Posted by RedBaron/IN on 5/12/12 7:55am
Msg #420655

signing appointment with a deaf lady

any suggestions or comments. This is a new one for me. She is good with text messages.

Reply by PegiT_MN on 5/12/12 8:10am
Msg #420656

I had a signing appointment with a deaf lady a few months ago. It was a little rough at first because she didn't understand the HUD. I wrote a lot of stuff down trying to explain how the payoff was calculated. After that, the rest of the closing was a breeze. I just pointed to the headings on the paperwork and pointed to where she was supposed to sign. I smiled a lot, nodded in agreement, she was very pleasant and it was actually a very enjoyable closing. I think the key is to just be really kind and patient. Also, you should take great pride in the fact that the title company chose you to go out and do this closing. That says a lot about you as a closer. They know that this is going to be a bit of a challenge, and they know you will be able to get it done. Good luck and have a nice closing.

Reply by MarkF on 5/12/12 10:16am
Msg #420659

Be patient, my son is deaf and I sign ASL, some but not enough to do a closing. Use the text message feature on your phone, I use an Iphone so I can text pretty quick. I had a closing with a deaf couple a few years ago but they had an interperter so it was easy. Deaf people are all pretty easy going and I wouldn't worry about it. It is new for you but not new for her.
Good luck.

Reply by Julie/MI on 5/12/12 2:53pm
Msg #420689

I've had a few, before we had smart phones, and they read lips so I just spoke directly at them and made certain not put my chin down, they were a breeze.

Reply by Scriba/NM on 5/12/12 10:18pm
Msg #420710

I just had one Thursday. I was fortunate in a number of ways - if you look directly at the person when you are speaking, most can read lips quite well. For some rough spots, I simply pulled out my small pad of paper and wrote down exactly what I was trying to get across. Then, I pointed out items on the documents for them to read. Yes, it takes longer, but when they read it, they are satisfied. Also, this lady worked for WEInterpretLinked.com. You call the number and an operator answers, and then they take your name, and then you record your message.

They convert your voice message into a video message (say for confirmation of signing time, date, and requirement for copy of DL and check if any $ due) and they then type back to the service which turns it into straight conversation over your phone. This is really fast too - I was really surprised at how fast this works too. Oh, and she apologized for the male voice - it was the only channel available at that time.

A lot of deaf people use this service she told me. What normally takes me 45 minutes to complete, this signing took 1 hour. You definitely do not want to rush - and because of that she contacted the title company and served up a large helping of praise. Guess who gets all their business in my area now?

The most challenging, however, is the visually impaired. You have to insert your documents into a small stand mounted TV camera and move the document around so they can read it on the monitor screen attached to the camera. This is a real time consumer. Good luck!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 5/13/12 1:44am
Msg #420720

I agree about allowing a little extra time. I did a signing for a woman who I believe had a cochlear implant. I was not given any heads up that she had a hearing impairment because she functions pretty well with it. However, she didn't return my phone calls until the last minute because she works long shifts and hadn't had a chance to check voice mail. Unstated was that I believe she had them transcribed and I believe used a TTY machine when we finally spoke. There was a delay on the line and she was repeating back what I was saying to make sure she heard me correctly, but it took me a while to figure out what was going on.

At the signing, I tried to speak concisely and in her direction. She was pretty sharp, so the signing went well. Naturally, a hearing-impaired person can read the documents, so that helps a great deal. However, if you talk to them while they're reading, they may not catch everything you're saying (or any of it, if they just read lips).

Reply by HisHughness on 5/13/12 4:52pm
Msg #420742

I once did a Reverse Mortgage application...

in which the husband was deaf and the wife spoke only Spanish. I do not sign, nor do I speak Spanish. We managed to get through it, and the only way I felt comfortable doing it was that I knew for the actual closing I would have an interpreter there, and all of the could be fully explained at that time.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 5/14/12 2:00pm
Msg #420792

Re: I once did a Reverse Mortgage application...

For the record, for any newbies who might be reading this, some states - including CA - do not allow the use of interpreters for notarization purposes. With someone who is deaf who uses ASL, that's probably a grey area, because they can probably read English. Best to not assume anything, however.

Reply by HisHughness on 5/14/12 2:21pm
Msg #420797

Re: I once did a Reverse Mortgage application...

For the record, for any newcomers (I really don't like the word "newbies"): Texas does allow the use of interpreters; if you are blind and deaf in Texas, you can sign. In fact, if the <notary> is blind and deaf in Texas, you can get something notarized. Bless the Lone Star State: If a garden slug has a pen, and another garden slug has a stamp, then Bingo! You've got a notarization.