Overview
- Yevgeniy Klibanov, a 39‑year‑old butcher in Nuremberg, began learning German Sign Language about a year ago and now says he knows roughly 95 words and phrases.
- Klibanov taught himself mainly with a smartphone app, practices in the evenings in his allotment garden, and keeps a handwritten cheat sheet under the counter for common terms.
- His signing has allowed direct, friendly exchanges with at least two deaf regulars, including 73‑year‑old Hedi Doudeche, and has strengthened everyday social contact.
- Experts praise the grassroots effort as a strong example of respectful inclusion but caution that apps build vocabulary only and cannot replace direct contact with deaf people or professional courses for fluency.
- The case highlights a wider access gap: the Deutscher Gehörlosen‑Bund estimates about 80,000 deaf people in Germany and roughly 10,000 in Bavaria while the state has only about 200 qualified sign‑language interpreters.