Very few people know more than the basics of sign language, and supplies for the deaf are prohibitively expensive. The batteries for the hearing aids alone cost about $80 a year, not counting the hearing aids themselves. Most deaf people have more health problems than just hearing, one of my friends was in and out of hospital with liver problems and other health problems, so if my sign of knowledge makes their life a little more simple, then I'm happy to help them. Learning sign language has been an important part of my life. I originally learned the language to get around cafeteria rules during my fifth grade year, and now here I am, advocating for the deaf community. I always thought that signing was something everyone should at least know the basics of, but as I get older and see deaf people around me, I know it's so much more than that. We learn German and French as second languages, but why doesn't anyone teach sign language? Are we really more likely to go to France than to meet someone who has hearing problems? Many are surprised to have someone who understands them, and this simply is not the case