My experience

There was this one time when I was shopping alone at the Canberra Outlet Centre (COC), and I was having a look at all these different stores, so I could spend my gift cards on something that I really wanted. I was in Peter Alexander when suddenly people started to freak out, I wasn’t sure why and I kept looking around to see the danger point, I could not see anything and I had no music playing, i specifically remember this one girl going off at her mum because she was scared, while her mum was trying to calm her down because no one seemed to be doing anything to get out, thankfully one of the girls that was working in that store that day had seen that i had Cochlear implants, and she turned around to me and said “I can see that you look confused on what’s going on, there is nothing to panic about, there is just a fire alarm, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a test, we dont need to go anywhere until further notice.” I thanked her for giving me that information. It was only then that I heard the fire alarm going off all around us. Everyone just stood still and waited until further instructions were given to the workers. After about 5 minutes of the fire alarm going off, it just stopped. There was another announcement a couple of minutes later that I could not hear, as there was so much background noise going on around from the relief. I later went up to the girl who explained to me what was going on and asked her what the announcement was, as I could not hear. She just told me that it was a drill and there was no danger, and to apologise for the scare and chaos it might have created. I thanked her for telling me and I thanked her for letting me know what was going on, it really made a difference for me and made me not panic, she then explained that she knows someone who is deaf in her family, and so she knows how much a difference it can make it someones life to tell them what’s going on, especuallt if they are deaf and looking confused, she told me she understood the kind of panic and confusion I might have been feeling, so she thought to tell me and bring me some comfort, I thanked her so many times because it made me realise that just one small thing from someone who pays attention to their surroundings can do to someones life. 

 

 Looking back, what made the biggest difference wasn't that the staff member knew sign language or had special training. She simply noticed that I looked confused and took the time to explain what was happening. That small act reduced my anxiety and helped me feel included and safe. - because this translates your experience into a professional lesson