I love your story!
One of our kids used to babysit for a deaf boy, and she learned the sign language quickly.
There are a lot of deaf people on Martha's Vineyard, and they have their very own sign language!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha's_...d_Sign_LanguageMy first boyfriend at 10 years old was partially deaf and was from the Vineyard, thats why I know some of that obscure signing, tho at my age Ive forgotten most of it.
He was a Tilton, and they were some of the first settlers.
And his family came to our village here on Cape Cod, so his dad could get work while it was sparse on the Vineyard that year.
Jane