Accessibility not-fail: spelling

[azurelunatic]

So the scenario might be familiar -- you go to some store or other, and as part of some hilarious information-gathering scheme or other, the poor retail minion asks you for your name and/or address. Some names are easy to just say and have spelled right. Other names ... not so much.

I have the good fortune to have an uncommon last name and an uncommon street name. (Counters, take note: that's an infelicity of two.)

So there I was at Radio Shack in search of some video cable on a Thursday night, as one does, and the cashier asked me for contact information as part of the transaction. I automatically spelled my last name for her, since I am used to needing to, and as I usually do when I have a hand free, I spelled along with my hand as well. It helps me focus on spelling it correctly, it helps keep me in practice, and it's been known to dispel some of those "Was that an L?" moments, because that particular sign is easily readable even by folks who don't read ASL. Then I spelled my street name.

"Are you taking a class?" the cashier asked me, after completing the data entry.

I was baffled for a good 30 seconds at the non-sequitur, but I'm not taking any classes...

Her response, on the lines of wishing that she'd taken it up earlier, because it was so useful, and she was hard of hearing, clued me in. Obviously, the only reason that someone apparently fully hearing would manually spell words for no apparent reason in a transaction in a public place with someone they'd never met before who was not drawing attention to their hearing difficulties in the workplace, was because that person was taking a class. Obviously.

I explained the habit, and that I'd learned some sign language in preschool but had forgotten most of it. Shopping complete, I headed on my way.

I was pretty stoked to realize that my little habit that I do for no better reason than it makes me happy and helps me focus, and sometimes helps avoid misunderstandings, had just made a part of her day that *had* to suck in general, really not suck that time. That little reward made my evening.

Comments

[pne]

I was pretty stoked to realize that my little habit that I do for no better reason than it makes me happy and helps me focus, and sometimes helps avoid misunderstandings, had just made a part of her day that *had* to suck in general, really not suck that time.

Awesome!

Perhaps I should also try that, since my last name is unusual by German standards.

Now I wonder, how common is it in the US to spell out words using a spelling alphabet? (For example, “Azure Lunatic, that’s Alpha Zulu Uniform Romeo Echo, new word, Lima Uniform November Alpha Tango India Charlie”.)

In Germany, it’s not uncommon for people to do so for greater clarity compared with simply using the letter names, and often, the words they choose are not even ad hoc but do come from the official German DIN 5009 spelling alphabet (that’s also listed on that Wikipedia page). So even if it’s not officially taught, many people learn at least some of the official names by cultural osmosis.

(I remember being able to spell out my family name—Nordpol Emil Wilhelm Theodor Otto Nordpol—from a fairly young age after hearing my father spell out his name that way occasionally.)

[amberfox]

Generally spelling alphabets are reserved for phone support of some kind in the US, in my experience. B vs V, M vs N, is easy to lose in person, let alone on any kind of fuzzy connection.

[amberfox]

I've been commended for my enunciation for similar reasons on several occasions. It's just a habit, but it's a handy one. (It also has the felicitous effect of making people take me more seriously, especially when combined with a solid "newscaster" middle-American accent. Classist, but I'll take it; the people it impresses tend to be sexist assholes, so I'll take what leverage I can get.)

[dreamatdrew]

The funny part here is I don't think of your last name as hard to spell at all. It looks... just like it sounds...

[azurelunatic]

It's reasonably common either if someone thinks that extra clarity is needed, or among people who are already used to doing it (military, radio communication, or phone support background). But it doesn't seem like it's as comparatively common.

[azurelunatic]

There are several common mis-hearings, though.

[kateshort]

That's pretty cool!

Most times, I get sick of spelling it, so I just hand over my driver's license and let the person read it. I have trouble hearing sometimes (just due to background noise) as do some cashiers, so I find it's easier to give them that option.

[amberfox]

We had a Becky Boles and a Becky Voles in my high school. Paging them was always interesting. (Becky Boles, btw, was the original owner of my oldest cat, if you've heard me go on about him. She gave him to us because her husband didn't like him. They've been divorced for over a decade, but we've still got the cat.)

[amberfox]

That's a really good idea! I hadn't thought of that.

[azurelunatic]

At work, I present my badge. It has nice large type.

[niqaeli]

I acquired the habit from phone support. People tend to assume you've got a military or police background, regardless, if you use the standard NATO alphabet.

[lacey]

I use the spelling alphabet, but I've had several years of a combo of phone support, talking to others doing phone support, and working in loud areas. I never did it before all that, and I'm pretty sure most don't.

[inoru_no_hoshi]

Oh, that's an interesting idea... Going in my files for "Make life less frustrating for yourself" stuff. :D I have a ton of trouble hearing (ecause deaf to the point of legally disabled even with hearing aid), so this thought which hadn't previously occured to me is intriguing indeed.

Thanks!

[silveradept]

That's quite awesome. Go you. I do try to use the NATO alphabet where needed and have people do it to me, too, when phone communication is garble-y.

[alanj]

In the US it's not uncommon over the phone to hear someone using a spelling alphabet, but I don't recall *ever* encountering someone using the NATO alphabet or some other semiofficial set of codes as opposed to just making it up as they go.

[azurelunatic]

When I worked for the little orange-and-green domain shop, the NATO-or-something alphabet list was one of the files in the knowledge base, though we weren't required to go by that, just encouraged.

[deirdre]

I have an online friend who is Deaf, and he's been reminding me that I did want to get better at ASL, so I've been starting to fingerspell more.