Last evening my neighbor, who is a sign language
teacher, had a party of deaf students. They were in their twenties. He asked if I would show my cars to a few that were interested in seeing them. Of course I said yes. Three with an interpreter came over - two gentlemen and a lady.
They asked the standard questions, number of cylinders, horse power, where is the gas pedals
and of course why the three pedals. They stayed the better part of two hours and left with big smiles.
I'm sure that they enjoyed having someone take the time to show them something very new to them and I enjoyed the sharing my hobby with them.
Bob
Good going Bob. Careful, you may spread the disease. Thanks for being such a fine ambassador for the T world.
Bob,
That's great! I agree with Erich "Thanks for being such a fine ambassador for the T world."
Respectfully submitted,
Hap l9l5 cut off
Come to think of it being deaf might be an advantage to owning a T.......LOL
I recently rescued a dog from our local pound. I picked out a deaf Border Collie. My last dogs loved to go everywhere in my MG TC but ran from the T. I figured that the Dog's poor auditory ability would serve me well. I now have a dog who is unafraid of the model T, she gets just as car sick in the T as she does in our modern cars... I won't let her in the MG until the motion sickness is conquered.
Deafness is not necessarily an advantage for the owner or driver, but can be good for the passenger!
The last dog... loved all cars except Model T's, deaf dog treats the T just like every other car! (I have to get a photo of her in a T!)
TH
Did you cause any accidents, with the dog in the left seat of the TC?
Bob,
You immediately reminded me of a tour I did years ago.
One of our club members belonged to a Lion's Club and every year they organized a Sunday picnic for a charity. club members would pick up passengers and take them for a drive in the old cars to a park where there would be a B-B-Q and entertainment after which we would take them home, which was usually a home or meeting place for the people involved.
This particular year we were taking deaf and blind people for a day out. We arrived at the assigned place and picked up passengers. I had a young blind guy and a girl who was deaf and their helper.
We hadn't gone more than a few miles when the Touring car in front's passengers lost their written instructions when they blew out over the back, we happened to be on a bridge and they went straight over the side down into the water.
The passengers in the front used sign language to tell us they had no way to instruct the driver as to where to go. My blind passenger had instructions in braille and he called them out to the helper who signed to the rear seat passengers in front who passed them onto the driver and we all arrived for lunch no problem.
Terry, our dog likes riding in the T better than the modern cars. She hears it start and she goes nuts until she can get in and go for a ride.
When I was in Townsville in north Queensland doing National Service in the army, I joined the locals in starting an old car club. One member was totally deaf. His employer, a wrecking yard owner, said he was his best employee because he wasn't distracted by customers roaming the yard wanting help.
He did find it hard to tune his model T though. I was enlisted to help. His best efforts were attuned to the vibrations of the car, not much help with a model T.He had done a really nice job of an ameteur restoration, and when I was able to get it running well, you should have seen the look on his face. I got the same re-action when my son Anthony heard my buckboard start for the first time in 1986.
Allan from down under.
To my surprise when I started the car was the smiles on there faces as if they could here it, and when i blew the horn there smiled widen even more as if they could here it. I don't know if they could feel the vibrations or not. It was great.
Thanks to all for helping expand this great hobby.
Bob
Did you give any of them an opportunity to drive? I think that would be fun. If you didn't, next time give them a whirl, I bet you would be surprised how easily they would learn the technique.
At a recent Model T outing my 12 year old grandson got to drive a 1967 RHD Rolls Royce coupe. Both he and the car owner enjoyed the fun. Of course, he already drives the Model T off road.
Seem like the T hook is set deeper after they drive one
Ted
It was 10pm when we finished ,maybe next time. It was also in the back of the shop and only had skies on the front.( and no SNOW yet.)
Bob
Ricks,
No accidents... lots of smiles and folks kept pulling out their cameras and phone/cameras. The dog used to duck under the scuttle until I tried the "Doggles". From the first try she always sat up looking at the road or turning to look directly at passing cars taking her photo.
With her on the left in the TC it really looked as if she was driving.