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 …show more content…
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 …show more content…
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
While reading Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again where he wrote about his experiences with becoming postlingually deaf, I realized that I was able to relate to some of the situations he encountered, especially when he spoke of his frustrating childhood due to his disability. As he grew older, he needed to find new ways to cope with and accept his deafness. Because of his unique viewpoint with deaf parents who were not allowed to sign around him, the book gave readers a different perspective to look at deafness with. Drolsbaugh’s personal account of his life was inspirational as he grew up with a truly exceptional situation, yet was able to overcome his obstacles and become successful after he quit denying who he really was.
Lane, Harlan; Hoffmeister, Rob and Bahan, Ben (1996). A Journey Into the DEAF-WORLD. Dawn Sign Press, San Diego, Ca.
Rachel Kolb was born profoundly deaf to hearing parents who were committed to being able to effectively communicate with her. Rachel received 18 years of speech therapy and is also able to communicate in sign language; she attributes her communicative success to many of the people who did not believe in her as a child. Rachel’s situation was quite rare, as she pointed out in her discussion that 90% of hearing parents with deaf children do not learn ways to effectively communicate with their children. She points out that children who are deaf face serious deficits in their academic success, social skills and independence but that these deficiencies can be changed if we change the way we think about deafness. She emphasizes the importance of family support and self-belief as the foundation of a therapy plan, and that we must teach people to focus on individual’s abilities rather than their disabilities.
The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
One would not insist that blind children must learn visually, in order to develop their sight. The implication of their blindness is obvious. Blind children have little to no vision and their education needs to be modified to accommodate this difference. So why are deaf children expected to learn aurally? Although American Sign Language (“ASL”) has been recognized as a true language since the 1960’s, the number of deaf children enrolled in schools with signing programs has been rapidly declining (Bollag, 2006). Instead, they have been increasingly educated through the oralism alongside their hearing peers in a ‘mainstream’ environment.
Deaf history comes with a timeline of struggles and discrimination that Deaf people have faced and still do face in a hearing world. At the center of deaf history is a shared language known as sign language. Merriam Webster defines sign language as, “A system of hand movements used for communication especially by people who are deaf.” This language, much like most languages, varies greatly from country to country, even state-to-state in the U.S. For the purpose of this class, I will be focusing on Deaf history and sign language in America (American Sign Language, ASL).
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? For most it would be waking to the sound of their alarm clock, but what happens if you cannot hear? What if you are deaf? The purpose of this paper is to explain and define American Sign Language (ASL), how it is used and who uses it. I will inform you about the origins of ASL, how it started the first deaf school. I will discuss people who influence ASL, and how ASL has changed over time, and I will also include interesting facts and weird signs.
DHH students who have developed the culturally Deaf identity rely primarily on the manual mode of communication, but they have rich knowledge of Deaf culture, traditions, and values because they, together with their family, live by these culture, traditions, and values. These students usually go to special schools for the deaf and may benefit more from the American Sign Language (ASL) or other manual system. One issue here is that, because of DHH students’ tendency to be exclusively exposed to the Deaf culture and community, they may end up having
In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."
American Sign Language(ASL) has been for many years the main way the deaf communicate and is also extremely important to the deaf culture. To the hearing world, being deaf was always considered a handicap and for that reason they came up with what is called a cochlear implant, causing great debate within the deaf culture. The invention of the cochlear implant has the deaf worried that their culture will be destroyed, while the hearing world find that it will better there lives, not realizing that this procedure is not a cure and will leave the deaf confused as to where they belong in society.
Language is a means of communication that people use to interact with others in society. Generally, language comprises vocal sounds to which meanings have been assigned by cultural convention and often supplemented by various gestures. (Sharma, 30) For any 'normal' person, language is no longer viewed as a tool to acquire: language is placed as a standard and basic skill, almost being considered given at birth. Such an idea about language is reasonable when taking into account how the development of speech and language is acquired in early childhood. But as a rule, such a 'standard and basic' process of language development is only relevant to 'normal' people, those without any sensory impairments such as blindness or deafness. For the blind and the deaf, acquiring and developing language is a studious process - the blind having to depend extensively on their hearing, and the deaf depending extensively on their vision. With restricted sensory abilities on thorough development of language, both the blind and the deaf can be limited to possible communication and interaction with others in society. Consequently, many computer related technological inventions and improvements have been developed, and both the blind and the deaf have significantly benefited from these innovations as a way of having wider access and use of language in day-to-day living.
Parents. Parents are the biggest influence for children, hearing or deaf. A deaf child born to deaf parents adapt language normally, because the parents know how to relate to their child. However, a deaf child born to hearing parents, who have no prior exposure to the deaf culture, struggle to learn how to communicate with their child. The absence of communication will interfere with a child’s development (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Hearing parents do try their best, but there are things a deaf child needs. The knowledge of visual and spatial relationships is a skill most hearing parents do not understand, however their child will need that understanding (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Also, we have learned that the signed language relies heavily on facial expressions and non-manual markers. If hearing parents choose manual communication they are so focused on the signs the parents lose the important facials that make up the signed language (Ea...
Within doing my research for this paper I have found that children who experience hearing loss tend to speak in three specific ways. These ways includes American Sign Language, either using aural- oral communication, or simultaneous. Children with hearing loss have to develop communication skills through the value of their eyes rather than the...
Imagine using no spoken words, not hearing at all, yet at the same time communicating perfectly. By use of American Sign Language (ASL), many people communicate everyday. They share stories of hope and despair, trade ideas and opinions, cry and laugh. Their difference is one that is important in their lives, yet does not in any way decrease the value of those lives. Deafness is such a unique, insightful, and wonderful loss. It is one with such beauty and meaning. Deafness is one "disability" that isn't really a disability at all. Instead many prefer to look at it as a culture. The Deaf culture is made up of primarily deaf people who view their hearing loss as a different way of life. These people use their native tongue, American Sign Language, to communicate. ASL is a "full" language. it has adjectives following nouns, in addition to verbs, adverbs, and pronouns. It is not a language made up of gestures or miming. Signing is a precise process. It is a combination of one's face, body, eyes, shoulders, and hands moving in synch. A person cannot fully "speak" the language without understanding the importance of all five aspects. You can change the meaning of a phrase completely by raising your eyebrows, repeating the sign, or enlarging the space used. You create a whole picture, the scenario as it takes place. You explain to the receiver the mood, time frame, and event all in a short amount of time. Take an airplane ride, for example: you could sign the place quickly taking off, flying steadily to its destination, and having a bumpy landing, all with one movement. In the same sense, you can describe a person, a place, or an object to the tee. Giving directions is a snap, and telling a story is marvelous.