"Deaf-mute, it's a dirty word"

I am excited. Nervous. What if no one understands me? What if I do something wrong? I have a sheet of paper and a pen in front of me and the finger alphabet website is already pulled up on my laptop – as if signing is so easy for someone who doesn't know the language. The leader of the course, Marie-Jeanne Kremer, approaches me and introduces herself. She holds a sheet of paper in front of her on which she has written "Name?". I muster all my courage and try to halfway manage what I practised before the course. I go through the hand signs and letters of the finger alphabet. She signals to me with several nods of the head and a broad smile that I've got it halfway right

The course unit DGS1 (German Sign Language) for beginners this evening is the last of a total of eight joint sessions. Even before the first course participants arrive, Marie-Jeanne prepares everything: She places the chairs next to each other in a horizontal row so that everyone has a good view of the wall on which her PowerPoint presentation is shown.