Deaf Culture Gap Essay

Desserae Rodriguez
Dr. Marron
PSY 290-700
10 November 2017
Deaf with a Capital D
How can education help hearing people bridge the Deaf culture gap?
Disability and dysfunction are often synonymous paired with Deaf/deafness. Dr. Barbara Kannapel, who is a Deaf sociolinguist, “developed a definition of the American Deaf culture that includes a set of learned behaviors of a group of people who are deaf and who have their own language (ASL), values, rules, and traditions” (“American Deaf Culture.”). With American Sign Language (ASL) as the culturally core identity, and knowing that “ASL is a complete, grammatically complex language” (“American Deaf Culture.”), the researcher could say, with complete understanding, that these are the fundamental

The researcher found that the “effects of the early acquisition of ASL include an increased role for the right hemisphere and for parietal cortex and this occurs in both hearing and deaf” (“Neural Systems Mediating American Sign Language: Effects of Sensory Experience and Age of Acquisition.”) individuals, and this serves for a better cognitive performance. As Sam Berdy, who is also Deaf, said, “There are two worlds: the deaf world and the hearing world. There are some people in the deaf community that feel that hearing people look down on us” (“Deaf Quotes.”). With this quote, the researcher found a term that supported the above information; which is ‘audism’. Audism is “the notion that one is superior based on one's ability to hear” and “the belief that life without hearing is futile and miserable, that hearing loss is a tragedy and "the scourge of mankind," and that deaf people should struggle to be as much like hearing people as possible” (“Audism.”). The researcher’s founded term fit the study, helped prove that there are negative stigmas aimed at Deaf culture, and showed the researcher that education about Deaf culture and its language could delete terms like audism, deaf-and-dumb, and many

Yes
No
I don’t know

What does Deaf culture mean to you, or what comes to mind? (Briefly answer)
Enter Answer:
I don’t know

Do you feel like there is a disconnect between both Deaf world and hearing world? (Briefly Explain)
Yes: Explain
No: Explain
I don’t know

Can teaching about Deaf culture in schools bridge the gap between both the Deaf and hearing world? (Briefly Explain)
Yes: Explain
No: Explain
I don’t know

Survey Part II 8. Do you know what American Sign Language (ASL) is?
Yes and/or I use it
No and/or I want to learn
I don’t know

9. Do you think and/or know if ASL is a full-fledged language?
Yes
No
I don’t know

10. Would you be open to the idea of having ASL a part of the school curriculum, and as a mandatory second language learned? (Briefly Explain)
Yes: Explain
No: Explain
I don’t