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He soon hopes to begin teaching American Sign Language (ASL) classes in St. Clair for anyone who's willing to listen.
"They need to know sign language and how to communicate with other deaf people in the workplace and all around the community," he said. "When they go out, there are deaf people out."
Hinson said there are approximately 400 deaf people in Franklin County, so the skill of ASL is an important one.
Especially, Hinson said, because of the lack of ASL interpreters in the area. He was, however, able to find one.
Deven Dougherty, 25, is the only certified ASL interpreter in the St. Clair area. He knows Dougherty through her mom, who he knows from the Union Farmer's Market.
For Dougherty, becoming a certified interpreter was a natural choice. She grew up with a lifelong friend who was deaf.
But now, Dougherty said, it's not easy to find interpreting jobs locally and said she may have to end up commenting to St. Louis for interpreting work.
She's currently a substitute teacher in St. Clair and hopes to help Hinson with his classes when they come to fruition.
"There are no interpreters here for us," Hinson said. "People think we're walking around crazy. Who signs? No one here in town. That's why I want people to learn. That's why I want to teach the class, so people could communicate with us as if we could hear. It's very important for our community."
Hinson also said that deaf people face daily obstacles, including discrimination, in society because there is such a lack of deaf education.
"If I go in for a job interview, you know what usually happens to my application as soon as I leave?," Hinson asked. "It goes in the trash."
Hinson said that by law, deaf interpretation is required in workplaces. In most cases, interpreters are paid for through the government or college programs, not the businesses.
He added that lack of deaf education has also resulted in a sense of fear; physically and psychologically.
"Hearing people always kind of just ignore us and push us to the side and don't worry about communicating," he said. "There is always a way. We can write back and forth on paper. They also kind of use baby English with us."
Hinson said that on every deaf person's drivers license, there is a code to let police officers and other officials know the person is deaf: a small J-88 near the top.
Hinson explained that if he gets stopped by a police officer, and he doesn't see the code, it creates a problem.
"I might try to reach for a pen and paper in my glove compartment and they could think it's a gun or something," Hinson said. "It's happened before."
Hinson said that he also has problems in social situations. He said he can't find a hearing girlfriend because of the communication problem.
He added that the deaf community locally is weak. He also hopes to strengthen togetherness between the deaf with his classes. Currently, he drives to St. Louis to socialize with other deaf people.
Hinson is currently looking for a place to hold his classes, as well as other help the community may be able to provide for him.
He can be reached by text message at 636-290-0992.
