This originally appeared in The Tactile Mind Weekly in Trudy’s ON HAND column.
Deaf Expo and DeafWorldWide are having shows in Philadelphia within weeks of each other this summer. Newcomer DeafBuy isn’t far behind, running to catch up by offering free admission at its shows. Whose bright idea was this?
When I went to one of those “trade shows,” my enjoyable day consisted of standing around and chatting with friends, completely oblivious to the skits and presentations taking place. The brochures I picked up that day ended up in the trash can the next day. Besides, there are only so many free pens a person can take home (unless you’re my stepfather, then you take every freebie you can get. . . every single freebie).
Why are these companies trying to compete with each other instead of actually focusing on what’s the most beneficial for the deaf community? Are they really trying to provide venues for information exchange or are they trying to turn a profit? I don’t know, but I do know what a Philadelphian said: “I ain’t gonna look at the same booths twice. Waste of time.”
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