LEWISTON, Maine — On Oct. 25, 2023, 18 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a gunman opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston.
Among those gunned down were four members of Maine's Deaf community: Josh Seal, Bryan MacFarlane, Billy Bracket, and Stephen Vozzella. The men were taking part in a cornhole tournament for the deaf and hard of hearing at Schemengees Bar & Grille that night.
Press conferences that followed the shootings and the manhunt for the shooter featured American Sign Language interpreters. They were interpreters who worked closely with Josh Seal and were dear friends with victims of the shooting.
And yet, there they stood, working to get information out alongside the governor and chiefs of police.
Josh Seal
Maine got to know Seal during the pandemic as an American Sign Language interpreter for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention briefings, but members of the Deaf community already knew and loved him.
"[His loss] was really a big hole," Regan Thibodeau said.
We spoke with Thibodeau through an interpreter at the University of Southern Maine, where she teaches American Sign Language. She tells us Maine already had a small pool of interpreters after the pandemic, many stuck with remote work while some moved on to better-paying jobs. After Oct. 25, the pool got even smaller.
"The three of us had to figure out how to share his caseload—the people he was working with and providing services to on a day-to-day basis," she said. "We really had to step up and do that, and it was left to the three of us with only one male interpreter."
One male to cover the entire state of Maine, going to intimate doctor's appointments with patients and supporting male members of the Deaf community.
Thibodeau said the good news is that awareness has grown for their community and what it needs since the pandemic and the shootings.
In fact, more people are signing up to learn ASL. But it's not an easy or quick language to learn, as some of Thibodeau's students can explain, already a few years into their studies.
Olive Paternoster came to USM from the other side of the country specifically for its renowned ASL program.
"It's not just a different language, but it's a different modality for people who grew up with a speaking language," Paternoster said. "It's a completely different way to learn how to communicate since you're using your body in a different way, so it takes a while."
'You have to immerse yourself'
Thibodeau likened the loss and length of time to learn and support the community of interpreters to the growth of planted trees.
"It's like with trees, you cut them down and plant new ones, it takes time to let the new ones grow. Learning ASL is not a one-year or two-year commitment. It's a lifestyle so when you really want to commit to this, you have to immerse yourself, you have to interact with a community," Thibodeau further explained. "Because life impacts language, you have to figure out how to interpret that."
Thibodeau said the state of Maine is one of the lowest paying for interpreters.
Much like a task force was formed to retain first responders and health care workers after the pandemic, she'd like to see more conversations around retaining interpreters. She'd also like to see members of the Deaf community included at the table.
Until the interpreter pool grows, members of the Deaf community looking to schedule a doctor's appointment or a meeting with their child's teacher have to do so sometimes a month in advance. But what happens in an emergency?
Not just in emergencies
Megan Vozzella lost her husband, Stephen, and three friends, Josh, Bryan, and Billy, that night in October.
"I left work, and I drove straight to Auburn," she recalled. "I knew I needed to get to the Lewiston-Auburn area. I knew I wasn't gonna stay at work when I didn't know where Steve was."
That night was absolute chaos for her—not just as a terrified wife.
"There were so many military personnel. There were a lot of guns out and so many people around. And being deaf, we weren't sure exactly where we were supposed to go, and we didn't have a full understanding of where we were supposed to be," she shared. "We knew we were supposed to be at Saint Mary's, probably the emergency room, but I was just so overwhelmed."
After 14 years with Stephen, Vozzella is still coming to terms with life without him, along with her daughter and her stepson.
"Life's not fair. Nobody should be that heartbroken," she said.
The Deaf community has to be included, she said, and not just in emergencies.
"I feel like we have learned a lot of lessons from that night," she said. "I feel like we now know we need to improve on the emergency-alert systems, on caption communication, on having an interpreter in front of the screen or in the frame at all times, because oftentimes we get misinformation. It's not accurate, and our community always feels like we're at a loss."
'We keep this visibility'
Thibodeau told us she's thankful the hearing community is now listening.
"We're getting there. We're moving along. We just want to keep going. We don't want to stagnate. We don't wanna go back to the way things were. We really can't allow that. It's not going to help us heal. It'll just cause more struggle and pain," Thibodeau said. "We keep moving forward. We keep opening new resources. We keep it in the community. We keep this visibility."
She'd like to see ASL interpreting at all community events, from concerts to gatherings, not just when things go wrong.
She'd also like more people to take an interest in the needs of the Deaf community. Get to know your neighbor better. Find out how to connect in different ways, the way many did after Oct. 25, 2023.
"Their lives were precious. They loved their children. All four of these men were family people focused on their work, their families, their children, also having a good time with their friends," Vozzella said. "And the four of them just wanted to be part of the community and out with each other."
If you're interested in learning ASL Linguistics, you can start here with the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Or click here to learn more about what USM offers.
