Are you deaf? No. I’m Deaf!
Let’s open with some humor, shall we?
| A Cuban, a Russian, and a Deaf American meet on a train. The Cuban takes out a fine, fresh Havana cigar, lights it up, takes a few leisurely puffs, and tosses the unfinished cigar out the window. He explains, “We have so many cigars in Cuba, we can afford to waste them.” The Russian then takes out a new bottle of fine native vodka, pours himself a shot, then casually tosses the nearly-full bottle out the window. “We have so much vodka in Russia, we can afford to waste it,” he says. Then the Deaf man picks up his sign language interpreter and tosses him out the window. Upon seeing the shocked expressions on his fellow passenger’s faces, he calmly wrote out; “We have so many hearing people in America, we can afford to waste them. |
Just like every other culture, the Deaf community has a sense of humor, although, those of us in the hearing world may not always find it as funny or even understand the amusement behind it. The point is, it is important to remember that people all over the world are brought together by some common bond. Whether it be humor, music or sports, we are all more alike then we are different.
Starting February 1st, 2007, the 16th Deaflympics opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. With many different countries competing this year for the gold, it’s not hard to see how groups are brought together to support a single cause. The Deaf community, no matter where you are, is a tightly knit culture that supports it’s members in any endeavor. What so many people do not understand is that the Deaf community does not consider itself a ‘disabled’ group. On the contrary, most people who consider themselves Deaf (with the capital D), feel that deafness should not be considered a disability, but rather, another way of living. Julie Eldredge made this statement that furthers my point.
“To be Deaf with a capital D, says Julie Eldredge, a Deaf teacher of Deaf culture at BYU, is to believe first and foremost that deafness is not a disability or a pathology. Being deaf, she says, is just another way of being. There’s nothing that needs fixing, and “hearing-impaired” is not a suitable synonym. Sound and speech aren’t the goal; communication is.”
Not all hearing people share the same belief that deaf people, those with a hearing impairment, should be taught through an oralists method. This is a way of teaching the deaf to speak and use what hearing they have (if any) to ‘fit into the hearing world’. This was the preferred method of education and, at one point, the only legal way of educating the deaf in this country. Granted, not everyone how is deaf considers themselves Deaf. There are many factors that go into why someone would or would not consider themselves part of the Deaf community. Those who go deaf due to an accident or old age or, in other cases, where someone was raised in a Oralist/hearing family where ASL and other aspects of the Deaf community were not supported.
Thankfully, times have changed and so has our understanding of Deaf culture. There are many people who work for Deaf advocacy, who work as interpreters for the Deaf and even are helping set up schools and educational material to educate the hearing community about it’s silent, yet strong willed counter part. In the end, I believe that Bryan Eldrege put it the best;
“Deafness doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t kill you, it isn’t a disease,” says Julie’s hearing husband, Bryan, who heads the American Sign Language and Deaf studies program at Utah Valley State College. “It’s just a kind of existence. A perfectly acceptable existence. But hearing people have always been uneasy with people who aren’t like them….To be Deaf with a capital D means being part of a tight-knit community that values candidness and friendship and stretches across the United States and beyond. It also means being embroiled in culture wars about the education and future of deaf children and the future of Deaf culture itself.”
sayonaratosilence said,
February 7, 2007 at 12:50 am
I do want to comment on this, education is the key to understanding cultural influences and the more we reach out, the more doors open, I am more open to discussion with other members of the deaf community on how we can overcome issues such as the ones that arises from cultural wars.
I like to say this, not all deaf members are created equally, some become deaf later in life, some become deaf by cultural choice, and others become deaf because they were born this way. In the end, an inability to hear is an inability to hear, not a disability.
Keep spreading the good word, you are doing a service to educate the world about deafness.
mandy777 said,
February 11, 2007 at 8:47 pm
This article caught my eye because I am almost deaf in one ear. I remember when I was little they hearing doctor told me I would be in hearing aids by the time I graduated high school. He was wrong. My other ear compensated for the loss of the other one. Still there are some tones I cannot hear, but I do not think a hearing aid is necessary. I can get a long fine watching people’s mouths when they talk. I think it is great that the Deaf culture does not consider it a disability. How cool. I really like the idea that it is just a different way of communicating. It is no better or no worse than any other language. I found out something interesting about this philosophy, however. I guess Grand Valley does not allow students to take ASL and count it towards their “second language” requirement. Apparently it does not fit the “language” Criteria. Isn’t that ridiculous? I think we should be embracing the fact that future educators want to learn ASL.
mandy777 said,
February 11, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Sorry this is supposed to be part of the last comment. Anyway, I think it needs to be made known that ASL is a language just like any other. I think the hearing world needs to ally with the Deaf culture. How cool would it be if every teacher could sign ASL?
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Megan Roers said,
April 15, 2007 at 1:02 am
Gina-
First let me say that your blog is absolutely awesome. It is rare to find a student who conveys such a strong opinion about this issue. I thought it was really interesting that you mentioned the deaf community considering their handicap to simply be “another way of living” rather then a disability. I have worked as a waitress in a restaurant for four years, and every week I get a table of about six regulars, all of which happen to be deaf. Four years ago, I would have been really uncomfortable waiting on a table of only deaf people, because I had yet to be exposed to that community. However, after I waited on this particular table three or four times, I became friends with these people. Because of them, I have learned a great deal of sign language. Also, I am much more comfortable around Deaf people to the point where it doesn’t even faze me (especially at work). The point I’m trying to get at is that the problem with most individuals in society is that they usually aren’t exposed to the Deaf community, and therefore are almost always a bit uncomfortable with it. If individuals can become more open-minded, and voluntarily expose themselves to communities like this, there probably wouldn’t be as much isolation between communities. Besides, we see Deaf individuals succeeding in many of the same endeavors which other individuals succeed every day. Take a look at Marlee Matlin, a Deaf individual who can successfully act in a film and win an academy award surprises tons of people, whereas I really don’t think it should be a factor. Just my thought : )
Megan Roers
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