That photo is us as Bob and Linda of Bob's Burgers at Comic-Con. Many couples like Bob and Linda or us face many challenges in marriage, such as finances, children, health, and more. When one partner is Deaf and the other is Hearing, it adds another layer to these challenges.
I've been married to my Hearing wife for 28 years, and I'm Deaf. Early in our marriage, we attended a Deaf-Hearing Couple workshop through the Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA.org). There, we learned valuable lessons from other couples about what to do and what to avoid, which helped strengthen the foundation of our marriage.
One practical tip we picked up was how to handle dining out. Instead of me repeatedly asking my wife to interpret or explaining to the waitress that I’m Deaf, we developed a simple strategy: I make eye contact with my wife, and she immediately signs to me what the waitress is saying. Less work, less frustration and makes dining out much more enjoyable without any communication breakdowns.
She has been supporting me in this way for so long that I want to take a moment to acknowledge her and express my gratitude for her unwavering support over the years. I never take her for granted.