operate in groups with a ringleader who takes most of the profits. The peddlers are often young, less intelligent, or foreign deaf people recruited by promises of easy money and independence, or excitement and free travel.
Truthfully, they are exploited and frequently brainwashed to think they have a right to collect welfare, SSI, SSD, and peddle all at the same time and that they cannot do better. VR, low income housing, and social services are available to them, but they believe their ringleader will offer them more.
The damage peddlers do to the Deaf community and hearing peoples’ perceptions of Deaf people is enormous. The damage they do to themselves is also considerable: it limits their desirability for employment, marriage, social acceptance, and community standing. In time, it makes them eligible only for welfare, not a comfortable retirement with pensions. In short, peddling is a trap.
December 30, 2007 at 4:40 pm
About 15 years ago, I read the SigNews newspaper about peddler and say that the deaf begger violated of ABC selling from the company.
I learn that company made the abc card it is free. Why the deaf begger earning from hearing people. It is kind of ABUSE their business which mean it suppose to be free card..
I kept wonder the business is running or no longer to make a ABC card ? I keep wondering?
Anyone know about that?
I agree with Dianerz. I cannot understand why the begger deaf people take advantaged of the way they treated to hearing people. They will think Oh, poor deaf begger need money for living while they are on sidewalk. Deaf Beggers need a money for their living while they are on Social Security Disabitiy or Income,etc.
December 30, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Richard.
Thank you for website information. It apear different of Sign Language . it kept old .. some of ASL is not seem not likely this one you gave me ..
Deaf Pixie
December 30, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Do you ever see hearing beggars selling cards that reads “I’m hearing. Please donate” ???
December 30, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I sometimes support beggars i often don’t.
I don’t know what it is that makes the difference for me.
But to be specific about deaf beggars or any other disabled beggar. I believe we need to identify the barriers disabled people face. Then we will know what it is that makes us unequal to non disabled people. We also need to know tha tthese barriers can be taken away, that they can be challenged, that adjustments can and shold be made.
My words for 2008 are participation, involvement and inclusion. Contributing to beggars might assist their participation, involvement and inclusion but for a better deal approach your local organisations of disabled people and make sure they are owned and controlled by disdabled people before giving your support. Charity is not an option for people fighting for rights.
December 30, 2007 at 6:04 pm
It’s quite a rare thing to find any deaf people begging here, mainly because they get state allowances and have a basic subsistence payment, what begging we do see, comes from immigrants, who beg as a way of life where they come from despite these payments they get… Because the UK is steeped in political correctness and told by the European Parliament what to do, we have to let them carry on instead of immediately deporting them, they simply claim asylum and carry on….. Polish/Romanian and those areas seem to at it all the time here, we’re fed up with them. Even America seems unable to deal with its illegals, I gather illegal immigrants were actually allowed to march in Washington, why didn’t the police round them up and send them back ? they’d not get a better chance…
December 30, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Some I believe are really broke and need to support their families, unable to get a job, etc. etc. Some I believe actually do it out of laziness. Remember, peddling is not as easy as it used to be. Pre 9/11 many peddlers worked in the airports. Now, it’s hard to do so. I believe that if jobs were readily available to many deaf, there would be less peddlers in this country. I don’t think we should jump to conclusions too fast. I don’t think all are drug users and alcoholics. I know a hearing CODA who’s mom was peddler for years, she supported her four hearing children on Peddling. All four became successful and now are supporting their mother. One became a lawyer, other became a doctor. So, you see, not all peddlers are bad. But deaf peddlers have become a stigma to the deaf community. As my hearing co-worker used to say “well, at least these deaf peddlers are out there “working”, they are selling abc cards with trinkets while many welfare moms stay home lazy on their butts getting free hand outs from govt.”
December 30, 2007 at 7:27 pm
R.A.D. while working in D.C. for two years. I see too many homeless people begging for money every day. The minue I get off METRO, walk around DC during my Lunch hour and before I get on METRO. All BEG for money everyday. Many are war vets. It’s very sad. Many have alcohol and drug problems as well. Many DC professionals still give them money because they don’t have any and no home to live. Hearings do beg, they don’t need a card, they can speak.
December 30, 2007 at 7:43 pm
i sometimes encounter hearing beggars. i usually give food if i have with me. some did not appreciate it. duh! i rarely give them money.
I had encountered a couple beggars selling abc cards. both was hearing. When I signed, they disapperared.
anyway i knew deaf guys who peddled pencils. sometimes they made a quite bit money. sometimes as much as 50 dollars for a couple hours.. sometimes almost nothing. it largely depended which area they were selling according to peddlers, rich neighborhood was the worst to sell. poor neighborhood was best to sell. They had to go to new neighborhoods because if they went to the same area over, people would not want to buy pencils again. they had 15-dollar business license. they showed it while selling. One time he got a job offer but he did not take it because it was a back-breaking job. unfortunately they had drug/alcohol problems.
homeless beggars are somewhat common in my hometown.
December 30, 2007 at 8:37 pm
C,
You’re missing the point. Hearing beggars simply ask for money while deaf beggars use their deafness as the “poor me, I’m deaf and cannot find a job” pity angle.
It’s making the rest of us deaf people look bad.
December 30, 2007 at 9:55 pm
ahh many hearings use their own “poor me” to fool people into giving them money. I know deaf peddlers make deaf people look bad to many of us. But, I have had discussions with my hearing co workers after they read in paper about NY deaf peddlers (years ago) and most of them disagreed with me, saying its ok for them to do it. They reasoned with me that deaf people are out there selling cards while welfare moms take advantage by sitting home and do nothing. I know some states have changed the program to make welfare moms work. But, you get the idea. It’s not only deaf but hearing. After all, we are all human.
December 31, 2007 at 8:10 am
Hi Rita, I was going to say something but Gnarlydorkette said it ALL! I’m thinking about produce a vlog that I had experience with homeless, who is Deaf. hmm..
January 1, 2008 at 3:32 am
Been there too. I agree with Dianrez. I had witnessed the young Deaf immigrant begged the train commuters with the ABC fingerspelling card. My sense tells that he is a member of the group with a ringleader who uses him for profits. I was talking to him in signing. Suddenly he signed differently - maybe Spanish Sign language. He understood me a bit and then kept begging along! A several years later, I learned that the ringleader got arrested in NYC (I think) and the many Deaf immigrants were found in the warehouse or somewhere. My sense is that he is one of them. How truly sad.
I knew there are many hearing pretend to be Deaf. My parents who ran the laundry mat at that time met a fake deaf begger, My Dad knew he is not Deaf because of the way he behaved (lack of his eye contact etc)
I was told there was a well known Deaf guy who had a dark life was a true biz begger and dressed up poorly. Many Deaf had learned more about him after his death.
I would not give them $$ but the food — yes … I did that once in Washington DC (while I was a student at Gallaudet)
January 1, 2008 at 4:02 am
I was with my dad to the breakfast program for homeless people early morning , One time there were few deaf people who saw us signing and would beg us for a place to stay or a money when the breakfast program closed for a day. I really feel sorry for them but we had to be careful what we have to give. We only have sleep bags in our garage. I agree with you that sometimes they pretand to be deaf and felt pity for them.
Diane, I know those people in NYC . I met them and they are all immgrants from Mexico. They invited me for dinner few times. When I enter and I was amazing how they can handle themselves.. 50 people in one apt.. But sad thing , if they dont earn the amout what their leader said, leader will beat them up and curse at them. They all were so nice pople and willing . Right, they taught me spanish sing lanuage. It was so interesting and you were right that they was caught by INS.
January 1, 2008 at 11:13 am
There seems more acceptance of begging in America than here !