Deaf Community: Dennis Legler

Deaf Community: Dennis Legler

In this video Dennis Legler reflects on the pranks and jokes printers played at the Post.

Zilvinas Paludnevicius

Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center Collection

2022

This Item has been made available for educational and research purposes by the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may need to obtain permission for your intended use if your use is otherwise not permitted by the copyright and applicable related rights legislation. For specific information about the copyright and reproduction rights for this Item, please contact the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center: https://www.gallaudet.edu/drs-john-s-and-betty-j-schuchman-deaf-documentary-center

American Sign Language

A video featuring an ASL interview with Dennis Legler, an older white man seated at home.

Dennis Legler: Really, I wouldn’t play around during work. When it was business time, no, I took work seriously. But as soon as I was done? then it was my time! Time to play. But I wasn't the only one. Hearing coworkers too, and supervisors too. So really it was all of us. All of us in agreement, to get work done, and when we finished, when there were no papers left, then it was, do what you want. Sometimes you went home early but I would rather stay and play. It was more fun. Really, I enjoyed that job. I had many hearing friends, and supervisors that were my friend too. For example, one time when it wasn’t that busy and I saw that supervisor, who was a good friend of mine. I was in the mood to prank him a bit. So, I went and got one of the rubbing pads and poured alcohol on it. I soaked the pad. Then with a paper clip, I hooked it to the back of his pant leg. Then I let him walk away. As he walked, the pad just flapped back and forth, but he didn’t notice until he sat down. Suddenly he felt it, wet! I was surprised because he didn't even notice the smell of alcohol. As he walked around with it flapping. It wasn’t until he sat down, his face changed, he felt it, something wet, and jumped up pulling it off. He froze. His pants were wet! He smelled the pad and knew it was the rubbing alcohol. Then his eyes narrowed and be started to look around for who had done it. The very first place he looked? Right to me. I was the first.
So of course, I had to lie. So I pretended like I was busy when he approached, and wouldn’t look up at him. Hold on, I’m busy. I’m working. Eventually, he just gave up and left. But he was right, I did it. Others there did things like that too. When there were more people around it was more of a guessing game to find the culprit. Even the supervisor himself, he would play around too. Doing the same thing! The same thing. Sometimes, not when we were on break or during lunch, while we were at work, people would rest for a bit. One Deaf guy he like to recline in his chair and put his feet up and rest after he finished his work early. He’d lean back and cross his legs and catch a nap. He was in one of the nicer chairs, not a lousy chair, it was one that leaned back, it was like a bed for him. He just leaned back and fell asleep. Seeing that, I looked around and asked, who has matches? I gathered up matches from the room and pulled them out individually. The toes of each shoe, I inserted the matches all the way around the sole. He slept through it! Then I lit one of the matches and the rest caught fire. Now, he didn’t feel it at first.
It wasn’t until the matches burned down to his toes, and he started to feel the heat, that he awoke! That woke him up! Woke him right up! Then, he looked around. Who did it? With an angry expression, he looked around the room. He knew it was one of the Deaf workers. But it wasn’t just us, hearing people played pranks too. Not just the Deaf. So he was looking at everyone! It was harder for him to catch who it was. Another thing, how we’d prank back and forth. That guy, and other Deaf too, there was this large metal cabinet, with sliding doors on the front. It was empty. He’d climb in there to take a nap. Just slide the doors shut. So what would we do? We put a piece of wood in the door, something, just placed it in there to stop him from opening the door. He woke up and started banging on the cabinet to be let out. And I ignored him. I’m Deaf. I ignored it. I can’t hear you, sorry! The hearing supervisor walked over, and gestured what’s that sound? And I pretended, I don’t know. I can’t hear. So the supervisor went over and opened the door. He was shocked to see him in there! Sleeping! The supervisor caught him napping! But he didn’t get into trouble. Really, it was a good time.

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