I tell people I'm deaf and that's the end of the conversation. They get uncomfortable and walk away to find someone else to talk to.
Just like that ?
I'd go to an Amiga club if there was one locally, or some sort of retro gaming/alternative computing convention. I go to the science fiction/comic/games/anime/pop culture convention in Brisbane every year and I've met fellow internerds from other forums there, but again the same thing happened that always happens, they got all weirded out and walked off.
That wouldn't be even a problem on an Amiga day, just type it with Say and you would speak as Stephen Hawking does.
Even on a meeting like you spoke of, you could use a mobile phone or pc with note pad and just type.
Use MSN or whatever you use for chat.
And if technology fails, we always have a whiteboard and the basic paper and pen.
Just because people don't know sign language doesn't mean they can't communicate with you.
So I wonder why they really get uncomfortable, knowing they have all these options.
I'm just an oddball.
No you're not
