A week after an agency sent an interpreter for her doctors appointment, hallucinations and paranoia began. Pelloni’s mother’s health was once jeopardized by faulty sign language interpretation that led to incorrect medication. No terp has been arranged for this critical parent-principal meeting. Murray pantomimes the school principal’s baffled reaction when he realizes he’s been talking to a confused deaf man (Mr. Then there’s the subtler bullying, or oppression and lack of accessibility. “The least awesome part about being a CODA was dealing with kids older and bigger than me making fun of my mom,” said Pelloni. People waiting in the line at Ralph’s would whisper to each other, while staring at young Dustin and his mother using sign language. Deaf parents are fodder for ignorant bullies, which “CODA” explores in a scene where Murray deals with a sneering high school bully who likens sign language to “hand tourettes” while pantomiming mental retardation. If scoring the perfect prank is a high, then bullying is one of the lows of being a CODA. What sucks more than being bullied? Seeing your parents bullied – or oppressed.Also, the best way to get back at her for throwing the slipper in your face is to put your CD player (turned on and volume all the way up) into her purse when she goes to the grocery store.” “All CODAs learn one lesson very early in life: The greatest way to get a slipper to the face is to close your eyes when your Deaf mother is yelling at you.
But still, CODAs can prank their folks like no one else can: “It is a common misconception that … because she is Deaf that my Mom and I have some sort of different relationship, but the reality is that she and I are just like any other mother-son tandem,” Pelloni observed. Suddenly, the mischievous CODA breaks out into ear-piercing screams of “FIRE!” Hilarity – and a near-heart attack – ensues, but no shotgun.
As the two sneak into his house late at night, the friend is warned that Mr. In a scene inspired by real life, Murray pranks a friend (who is unaware his folks are deaf). They pull CODA pranks (because no one else can)īoys will be boys, but CODAs may have the upper hand in the trickery department.“You mean … your parents aren’t deaf?” Murray responds with equal wonderment. “What’s sign language?” his playmate asks in wonderment. In a scene when he is about 7 years old, he discovers with shock that (most) parents do not sign. “The epiphany came when I realized that all the moms of the other kids in my class could talk to each other and that my mom was all by herself because she was unable to communicate.”įor Murray, the epiphany came through a friend. “To little Dustin it seemed that the ratio of Deaf mothers, and Deaf fathers really, was about 50/50,” recalled Pelloni. When does a boy raised by wolves, realize that most boys are not raised by wolves? Epiphany is a defining moment in a CODA’s life.
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