Endangered Species...

I'd like put in a commentary from the National Geography magazine - January 2009 Issue; Article 'Endangered Species'. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/01/endangered-species/klinkenborg-text

The very last paragraph of the article states....

'We have no way of guessing how long our own kind will survive, but one thing is certain. The better the chances of survival for the plants and animals and insects you see in the photographs - and for all their endangered kin - the better our own chances will be.'

You can read the rest of the article at above link, also the photo gallery as well.

When I read this, I agree wholeheartedly, because what we do to our world is what we pass on to our children. How we treat those who or what are different, we look at ourselves and wonder why we get treated the way we do.

For instance, 14 children by artificial means, serves what purpose? I'm not saying that those babies do not deserve to live; what kind of natural resources will these babies get when they get older? I'm not an atheist by nature, I do not think God would appreciate being looked up on as a excuse for a reason to have so many children. I love large families, but to who and what's expense?

What lesson are we teaching our children - it is ok to make the world do what humans want to do? How about just living in the balance of the world, traditional tribal beliefs (Native Americans, Aborigines, etc) acknowledges respect and 'trades' that provide balance in the area in which they live in.

Call me a traitor if you may, the American Dream has gotten unrealistic, too many new houses, cost prohibitive, land devoid of living (other than grass), when there are many houses looking for love and fixing up, lands that need tending to and these are familiar and old stomping grounds for animals. We can name many things that the American Dream emphasizes but haven't we gotten off the reason why there is an 'American Dream'? I'd like to give you an unAmerican example - the city Dubai in in the United Arab Emirates is creating man made islands, snow in a mall, and so on violating the very environment in which the folks, animals, etc live in...a desert next to the Persian Gulf.

The human and the societal views conflict on basis of behavior that neglect the reason why we are biologically dependent on the world itself. Society says we need to have money and it controls how we live our life, other than thinking that we're 'better' than what the world has offered us. Humans are as fragile as any other animal, insect or plant. The world does not bend to our whims, we do. We have survived over thousands of years by working with the environment and what is available.

Humans are animals, they belong to the Mammalian Class under the Animalia Kingdom. Our closest relatives are the chimpanzees and bonbons (those wild ones), our next closest is the apes and monkeys. Yes we are different, but how different? Different enough to consider ignoring our mortality? Let me give you some other comparisons - dogs and wolves, domestic cats and tigers/lions, grizzly bear and polar bear, frogs and toads...countless; how about this, dinosaurs and birds? The variety of trees and how even some survive the desert and the Artic cold....countless. How are we any different from them?

Societal views provide impact on how humans view themselves. Superior, smart (certainly not wiser), adaptive (not the only ones to do so) and you can name a few other types. Do you know why Africans are darker than Europeans? Why do Spaniards/Italians have darker skin than British and Laplanders? Why do the Irish have light colored eyes compared to the Greeks? Why do Asians eat more fish than Native Americans? Why are Africans more resistant to malaria than Europeans? Why were the Native Americans nearly decimated by smallpox then later forcibly removed from their lands? Why do we continue to think we are superior? We wage war upon ourselves and the envrionment in which we live in. Our pattern of behavior is the same as any dog that marks its territory or the howler monkeys who yell to keep marauders away from their territory...the difference here is that they walk with the pattern of the envrionment, not try to change it to meet their needs.

Because we need a fancy home on the Galapagos Islands means we don't care about the endemic species that live there. We need coffee beans so badly that we can't respect the natural environment in which it grows in, we got to mow down the rainforest to make room for coffee crops or in another case for medicine, when natural homegrown plants will do. We got to have something so irrelevantly important that we would endanger our world just to please our needs.

This is a physical world, a living ecosystem that is abused by majority of the human race over one insignificant piece of paper or coin - money, or it's basic definition - wealth. If nature dicates that an animal, plant, insect, bird needs to die in order for the others to survive, that's natural because the envrionment is a natural process...to be respected.

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." - Tribe Unknown. A fitting thought to this blog.

A few suggestions -

• A new house built? Plant trees!!! Plant flowers!!! Appreciate the wildlife.
• Have air conditioning? Turn it off for one day (I'd prefer a few days), fling wide open your doors and windows and enjoy the breeze. (If you have had trees already, you'd be already cooler than you think!)
• Plant vegetables and fruits, yes you will get annoyed by those wildlife stealing food but you know there are other plants that do prevent wildlife from eating those food you planted. That way you don't shoot the wildlife or set traps for them. They'll be fresh and it's a nice ice breaker for your neighbors and your friends may appreciate the extra food. Plus it doesn't cost that much.
• Show your children that there is more to life than just TV, Wii or other electronic/technological stuff. They'll be healthier for it and so will you.
• I'm sure y'all can come up with something....
  

Joanna's response to AG Bell's letter

February 3, 2008

To whom it concerns,

I congratulate PepsiCo's effort in including the Deaf community and its employees in the creation of this advertisement that celebrates the other aspect of the Deaf community which AGBell continues to deny children and adults these days. American Sign Language and Deaf people who do not produce 'sound' are a vital part of the human culture; it enriches our ability to incorporate into the mainstream of daily life.

AG Bell promotes sound and sound only. There are advertisements that are spoken - 99.99 percent - and yet you want to deny us our opportunity and right to place an advertisement that is uniquely different on basis of language use. It has nothing to do with us being Deaf; again, it has to do with our language. The language you have denied us because we simply must 'hear'. There are different ways to 'hear' and it does not constitute 'hearing' in terms of only in sound. We hear and listen to more than just sound; we incorporate our sight and tactile capabilities.

What about the Deaf people who speak American Sign Language and Spoken English? We chose to speak two languages because we simply want to bridge two subcultures (Deaf and hearing), the capability to speak two languages broadens our lives, or an attempt to understand why hearing people (in general) keep denying us our right and/or opportunity to obtain and utilize two languages. For those who utilize both languages, we are accepted in the Deaf Community more than AGBell's community is. I happen to be one of them.

Technology is only a tool. It does not make us hearing in equivalent terms as the hearing subculture. The illusion of hearing through technology is what is promoted and the Spoken English a requirement, which demeans the Deaf subculture. This continues to show society that AG Bell has yet to understand who we truly are as people. We continue to be perceived as 'deaf'. There is more to life than sound only.

Yes, we are Deaf, we do not have a problem with that nor do we have a problem with hearing people other than frequent culture misunderstanding. The true cohesion of both subcultures can be found on the YouTube videos in the production of the advertisement. It further proves that both subcultures can live together no matter what use of language.

In all, I congratulate PepsiCo's and its employees for putting a foot forward into expanding the understanding of the Deaf subculture which does include deaf people who use Spoken English solely as well as the Deaf people who use American Sign Language and Spoken English.

American Sign Language is a vital and vibrant language. Deaf people do have a Culture, PepsiCo has recognized that and for that they are allowed the freedom to choose what they want to do other than being 'suggested' to go to a conference to support the illusion of 'sound'.

Thank you,
Joanna T Witulski

Valiant and Vibrant Human who speaks both languages with profound hearing loss, wears a hearing aid, and the sole person with hearing loss within her family.

AG Bell Denys Reality - UPDATED with NAD's response letter (2-10)

AG Bell sent a letter to PepsiCo's organization abominating them for placing an advertisement in American Sign Language. AGB went further to invite PepsiCo to their 2008 conference in Wisconsin. AGB continues to deny the fact that ASL is a vibrant language and well documented to be a separate language with its own grammar and rules.

Congratulate PepsiCo by going to this link: http://www.pepsiusa.com/help/help.php?or

Respond to AGB via email at: info@agbell.org
Respond to NAD via email at: info@nad.org

Please read AGB's letter before responding to either PepsiCo or AGB: http://agbell.org/uploads/Pepsi3ltr.pdf

Please read NAD's letter to AGB:
NAD to AGB

I will post my response after this posting.

It has nothing to do with our being Deaf, but everything to do with 'sound' and American Sign Language.

Additional Information:
http://blog.deafread.com/mishkazena/2008/02/03/pepsi-ad-deaf-actor-oral-and-ci-user/
http://www.disaboom.com/Blogs/deafmom/archive/2008/02/03/deaf-commercial-kicks-up-a-storm.aspx
http://blog.deafread.com/mishkazena/2008/02/02/agb-asl-isolated-deaf-from-rest-of-society/
http://www.deafdc.com/blog/shane-feldman/2008-01-31/agbell-tackles-pepsico-superbowl-commerical/

The Art of "Listening"

This Friday November 30 and Saturday December 1, there will be a conference held at Purdue University in West Lafayette sponsored by Cochlear America and administered by HEAR Indiana, a state chapter of Alexander Graham Bell Association.

The theme of the conference is "Changing Face of Deafness" and "Why Listening is Important for Literacy". In the brochure received at work - it also talks about communication options; however, in their workshops, nothing is even mentioned about American Sign Language and its importance to various issues/topics.

AG Bell Association is well known for its support for oralism. What is Oralism, you may ask. Oralism is a method of communication that uses spoken language and lipreading (speechreading) as its primary communication mode. Most of the people involved do not support American Sign Language, much less any type of manual (signed) language. AGBA is also known for the perception of 'normalcy' - their children or any person with hearing loss is not normal, what's more is that if a person uses ASL or signs, that is a big no-no. Again, not every person who participates or is a member of AGBA believes or practices this. (I've stressed - information in any blog about specific group of people are general at best, no stereotyping).

Also this weekend, there will be a rally at the conference - Deaf Bilingual Coalition. Unfortunately, I cannot participate either at the conference or at the rally. Bilingual - what is that? As most will know, lingual means language used by a person or persons. Bi means two. Bilingual means two languages. For many deaf people (persons with hearing loss in general), we are automatically bilingual - we use ASL and write English. These two are two completely different languages (other than words used in language such as run, write, two and etc). The DBC rally's purpose is to bring awareness of ASL and its importance in deaf children's lives.

But I can participate in several ways, by providing support to those who are attending the conference and be in spirit with the DBC and its rally. Why would I want to, some parents or oral advocates may ask.

First point - listening. Society says 'listening' is hearing information. It is indicated in the Encarta's electronic dictionary and American Heritage College dictionary that 'to make an effort to hear something' or 'to pay attention to something and take it into account'.

The information conflicts with the biological perspective. Our five senses are listening tools - hearing, smell, taste, touch and sight. Society loves to ignore the biological aspect of being human and twist things around to their own satisfaction - which is why we often have an 'isms' problem (racism, audism, etc).

How can the five senses be listening tools? Lets take Thanksgiving into account since this was last week - our popular food other than turkey would be pumpkin pie. Can you hear a pumpkin pie? This is not a rhetorical question but a literal one. How do you listen for a pumpkin pie other than enthusiastically waiting for it to come out after all the food (when you thought you were full)? You can smell the pie then see it, see it then smell it or at the same time.

Listening is a form of collecting information - so how can hearing be the sole formation of listening. Just because a person loses his/her hearing, doesn't mean that information stops coming to that person. We listen by sight as our primary sense and the remaining three senses becomes our tools. So why is it so bad that a person who can't hear is stupid, dumb, inadequately educated and so forth?

Essentially - 'Why Listening is Important for Literacy' needs to include ASL as an important aspect of literacy development. Lipreading??? Sure - 30 to 40% of the English language can be read on the lips - try it.... mat, pat, and bat. Look in the mirror and try to read what you're saying (tune yourself out or say the words out without using your voice). So how can listening by lipreading be a tool, especially if you can't hear.

AG Bell, himself, had a deaf mother and a deaf wife. He knew ASL, used it but he believed that the use of ASL in the education of deaf children were limiting their opportunities. He also even believed that deaf can't marry deaf. Realistically about 90 percent of those deaf-deaf marriages have hearing children. Oh and...90 percent of those deaf people have hearing family members. Biology trumps Society.

Prior to oralism's rise in the education of deaf children, deaf people held jobs as teachers, doctors, factory workers, politicians, newspaper editors and the like - the world was open to them, hearing people didn't have much of a problem with working with deaf folks ... until Society interferes by saying deaf people are not normal because they don't speak English. After that, we had our 'Dark Ages', educational achievements dropped, oral deaf people were showcased while leaving those who couldn't speak in the dark and worth not an ounce in Society's perspective. Sure, there are successful oral deaf people, but what about 80% (approximation) of the deaf children that were left behind because they couldn't speak. What opportunities did they have?

That is why the DBC has its rally - to bring attention that ASL is not something to leave behind for deaf children. It enhances the ability of the deaf child to be successful in communicating through the resources that they have learned and utilized. That is also why the ASL program at Purdue University was upset with the Speech and Audiology Department (in which the ASL program is under - not even Foreign Language which is the appropriate place to be) because the Department rejected the ASL program outright, not even including them for the conference which is held on campus! We have dissent in the ranks at Purdue University.

Aural methods don't always work for each child - it is a case by case situation. The same rule applies to cochlear implants. Most companies will not implant hard of hearing children because once they're implanted, they become profoundly deaf by destruction of the cochlear where the implant is placed. How do children learn to read? Sound only? I can imagine the literacy level to be way low - say second grade if the literacy importance is based on sound only (aural). So how can a profoundly deaf child be able to read when the educators require him/her to 'listen' by sound - that is why there is a reading level of 5th to 7th grade level, because of emphasis on aural methods rather than visual or a combination of both (depending on the child's hearing levels).

Second point - Deaf people are as human as hearing people. There is no biological superiority at play here. None what so ever. Hearing loss has been around for more than two millennia - we have adjusted fine with no problems, thanks to our other four senses. Heck, we have the capacity to be bilingual with no problems other than common issues of acquisition. We have the capacity to work with hearing people, frequent frustration is the hearing person's inability to communicate (generally speaking...again). We do not expect hearing people to sign, it's great if they do, it shows effort and acceptance of the person and his/her hearing loss - but you know what... it also shows acceptance that the person who is deaf is also .... human.

We go through the same process of life as any one who happens to be different from us. We automatically categorize ourselves into one subculture because of our common denomination - hearing loss (note: nothing about sign language and/or culture) at this point, just like blacks (or African-Americans) categorize them by their common denomination, where they or their ancestors come from. How did this come to rise? The 'superior' attitude illustrated by the hearing and white category (generally speaking again). Remember folks - they're human too. Society interferes with biological processes - once again. I guess our brains and mannerisms really interfere with our ability to accept differences as a part of our diverse human culture. Sad, quite so.

Third point - Y'all probably heard this over and over and over again - 'It takes a village to raise a child.' Note - it's an African proverb. How does this relate to the conference and rally this weekend? I keep hearing 'fifth grade reading level' again - you know what? What is a village? What people are part of the village? No sole, single person is responsible for the child's upbringing. Maybe I gave birth to my son and my husband is his father; however, we can only teach him so much, the world out there teaches him in different ways. Let's break down village.

Village - a group of people living in one place/location, sharing culture and language. Considering this is America...it can be a bit more complicated than France.
Type of people?

• Families
• Educators
• Employment (people sense)
  
• Athletic programs
• Children
• Adults
• Organizations
• Neighbors
• Friends
• You can name a few more...

So for a deaf child - educators are not solely responsible for their upbringing. Even the education system can fail the child. Why should parents decline their responsibility to the child - 'He can't hear, there's nothing I can do.' and leave him to devices without disciplinary accountability and responsibility towards household duties, making friends with others in the neighborhood, and etc. Maybe someday the deaf child would be interested in participating in a local organization, the child wouldn't be encouraged to do so because of other people's feeling that 'he can't do it because he doesn't know how to communicate'...hello, it's the other side too that doesn't know how to communicate just like the deaf child. It's a two-way highway - not a one way.

Interaction within social development is a critical aspect of a human child's life. It doesn't matter if the child is hearing or deaf. It shouldn't matter if the child has cochlear implant, hearing aid or nothing - their lives are in the hands of the village. Denial of access to resources in that village, denies them the opportunity to live a full life. Literacy is more than education, it is social and it is also biological. Every single one of us human beings are born with the capacity to learn, no matter what our differences are.

Fear is a barrier, can we remove it?

Fourth point - "Changing Face of Deafness", I guarantee you the meaning at this conference means technology. It has nothing to do with biological and social change. Technology has impacted our society on all levels of our human development - compared to 30 years ago. Let me tell you this, I appreciate myself more when I read information about technology, how fast it is progressing. There will always be sign language and culture. It will evolve as any subculture has throughout millenna. I do not doubt that. What I doubt is the attitude of people within Society to accept the change, address the change and maintain some traditional aspects of our differences.

A note to hearing people - cochlear implantation changes how you feel about the person, it does not change their biological difference. A profoundly deaf non-cochlear implant user can speak as well as a well-spoken hearing person. A profoundly hearing person can speak as bad as a bad-spoken deaf person. It has nothing to do with our differences but everything to do with our sameness, after all we are human.

You may say - hey what about social change??? It is still the same - human fellows - it is the attitude towards our differences that remain the same. Implanting a child without understanding the biological and social ramification towards the the child's upbringing, purely for the selfishness of adults, that hasn't changed at all. Education system is still unbalanced - teachers are feeling that it is their job, not the sense that their teaching has an impact on the children's lives. (Generally speaking...again). The community at large basically ignores or rejects difference when it can spice up their place of employment, organization participation and the like.

It is 2 am for me - last point, being human is diverse, not accepting our differences (personal or not) will get us no where. Perfection is not evolution, neither biological or social. Listening is not aural based - it is based on the five senses that are biological gifts (and curses) to the human race. Listen to what the real world is saying...not what our Society says what we are. Listen with your heart, your mind and your soul.

Interest of Literacy

I just had gotten an email regarding a mom who's son is deaf, a honor roll student at a public high school receiving low scores on his ACT which would not allow him to enter Gallaudet University as a student. They were puzzled to how he was able to accomplish being a honor roll student and graduating 16th in his senior class. It boiled down to the fact that his reading level was equivalent to a third grade student.

This is the mom's website.... www.teachmysontoread.blogspot.com. I suggest you read this blog, the family's effort to ensure that their son/brother/grandson/nephew will achieve success in reading that will enable him to become a stronger student and not only that as a strong human being that took the challenge and overcame it. What faith and trust do they have in each other! They will go beyond the limitations, which today's society places upon its race.

This is similar to stories of children who have dyslexia, who have achieved academic successes despite the fact they may not have a reading level of an senior. This is eerily reminiscent of the last 30 years of thinking that deaf people cannot read at the same level as their hearing peers. What does hearing loss have to do with the level of literacy? It only takes the effort of family members to take the time to communicate with their children and for schools to ensure that their students are on the same page as other students. Note of warning though, not every child (hearing or deaf or otherwise) read the same way as anyone else. It is also similar to how white people discriminate against the black culture for being unable to read, when they were denied the opportunity to do so ... on basis of their skin color, not because of their intelligence or capacity. (Again, generalizing and this course of action takes place more in the past than currently; however, the action still happens).

Speaking from experience, starting to read independently at about 2 years of age, had nothing to my hearing loss. It had to do with the two major role models in my life (and I have many of those, with different roles they play), my mother and grandmother. My sister and youngest brother are readers; while my other brother didn't like to read, only if he had to for school or for information. When my mother gave him a book that he may be interested in reading - I think it was a Tom Clancy book, he started to read as much as we did. My husband is not big on reading books; he's a newspaper reader and a sports fan. Each of us are different in what we read, it depends on how we are exposed to reading and literacy that helps us develop into readers.

Just because of the fact of hearing loss or skin color difference, we can't read. That is bogus. I can give you this particular experience that my ex-boyfriend (deaf) went through and I was right there when he experienced a shocking moment in his life. When we were dating, we knew that we were different in academic avenues. He had the reading level that was stereotypical of what society perceived for deaf people - but he is the best DJ there is. Anyway, one weekend, I was staying with him in his hometown and he was DJ'ing at a local bar. This guy came up to him and wanted to let him know what music he wanted. Since my ex was well known in his hometown, he had a paper and pen ready for any requests. As any bar-goer and music lover, music is hard to communicate over when it's loud. When my ex wrote down to ask what the hearing person wanted to have put on, the hearing person looked at the paper and looked at my ex with a look on his face. He shrugged and made the gesture for 'no write/read'. It was the first time my ex has ever met a hearing person who couldn't read or write. He looked at me and I couldn't help him. He solved the problem by showing the DVD covers for the music to the hearing person and after the selection, put it on the track.

It goes to show that literacy does not discriminate, just like Mother Nature. It does not discriminate even when the child's parents are the most literate or the least literate. Having the ability to speak or sign fluently or having both skills in place does not make one literate. Being more than just a small part of what society thinks us to be (in terms of physical/sensory/mental loss, race/ethnicity or etc), allows us to be human. We are flawed, always and will be, never mind that we try to achieve perfection. (Into Chaos we go...) Being flawed is perfect, we are not God nor omnipresent. If you don't know the story of the 'Tower of Babel', read the story.

In 2005, I did a literacy survey with several goals: to see if gender made a difference, use of language (whether mono or bi-lingual), communication structure at home/school and today's results. The survey was based on local residents and few out of state respondents. The questionnaire was born on basis of my gathering information of children, whether deaf or hearing (main focus deaf), were reading at the level of other peers. See below. I will be more than happy to do this questionnaire again. One note: the question of parents signing at home was added at the last minute so the figures do not match the rest of the percentages.

Basic Information
Gender
Male	11	35%
Female	20	65%
Age
21-30	5	16%
31-40	9	29%
41-50	6	19%
51-60	8	26%
61+	3	10%
First Primary Language
ASL	11	35%
Oral	3	10%
SEE	1	3%
Spoken English	7	23%
Cued
Other:
SEE/Spoken English	5	16%
Oral/Spoken English	1	3%
Total Communication
Homemade	1	3%
Oral/SEE	1	3%
Oral/SEE/ASL	1	3%
Current Primary Language
ASL	17	55%
Oral
SEE
Spoken English
Cued
Other:
SEE/Spoken English/ASL	2	6%
ASL/Spoken English	9	29%
Total Communication
Oral/SEE	1	3%
ASL/SEE	2	6%
Parents
Deaf	7	23%
Hearing	22	71%
Both (one of each)	2	6%
Parents Sign?
Yes	8	26%
No	12	39%
One Parent	1	3%
Schooling
Mainstream	14	45%
Residental	13	42%
Oral	2	6%
Other:
Public	2	6%
Language used during school
ASL	4	13%
Oral	7	23%
SEE	4	13%
Spoken English	3	10%
Cued
Other:
Total Communication	7	23%
Pidgin	1	3%
Spoken English/ASL	4	13%
ASL/SEE	1	3%
Literary Information
Age learned to read
0-3	11	35%
4-6	12	39%
7-10	3	10%
11+	1	3%
Don’t know	4	13%
Taught by who
Parents	14	45%
Teachers	10	37%
Parents/Teachers	6	19%
Other:
Sibling	1	3%
Where learned to read
Home	12	39%
School	15	48%
Other:
Home/School	2	6%
France	1	3%
School/CC-TV	1	3%
Parents read?
Yes	29	94%
No	2	6%
How often Parents read?
Daily	24	77%
1-2 d/w	2	6%
Sundays	2	6%
Don't Know	2	6%
Never	2	6%
Enjoy Reading?
Yes	21	68%
No	2	6%
Somewhat	8	26%
Important to Read?
Yes	31	100%
No
Encourage Children/grandchildren to read?
Yes	31	100%
No

What I found intriguing was the difference in age and how education was valuable back in the 50's to 70's compared to today's perspective. There is not much difference, only a slight improvement. Now reviewing the statistics, if there would be one thing to add, is to make several statistics based on gender, language use and age. The statistics above, I will admit, are general and may not provide much specific information. Umm... how one always learns, it never stops until we die. Or perhaps after death, we do learn.....

Reading is critical to the academic development of children, so is language. Start the moment a child is born. I know I will, folks who know me, know that I value language, literacy and socialization as a critical development process for children, regardless if they are hearing, deaf, black, white, speaks one language or four, rich, poor, uses technology or not - for education does not discriminate, society does.

Attitudes in Stereotyping Behaviors

Sorry I've not been back in while - so much going on.

Why is it that parents or other people experience stereotypical behavior based on one experience? I guess we forget that we're human, despite our differences. As humans, we make mistakes, learn from them, do better or worst eventually.

Adult stereotyping behaviors hurt children more than benefit them. We have seen that through racial discrimination behavior for over 200 years, we still have some stereotypical behavior going on, depending on where we live. We also have seen that through hearing people's oppression on deaf people's lives (again generalizing, there's also the Crab Theory). Only recently in the history of Europe and America, the freedom of the people who are black, deaf, ethnic or with disabilities have increased.

I was recently informed that two families who attended the Christmas Party that a local Deaf Club hosted, refused to participate in future activities geared for deaf and hearing children using ASL because of that one experience. Pretty much some mistakes were made, which we learned from; however, is the attitude necessary? Are the parents thinking of only themselves and their experience with the deaf community that their children will not be able to have the opportunity to experience two cultures and two languages anywhere and anytime.

As through out the postings, you know I'm deaf. As a deaf person who knows that I'm only human, there are occasional stereotypical attitudes that I may hold against hearing people; however, I would have to try hard to remember that not everyone is the same, nor should I expect them to be the same. Why cannot hearing people hold that attitude towards those in the minority status?

This Christmas party was our first time we've ever hosted and we wanted to go all out to reach the parents. Not a bad idea, is it? It could be a wrong timing for some activities planned, it takes us as a human to admit that occasionally we're liable to make decisions for the best of others, not ourselves. The event gave us an opportunity to look at what we could change for the future Christmas parties for children, the question is, will those whom participated in this event ever change their mind and think of their children? Maybe, maybe not.

I guess in my stereotypical perspective as a deaf person born and raised and loves all of her hearing members of the family (my side of the family are all hearing), people who limit or place a barrier in place for their persons with disabilities or of ethnic nationality really prevents those who are 'different' from them from experiencing the world as the world as it is. Barriers will limit the capacity of anyone from becoming well aware of how diverse the world is.

If an organization hosted the same type of party - let's say the organization's members are all hearing and they happened to have deaf people attend the event, the only problem - no interpreter! Mon dieu! There are many options that deaf people can do to ensure that they have equal access to the party as any other participant: do nothing about it, bring an interpreter with them, or ask the organization if they would be willing to provide an interpreter. The third option is really almost never acceptable for an organization (generalizing) because of the cost. Some deaf folks may never come back; however, what happens if the next party (same type) was hosted and the organization decided to provide an interpreter? You would still not go because of your last experience with the organization?

If you refuse to go, what kind of message is that for the organization, that both parties won't work together? The same applies to the deaf party and the hearing participants in the party - again we forget, who is losing all the benefits of the real world, the interaction between two communities composed of different cultural and lingual characteristics and behaviors performed by both groups. Not only that, the opportunity for discussion, feedback and information exchange, who loses all that benefit of the real world? Our children.

I am upset with those type of people than I am with my family members who occasionally have cause for embarrassment. The reason is that my family is diverse than most people will think of and yet the people outside of my family will shun the deaf community just because we happen to overdo something that we really believed in - something that not only benefits the children, but the parents or the people who participated in this particular event.

Yes, we're deaf (or of ethnic and disability, linguistic/cultural, etc), yet we're human. I guess that message has yet to be drilled into the minds of those who still have the sense of majority in this world. What we do now as diverse humans will impact our children presently and in the future.

Are we willing to take a step forward, make the world a better place, accept diversity over stereotypical attitudes and forge our children's lives to be better than ours? Up to the challenge?

Perspective on Cochlear Implants and ASL

Often we keep hearing how "amazing that cochlear implants (CI) helps me hear", disregarding the reality of what CI fundamentally is. Just a technology tool that has the same function as a hearing aid, only advanced. Basically we're all still deaf.

That is what my mother said when my grandmother wanted me to have CI's back then. "She's fine, there's nothing wrong with her. She's doing good." My parents' belief that I am more than deaf has opened worlds that are usually closed to deaf and hearing communities, without resorting to the pressures of having CIs. They are well aware of realities and they have allowed me to go and do what I need to do, even if it may scare them, after all I'm their oldest kid (my privilege to do so, smiles). There are other people in my life, who have raised me to think of myself as myself, I am grateful for having them in my life.

How can worlds be closed to both communities? Let me relate to you my experience at a recent meeting. The meeting had a presenter about cochlear implants and how it impacted the presenter's life. Somewhere along the way, a comment from the presenter was "the deaf community is against cochlear implants." It upset me. I took the chance to present clarification. The meeting was able to be read by CART (Caption Access Real-Time) so I went ahead and spoke and signed at the same time, normally it doesn't fare well; however, it did go pretty good.

I clarified that the deaf community initially got the message that with cochlear implant, anyone can hear. This was not in respect towards the language and culture that has been around longer than technology has. So once a culture and language is threatened, the response would be resistance or being against the threat. I also informed the people that for those who are familiar with CIs will accept what the technology is and what it does. For those who do not understand, they will resist because they were not given the opportunity to understand. The same thing goes for hearing aids back in the '70s. The same reaction for CIs is the same for hearing aids.

Ok, that's a deaf perspective. What about the hearing side? (Again I emphasize throughout the blogs - general population, not specific), hearing people find sign language and the ability to hear to be offensive and not a survivable capability. Hearing people do not understand what we are all about. Oftentimes, when a deaf person informs the hearing person that they cannot hear, the hearing person would become quiet, turn away and become disinterested in continuing the conversation with the deaf person. Sometimes the opposite can happen, the person can move their lips too big or shout at the deaf person.

With the lack of understanding from both communities, worlds are closed to them, no opportunities are made, no friendships forged, no educational/real life wonders happen, and no communication access is ever achieved.

Recently at another workshop, a presenter mentioned "research shows that a child who can hear and sign achieves more than a child who hears only or signs only." We know that in the real world that comment would be repelled by both communities; however, we have or will meet people who either hear only or sign only and they would be successful in their own right. What about those who do sign, hear and speak, can't they be successful too? They have blended two cultures and two languages, knowing full well that both cultures and languages can never be a true culture together.

Audiologists or doctors who diagnose deafness in babies recommend CI as the first thing to do (what about hearing aids?), without (again general) actually sharing information about deaf community, other parents who are deaf/hearing with deaf/hearing children and the like. The same thing goes for "Do not teach your child sign language." How ridiculous is that? Studies have shown that children learning two languages and more are able to be more open to different avenues, educational challenges and real life scenarios, whether they be deaf or hearing.

Education and Employment are the main concerns of people all over the globe. If both communities cannot open their eyes, minds and souls to the worlds under their noses, the ability to obtain an education or employment will be low. I'm not saying that it is for a fact, actually people do transcend that challenge and prove either communities wrong. It is more of a mindset provided by both communities which can prevent them from being able to break the prejudices, stereotyping and other psychological factors.

Now what can we do to open worlds to the communities all around us? Are you up to the task?

Cochlear Implants and Deaf Issue

This article I like because someone finally says that it is ok for them to be deaf and cochlear implants (CI) do not replace who they are. As a hearing aid user, the ability to hear something helps out in different ways like lipreading, listening to music but does not mean that I am hard of hearing. I have been deaf all of my live; however, being deaf does not define me but helps me to be a better person. I'm happy this mother recognizes the potential of her boys to be all they can be.


From the newsroom of the WISC-TV, Channel 3 News, Madison, Wisconsin, Thursday, February 1, 2007 .....

Deaf Brothers Get Implants To Hear For First Time

Implants For 2 Brothers Will Be Turned On Friday

BEAVER DAM, Wis. -- A Beaver Dam mother said she is grateful and looking forward to experiencing a miracle with her sons -- who will hear sound for the first time on Friday.

The brothers, who are deaf, will have cochlear implants. Mother Brenda Mueller said they are anxious and excited about their new journey.

Three of Mueller's four sons -- Casey, Coltin and Riley -- were born deaf.

Their mother said their life is as full and rewarding as any parent could hope for their child. Mueller said that the fact that they're deaf has given them the gift of a place in a special community and is not a setback.

"Being deaf is a way of life and a culture and a beautiful culture in its own self. I've explained to other people you would not feel sorry for someone from Germany if they were speaking German and couldn't speak English," Mueller said.

But cochlear implants will give the boys the choice of experiencing life in both the hearing and deaf cultures.

"I don't feel there's anything wrong with my children. We're not fixing them; they're not broken," Mueller said. "I think the boys are excited, but they don't really know what this is."

Both Coltin and Casey will have their implants turned on Friday, when the will begin to hear sounds for the first time in their lives.

Young Riley is already experiencing life with sound. His implant was first turned on two weeks ago.

"That day when they're turned on, it's not some big epiphany. It's very calm," Mueller said. "Last night, he was climbing on my back and my brother was over and he's making an attempt to make the same sound back, which is huge; it's huge."

Doctors said that actual words usually take three to six months. But just last week, Riley already blurted out his first real word -- "stop."

"I told him to do it, and he did plain as day. I almost fell over with the s and the t and the o and the p perfect. I made him do it again and again," Mueller said. "I waited almost 11 years for Coltin to say his first words. I try to keep my emotions in check. It's not a sad thing; it's a happy thing. But it is emotionally overwhelming as a parent to wait so long."

Mueller said that she had better odds of winning the lottery than having three sons who can't hear. But she said that this turned out to be her lottery and that she can't wait for the implants to be activated.

NOTE: WISC-TV will be with the family on Friday when Coltin and Casey have their implants turned on for the first time, and the story will air during the 6 p.m. news on Feb. 2. Tune into WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for part two of this story. Copyright 2007 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved.

Deaf Culture by a Hearing Person

Sometimes I do appreciate a hearing person or a person with a diverse background, who grasps the reality of culture and language and respecting its role in humans' lives. See below.....

From USA-L. Newspaper and Writer are credited.

From the newsroom of the Teen Ink, Newton, Massachusetts, Tuesday, January 9, 2007 .....

Deaf Culture
by Matthew W., Glendale, AZ

I am a hearing person. I can hear birds outside, the alarm clock in the morning, and other people's voices. My American Sign Language teacher, Ms. Zahnen, is deaf. Most people would call her disabled, but she doesn't see herself that way and always tells us not to feel sorry for her. This seems to be the general attitude of those who are deaf - they do not want sympathy because in their opinion, they are perfectly normal. In fact, most hearing people do not know that they have their own culture.

The Deaf are united by the fact that they cannot hear, and have created their own language and culture. American Sign Language is the third most widely used language in the U.S. after English and Spanish and uses a variety of gestures, movements, and expressions to communicate. ASL, as it is called, is adapted from spoken English but uses only important concepts with a different sentence structure. In English we would say “I need to go to the store.” The ASL equivalent i s closer to “Need go to store, I.” Each sign represents an English concept rather than a specific word. Deaf people are required to learn written English, however, and most become adept at reading a hearing person's lips. Many deaf people also learn to use their voice but most of them sound strange to us.

Like anyone, the Deaf become offended if they feel their culture is being intruded upon. Our teacher showed us a documentary called “The Sound and the Fury.” In the documentary, a young deaf girl asks her deaf parents for a cochlear implant so she can communicate with her hearing friends. To her father, this is out of the question, having been born and raised deaf. Her mother is more open to the idea but they finally decide that they want their daughter to grow up with the Deaf culture, which sparks a disagreement between other family members (some of whom are deaf and some are not). This turns into an argument with some pretty hateful things said. The hearing see th e deaf as disabled and a minority group impaired by their inability to hear.

If there is any solution to the tension between these two cultures, I think I have it. The hearing are not educated enough about Deaf culture. Before I took this class I never knew about it. A fellow student mistakenly believed that deaf people could not drive cars. Many deaf children describe being harassed by the hearing. Basically, I feel that the best solution is simply to respect one another. Whether we are deaf or hearing, we are all human beings. I strongly feel that each side needs to be more educated about the other and learn to respect one another. I feel that I have achieved a new level of understanding by being a hearing ASL student.

Copyright 2006 by Teen Ink, The 21st Century and The Young Authors Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Any comments?

WHO ARE YOU and I?

You'll be puzzled by the title, huh? I'll use myself as an example, why not! I did explain about the aspect of being human; however, we're going the macro part of who we are.

Human is the entirety. The macro aspect is the parts of us that make us human. Ok, we're going to use me as an example (I did say that once didn't I?). For those who know me, I am deaf.

OK. The point? I can walk, I have eyes, I can think, learn, discuss, and even argue. I use my hands to communicate; to compensate the loss of a sense. How can I speak English? Well, my larynx still works along with the voice box. How relevant is that to my being deaf?

My deafness is only a macro part of who I am. It should not be the barrier to a new world. Deafness is not blocking the brain from receiving information, we still can because we become visual and tactile. Does my deafness stop me from being a vicarious reader? Does it stop my deaf friends from becoming architects and graphic designers? Does it stop deaf people from teaching their language and culture to other people who are interested?

Seeing me as only a deaf person is the biggest barrier society has promoted over the years. Employers wouldn't hire deaf people (general again, no stereotyping here) because of the cost of interpreters or the inability to communicate. It is scary for us to be able to communicate with employers too sometimes. After all, we're human.

Being deaf does not stop us from feeling the range of emotions that go through us everyday, just like everyone else; however, some of those emotions can be intensified because there is no understanding and more barriers in place. What example can I give?

Here's a story. This lady is in her 40's, been deaf all of her life. She attended the deaf school back in the time when kids would go home like once every 2 to 3 months and for summer vacation. Her entire family is hearing, with minimal sign language knowledge, mostly gesturing and the like. They all grow up. Her sister gives birth to a deaf child, mainstreaming the child and placing a cochlear implant, back in its infancy. The boy rarely sees his deaf aunt, because she doesn't have a cochlear implant and primarily uses sign language to communicate. The boy still does not have the communication skills he needs to navigate in the real world. His aunt is frustrated because of working at her family's business place. The biggest barrier is the lack of communication and a lack of respect for the lady, despite her deafness, who has been a part of this business since it was founded. When the lady and the boy goes to family events, the lady stays and makes attempts to converse, her husband is easily accepted because he can speak well. The boy is left behind, he almost makes no attempt to converse.

I'm curious to what you think. Is the lady frustrated because of communication attempts fail at business and in family gatherings? Why is the boy with cochlear implants pretty much left to his own devices? Do the time periods of the lady and the boy have a noticeable difference?


I would like to post an article from USA-L. The newspaper is mentioned so the credit goes to the newspaper and writer.

From the newsroom of the Newsday, Melville, New York, Wednesday, January 10, 2007 ..... Editorials

Disability can be a valuable lesson

Whether students need a dog like Simba or a wheelchair, their experience enriches everyone's education

BY BROOKE ELLISON

Brooke Ellison was a candidate for New York State Senate in 2006.

Sixteen years ago, I was struck by a car and left paralyzed from my neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. I was 11 at the time, and, like many children, I understood my life in terms of days spent in the classroom.

One of the first memories I have following my accident was a desire to return to school, to be reunited with my friends and classmates. This required having a caregiver in the classroom, who turned out to be my mother. The school district resisted. Some felt uncomfortable having a parent in a classroom at all times; others believed my presence, in a wheelchair and on a ventilator, would be too disruptive, distracting or upsetting to my classmates.

After a long administrative and legal battle, the district ultimately acquiesced, and I returned to school with my mother. She has been at my side ever since, through high school graduation, and then undergraduate and graduate school at Harvard. That special arrangement in the classroom was crucial to my development.

So I can understand what 14-year-old John Cave and his family are experiencing in the East Meadow School District. Cave, who has been near-deaf most of his life, is not being allowed to bring his assistance dog, Simba, into school. As in my case years ago, this raises the question: What is education for?

School is a place not merely to learn math and science, but to prepare children to navigate the world and prepare for their future. The Cave family's request for the assistance dog aims for just that: to provide the clearest path for John to interact successfully with his environment. Simba is no more just an animal than a wheelchair is just a piece of furniture - he is a vital part of John's ability to live safely.

Barring his assistance dog from a public facility, particularly his school, takes far too capriciously the necessities of John's life.

Beyond this, to bar John and Simba from the classroom is also to deny John's classmates the opportunity to learn from him. With exposure to different ways of life comes understanding and acceptance - as important a lesson as will ever be taught at the blackboard. Just as you can't learn to swim without being in water, you need to be surrounded by difference to learn from it.

Young people are naturally open to difference and intrinsically want to learn from other ways of life. In my days in the classroom and in speaking in schools since then, I have found students curious about perseverance, and how you develop it against a daunting disability. They ask about personal details of my day. They tell me my situation has given them pause to appreciate what they have in their lives. And their reactions, in turn, have helped me to believe my physical situation, different though it may be, makes me no less able than my peers to achieve my goals.

Does the East Meadow district really want to deny this education to John Cave and the students in his school?

We are fortunate to live in communities that offer special educational settings for so many children. But when a student is willing and cognitively able, the mainstream classroom should be the first choice.

In some cases, a child's presence might be logistically or physically unfeasible in the mainstream classroom, becoming inappropriate for either the child or his classmates. But, provided the child can do the schoolwork, and there are no clear obstructive or deleterious effects on the classroom, more acceptance is always preferable to less. Greater diversity almost always paves the way for broader understanding.

John and Simba's story is getting national attention now - and for good reason. This case challenges our most basic fears about difference and disrupting the status quo, but it also provides us with the opportunity to embrace the noblest parts of human nature.

We fear the unfamiliar and often distance ourselves from that which we fear. My physical situation 16 years ago made me unfamiliar. Had it not been for the accommodations the schools made for me, my life would have taken a far different, and likely far less fortunate path. I'd like to think the same is true for my classmates.

We need to provide the same opportunities for John Cave and his fellow students. It is their future we should believe in and strive to maximize, as it is the very purpose of education itself.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

How true is that? Education is more than just an opportunity to learn subjects at hand. It provides for interaction, acceptance and respect of others. It will always be difficult no matter what. As humans, we adapt and survive by learning, meeting others and being a part of the world larger than ourselves. The same needs to be provided to deaf children, to experience the fullness of the world before them and allow others to see them more than their macro self, their true wholeness.

Using me as an example, again (yes again, smiles), I am a woman, sister, daughter, granddaughter, counselor/advocate, avid reader, creative with artistic avenues, teacher, activist, wife, lover of nature, opinionated, occasionally rude (okay), strong believer in the value of education, community, parent involvement and support and how many more macro parts? I am not only deaf, I am many more. You are too, so is everyone. That is what defines us human. The macro parts become a whole human.

We create opportunities to break down barriers, it takes two to break the barriers. One could break it down, the other can build it up again. It is up to all of us to break down the barriers and learn all about each other. Are we up to it?

Respect Des Langues Deux

This is the second part to the "Respecting Languages". I must apologize for the tone in the "Language" post. It was difficult to be able to explain it in a rational avenue.

I did explain about my experience regarding speaking and signing; apparently, the message got lost somewhere, own fault. Let me explain more....

I became deaf after contracting rubella at 11 months. I was post-lingual and even after losing my hearing, I was able to talk to a limit. After finding out that I am deaf, my parents went for sign language to add to speaking English. As I grew up, I spoke while around my family but signed with my friends. I was already a native ASL user, although Signed Exact English was used in the classroom. Even when I moved to Indiana Deaf School, I still wanted to speak so when I went home, I spoke. I was even upset if my hearing aid is not working. Still my parents supported me using sign language. We still argue about it to this day, my parents should have made it mandatory that I signed at home.

My siblings are familiar with sign language and can identify signs through body language, expressions (called non-manual markers) and other aspects of what ASL is. Only six years ago, they took the opportunity to learn sign language, my sister hasn't but wants to and she learns whenever she can.

The point to the above paragraphs is that I tried my best to respect languages in a different way, speaking at home and signing at school, when they could be incorporated, especially at home. Yeah, I did speak at school but it was signing 98 percent of the time. I would have been less frustrated at family events if my family (other than my mother) signed. There are always lessons in life.

I also want to mention that my grandmother still remembered a few signs when I went down to visit her, I was surprised. The last time I saw her was I think 2002 at my cousin's wedding and she's only 92. Wow!

I also wanted to share an experience that I have regarding languages. I took French at the first university I attended to. The experience I have is somewhat satisfactory, few weakness is some of the students did not have a good grasp of English, specifically grammar, to be able to write into sentences and that would hurt the learning and processing of language. Deaf people have English as their second language and often will parallel English with ASL/other forms of manual communication methods.

I will admit that I failed the 102 class, I believe, I forgot the reason why....probably has to do with homework. I did retake the class and did well; however, I did not build enough respect or ability to use the language I've learned and be able to communicate it effectively. I left the university before I took the 202 level of French and attempted to take it at Purdue U. Calumet.

Now that is a problem. How can interpreters be able to translate three languages, when they know two and absolutely at a loss for the third. If anyone has an experience with that, please let me know. I know the difference is that I took the first three (ok, four) classes at the other university and now taking the final class at PUC. The teacher and I came to an arrangement of online correspondence. I dropped the class after four weeks (I stick with classes no matter what) on basis of my grammar which sucks.

Why is sharing my experience relevant, you may think. It shows me that in order to become proficient in a language, one must use it out there....out in the community where people use it every day. If I became friends with someone who uses French on a daily basis, I believe I would be able to benefit more because of the daily interaction rather than in a lecture/classroom.

Suppose both universities offered events in French, I'd jump at the chance to use the language, more likely write/read rather than sign it. Speak French? Few words here and there, gotta be tough. At the first university, people would more than likely be able to attempt signing the language (and French Sign Language is not taught at this university, only written/read). At PUC, the interpreter would be totally lost. Again if anyone has experience at the college/university level, let me know!

Language is important to every single one of us, whether we can hear or not. It connects us all to a part of a global community. I am not for a world full of English speaking people. I am for a world that is diverse as it is now and since in the past. This world has a lot to teach us, for us to learn and allows us to see reality in a different light. We begin to understand how different we are as well as how similar and begin to accept who we are. I am for speaking/signing multiple languages and learning about subcultures. I am bi-lingual and bi-cultural. I speak and sign and I live in both subcultures.

When I was young, I couldn't accept the fact that I had some hearing loss nor could I accept the fact that I spoke well enough to pass for a hearing person. I also can pass for having a deaf family (when I have a hearing one) because of my fluent ASL. It was more of a curse than a gift; however, as time goes on by, it is a gift. These gifts are a part of who I am, I cannot take that for granted.

If I lost you, please post a comment. Smiles!

A Diversified Community

Northwest Indiana, historically, has always stood out from the rest of the state. Most presume that it is we are in the proximity of Chicago, only 35 minutes away. The region was the personification of the American Dream, perhaps 50 years ago. Now it is not true. We are fraught with corruption, self-glorification, and disregard for others within our own communities. Historically Democratic, holds the state's top minority populations - Hispanic/Latino and African American/Black, and the state's entertainment center.

What's relevant about this? We break down this region's communities and we see complete diversity within this region. This region also holds the second largest deaf/hard of hearing population of all ages, mostly in Lake County. Yet, we segregate ourselves from each other, rather than taking the opportunity to grab the bulls by its horns and become the utopia each of us dream within our dreams.

Relevant issues: Education, Interpreter quality (Education/Community), Languages, Hearing technology available, Parental/Academic involvement and Community involvement, Racial segregation, and Employment, to name a few.

Gallaudet U. just announced Robert Davila, a tri-lingual speaker, deaf since 8 years old, former teacher at Gallaudet U. and administrator at National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) and Department of Education to head up as the interim President after I. King Jordan steps down December 31, 2006. Anything wrong with this picture? No - Dr. Davila personifies the diverse person and values education at its highest and he's deaf. Any challenges?

As growing up here in Northwest Indiana for 25 years and counting, I do not think I really ever experinced conflicts between communities until I came back from Gallaudet U. in 1997. However, society back in the 1970's and 1980's are different from today's society. One thing is consistent - lack of communication network access. Hearing parents are separated from Deaf parents, deaf children are separated from deaf and hearing children and on. If there was a critical issue regarding interpreters or education, almost nothing is done. If something was done, there was usually a lone person standing in the doorway, making those changes; however, those changes usually impact only 1 or 2 people rather than the entire community.

I recently commented to friends of mine, who are deaf and now have deaf grandchildren - they have an opportunity to take the chance to change things for the better, do it now rather than later and don't wait. The point is, this is OUR community and it is diverse (multi-lingual/multi-cultural). Self-segregation, "someone else will do it", "we have a leader", negative attitudes about one's abilities and limitations imposed by others (even within our own subcultures) prevent us from being able to make changes and become cohesive.

Some of us who are pro-active towards education equality for all children, will tell you the frustration of education for deaf children, is more than the education for them; but the entire school systems. If you can look at one specific group, in this case, deaf children, see how they get their education, you will have the bigger picture of how the school system educates all of the children enrolled for academic advancement and pursuit.

What types of relevant issues that shows us how we do things in this part of the state, we stagnate, refuse to do anything, or leave it to others to do the work. If anyone truly cares, we could do more for the communities we live in, renew and create new bonds, remember the past (don't dwell), live the present and look to the future with open eyes, hearts, and minds. We would do more than just stand alone - create links, links of communities, teaching each other and allowing more than technology advances...true human touch reach out and being strong.

"It takes a village to raise a child." ~African Proverb. That is reality. It also takes a village to raise a village - the people within them. Being afraid of something that (which, who, how, why) is different, which in itself is normal, limits anyone more than others. Look at your neighbors, schoolmates, family members, and whomever, ask yourself, "am I afraid?"

Respecting Languages

For someone who speaks fluently as well as signs fluently, respect comes a long way. As I painfully learned this past week when I was on vacation in Florida, visiting my grandmother, I've always wanted to speak instead of sign. My choice. My parents knew and understood the value of signing ever since I was "discovered" deaf at the age of 3 (I was already deaf at 1 year old). They impressed upon me the importance of signing as well as speaking.

I was already speaking fluently when I requested to stop speech classes at the deaf school I attended in my junior year. I already can't hear, so what's the point of training my hearing when I can speak. I guess I already accepted the gift and curse of being able to speak as well as sign fluently. No bragging but I'm an above average lipreader, so I was fine with what I had.

Before I read my letters to my grandmother, I had disillusioned myself as the person who always wanted to sign rather than speak. How intriguing is it to find myself reading MY letters to find out that "oh boy!" I wanted to speak; however, as I learned, I am better for being myself, whether I sign or speak.

Anyway, the relevance of this topic is this....approximately three weeks ago, there was a deaf event held locally. Of course everyone signs - no big deal, it's great. There was a group of students (hearing) learning ASL, cool you think right? Nope, very discouraging.

This group sat at a table away from the deaf people and used their voices, perhaps a flutter of hands here and there but primarily using their voices. WHAT, you say. Yep, ain't kidding you there.

Another thing before I go on. There were two people that I met the year before and I asked one of them " How are you?", the person couldn't answer me. I was momentairly confused. I asked again. The person asnwered me back with "Waiting for (person)". Dumbfoundly, OH.

I encouraged a few friends to go up and talk to them (I was disgusted and I do not mingle well when disgusted). My friends did go and talk to them, when I decided to play a game with them. The group did not know how to play the game so another friend and I explained the game to the entire group, including the other friends. Then we sat down. I asked each to introduce themselves. All of them attended one school in Hammond and most were level 2 ASL students. Signing not bad, but not much talking back and forth, questions, inquiries...just playing the game.

After the game, that was it, they went back and used their voices again. AGAIN? Yeah. Disappointed? Yes. I sent an email to their teacher. I stated "If we (both of us) made the choice to learn how to talk with our voices, we are extending respect to their spoken language, where is their respect for our primary langauge - ASL?"

Thinking about it, I'm right. If we are willing to learn how to speak, we are extending respect to a language that is not deaf-friendly at all (speaking-wise). If hearing people are willing to take our classes and learn the language, the same respect needs to be extended to ASL (American Sign Language).

Being forced to learn something that is not deaf or hearing-friendly is another story. Growing up with speaking English and signing ASL is a natural way of life. Remember, this applies if the person is a willing learner of both languages. If one doesn't want to learn the language, don't bother learning it anymore than one needs to.

I wonder if parents realize this, or basically anyone out there. Denial of a language that is native to this world creates a frustrated inability to communicate. Denial of lingual acceptance creates a culture that is anti-multicultural. Forcing children to learn a secondary language over a primary language does not create a child with a spongy brain. The children would have to work doubly hard to catch up with the secondary language to maintain "intelligence". A primary language working with the secondary language (parallel method) creates flexibility and choice in how to use language to the benefit and the most of a situation.

You note, I do not say anything about a primary language. In this case as a Deaf American, I sign ASL, speak and write English. ASL and English share words to describe or explain things that we see, imagine and feel. For written language, it is primary to the entire population of America (other than Spanish, French and other languages) that we write English. Speaking English or Signing ASL has the same prinicpal, structure and usage.....in different ways.

Those who use English everyday - that's our primary language as a group of American citizens; however, speaking a language or signing a language is different from a written language. For those who speak English, listen to those who come from the East Coast, Mississippi, Colorado and the West Coast - they don't speak the same type of English that we in the Midwest speak. For those who sign ASL, we all pretty much know that anyone from any point in the US sign a little bit different from those who sign here in the Midwest.

Speaking or Signing a language is not perfect - writing them is. Audists live with the perspective that their spoken language is the perfect language in the world. Manualists live with the perspective that their signing language is the only one in the world. In reality, any version of speaking or signed language is the most appropriate for the region.

Basically, all we need is to acknowledge and respect each other's language and learn it the way others actually use it everyday. Speaking or Signed, doesn't matter - RESPECT does. If you learn ASL and go to a deaf event, don't speak, you will not learn how to use ASL the way deaf people do it. If I learn how to speak, I do not do it the way deaf people speak, I do it the way hearing people in my community speak. I learned French - I can attest to this - I do not learn French the way English people use it. I learn it the way French people use it, that's the best way and closest way to reach the heart, soul and core of French speaking people and its culture.

Again, ask yourselves - am I respecting the others' langauge as I am learning it or am I ignoring the bountiful opportunities to learn another language by reverting back to my primary language?

I learned to speak (fluently or not, don't care, I wanted to period), I am respecting the spoken language used everyday. You learn to sign (or learning), are you respecting the language I use everyday? Ummmmmm

Caution: Pro Culture

Gallaudet U. needs to take great care in how they will portray deaf community, culture and language to the world. Choosing a leader who will exemplify those characters will also need to take great care in welcoming those who are "outsiders" of the culture. This caution applies to any subculture among the world.

Becoming pro-deaf does not allow a person to become broadened in experience and education. Hearing assistive device users are in the core group in the community, so are people who practice oralism, cued speech, and other communication methods are also in the core group. Each one of us have a hearing loss ranging from mediocre to profound. Why would each of us be exempt from core group in the Deaf community?

I am profoundly deaf, a hearing aid user, fluent in ASL and Spoken English, a crazy reader and a mediocre writer and the majority in my families are hearing. Does this exempt me from being in the core of the Deaf Community? I'm not for cochlear implant, nor do I want one - yet those who wear them are exempt.

As I mentioned two or three posts ago, the hype of cochlear implant is the same hype that hearing aids - the value of CIs will go away. Still remains, communication needs are being met? CI users like hearing aid users are essentially deaf. A new hype is coming up - genetic manipulation.

I'd prefer the term "manipulation" because that is going too far to make a socio-political term "abnormal" child into "perfect". Genetics is studying how genes work, especially when those genes are "mutations" causing difference in how animals and invertebrates are developed. Those "mutations" could be evolutionary traits to help us adapt to a world changing before our eyes, under our feet, feel in the wind, smell and hear around us.

Anyway back to the point, the caution is to not make Gallaudet U a pro-deaf community but a deaf community/university that accepts a wide range of people with hearing losses, regardless if they have a hearing assistive device or none or practice oralism, cued speech or ASL. Sign language needs to be strongly encouraged because Gallaudet U will be practicing the Bi-Bi Philosophy. People are already speaking two languages at Gallaudet U. The languages need to be respected.

What is Bi-Bi philosophy? Indiana Deaf School (ISD) was one of the few schools to adopt this philosophy, where Deaf Culture/ASL and Hearing Culture/English is put to work together. In fact, any attempt to create a mulatto language (meshing of ASL & English) is not a language, nor does it create respect for each language. Known mulatto methods are Cued, SEE I, SEE II, and Pidgin English. Each gear children to the English language, which we as any American citizen uses to read and write.

See here for ISD's presentation on the Bi-Bi Philosophy at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in 2003.

Gallaudet U needs to remember that the world is bigger than the University itself, in doing so, they will need to select a leader who encompasses all diverse cultural and lingual aspects of deaf community and lead the University to a strong educational base and send forth their students ready. Many Gallaudet U graduates did go on to other universities and graduated as educators, lawyers, doctors, administrators and the like.

However, it is the middle and poor class that suffer the barriers imposed by employers who do not understand the need of anyone with a disability's desire to work. I believe the Midwest and the South suffers greatly from this disadvantage - the Gallaudet U. clusters are based in large cities, no one goes back home to their hometowns - "its too hard to find a job there". Not only that, generally (as I've seen and heard myself), Gallaudet U graduates have a high opinion of themselves and see that other people are not important to their group. That is not what reality is.

I applaud others who have went their separate ways and become leaders, activists, and community educators in their own right. Their true heart lies in the communities they live in. They make the effort to educate the businesses, encourage deaf people to become more than welfare users, abusing government systems, and being more than deaf and putting face to and about the deaf community. It's hard. Really hard.

Why is it hard? Pro-deaf consider themselves separate from the mainstream, in a world of their own, oppressing others like them or unlike them (CI users, oralists and the like). Pro-speaking/hearing practioners effectively oppress information that hearing/deaf parents and deaf adults could use to encourage their children or themselves to become activists and independent.

Imagine the wealth and the opportunity to share, respect and accept culture and language as a part of who we are. That is where Bi-Bi philosophy comes in. I certainly hope that the concept has not been abused to meet the satisfaction of either culture/language. As Deaf people, we have no choice but to learn how to read and write English; however, we can be "told" that we can sign, speak or don't do either one. As Hearing people, they have no choice but to read and write English; however, they can make the choice of speaking (that actually is not an option), signing or do nothing of either. Why can't we have the same choice of signing (not an option) but choose to speak just as a hearing person can choose to sign. Guaranteed, not everyone can be fluent in speaking or signing - that's what language is. Again - choice.

For the pro-deaf, pro-speaking & hearing, and Gallaudet U - make your choices to include and emcompass everyone, make no limitations and we all will get along eventually.

Culture or Not Culture (Subculture)

Culture is a mixture of tangible and intangible values, mores and taboos to name a few.

The Encarta dictionary states for Culture:

• 2. Knowledge and sophistication: enlightenment and sophistication acquired through education and exposure to the arts
• 3. Shared beliefs and values of group: the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people
• 4. People with shared beliefs and practices: a group of people whose shared beliefs and practices identify the particular place, class, or time to which they belong
• 5. Shared attitudes: a particular set of attitudes that characterizes a group of people

For Subculture:

• 1. Separate social group: an identifiably separate social group within larger culture, especially one regarded as existing outside mainstreamed society

Cultures, known by anthropology practioners, are fluid, changeable and reflects a group's practice in society.

I recently read this article from USA-L News (www.deaftimes.com) written by John Zimmerman "Gallaudet and the perils of culture". Mr. Zimmerman presents relevant points regarding culture, as it was created by anthropologists to catergorize the differences between minorities. However, culture does exist (Z says it doesn't) because each of us have different set of mores, values and taboos, including traditions and the like.

Human culture is the main culture for all of us. As humans, we have the ability to converse in languages, practice similar traditions, religions, read and write, think and dream. It is the little differences that tout us different from others. Those are called subcultures.

Under no circumstances are we individual species, as one would consider us classified with apes, monkeys, and chimpanzees. We are biologically a different species from our distant (apes, monkeys) and closest (chimpanzees) relatives; however, we as humans are not distinctly separated from each other biologically, therefore the concept of race, gender and disability is just culture.

Z mentions that white men are bigoted and the "majority". I as a white person and fortunately a woman, would agree with the commentary. I don't know why white people would say civilization and any "superior" culture is any better than the others. Making others who are different to become like the "white men", is a disaster in the making. There are biological and environmental reasons why things are the way they are. Native Indians worshiped the land because it gave them life and took care of them, Africans have dark skin because where they live, the sun reaches the most and Deaf people cherish hands and sign language because it is one of the communicative languages that they use daily.

If we talk about subcultures - it's time to put the white people in their own subculture - they are the minority of the human culture, just like anyone else. Hearing people are a minority in their human culture because one hundred percent of the human culture is not hearing as human culture is not composed one hundred percent of white people.

What we learn to do in our subcultures - i.e. "Crab Theory", inner-suppression, discrimination of other subcultures and the like, we learned from the "white superiority". We reap what we sow. It is terrible; however, we have an opportunity - change must happen with us, within us and taught to the future generations.

There will always be changes in culture, whether technology or communicative. Deaf people take a stand now because it is in our prerogative that we equalize our subculture and language to anyone else's, thus transcending other subcultures' perspective to become truly human.
Forcing subcultures to the submission of other subcultures becomes riddled with conflicts, refusal to understand potential solutions, suppression of true subcultural contributions, prevents exchange of information and traditions and above all else, refuses us allow to be humans as we were designed to be.

The definitions say it all. Culture exists for reasons that we create, it exists because of how different we all are and it exists because Earth is bigger than we are. Take the time to look at your fellow friends, co workers, family members, and well...basically everyone. Look in their eyes, follow the rush of the blood that ties us all and transcend our subcultures to be human.

What we do now, reflects upon our children. "It takes a village to raise a child." -African proverb

So....JKF is out of Gallaudet

The deaf communities across the globe, erupted in victory as the Board of Trustees at Gallaudet University dilberated on October 29, 2006 to decide what to do about the situation that has been occuring since the announcement of Jane K. Fernandes's selection as the 9th President back in April/May 2006. The objections and demands were intenstified in the beginning of October, cumlulating with sit ins at the gates, closing down of the HMB (for the life of me can't remember the full name of the Building), letters to the Board of Trustees, President and President-designated, through injury and suffering due to forceful movement of the Tent City at the gates, and lastly the hunger strike.

First and foremost - of course I wouldn't forget - is the arrest of more than 130 students, faculty and community members - several who are friends of mine. That was the first mistake that IKJ, JKF, and the Board of Trustees made. The arrests were infrigments of our civil rights and in violation of the First Amendments. This action had the communities in an uproar; thus the decline of the administration's ability to handle the situation - if there were ever an ability to begin with.

Now the message rings - "Healing begins now". It takes to consideration, what steps shall we take now? There will be a President search process starting all over again. I implore the Board of Trustees and Gallaudet University participants in the search process - do not repeat the same mistake. Ensure that the person is highly qualified; not on basis of what the President says, able to bring Gallaudet U's education standard to the highest it has been since before 1988-1993, be a representative of the deaf community at educational, cultural and lingual standings and bring Gallaudet U into the future.

There are several things the Deaf Communities across the world have to consider - especially here in the US. Cochlear Implants (CI) is the big thing; thus allowing the "superior" people to have control over those who are young that they haven't experienced life as it is. In truth - CIs are going through the same hype as when there were hearing aids back in, the mid 1900's. The end result is still a blend of speaking and signing ability.

Educating the general population about deaf people - not just culture or ASL, but the ability to be employed, resources to maintain employment and freeing up communication barriers lay upon us to teach the general population that there's pretty much nothing to be afraid of. Hearing loss is one of the most common sensory losses and yet the general population is afraid of us, that they want to change us without understanding us first. People with hearing loss has been present for more than 2 thousand years.

Gallaudet U and its people have a huge responsibility ahead of them and they have to remember that the real world is bigger than the community. Compromises are not necessary because we are more than just Deaf, with ASL as their primary language and a unique sub culture based on the visual and manual. Working together is the necessity, sharing philosophies, self-weakening inner resistance, and working with an open mind and heart and above all, accepting each other as who we are without making changes to selves.

Unity for Gallaudet U!

For more information on Gallaudet U. Protests, Letters and the like...
www.deaftimes.com
www.joeybaer.com
Washington Post
www.gufssa.com
Dr. Robert E. Johnson
Or basically just type in search for "Gallaudet University Protests 2006"

Gallaudet U. and the U.S. Government

Interesting....Gallaudet University/Deaf Community is a small portion of the US population which peaked at 300 million sometime in the last two weeks. When we look upon the leadership of such university and any other universities, organizations (profit or non profit) and the like.

Gallaudet U. is on a small scale - reflection of the unrest in this nation that is gearing towards denial of being self (other than allowing gay marriages), as who we are. They go forth in technology, education and you name it, oppressing people across the nation. Only a few know it, most are not familiar with this oppression because they've grown up with this (being told by the oppressors (the not know it alls)) in their daily lives, and the other small percentage that basically don't care because this "doesn't impact" their lives anyway.

Looking higher up above Gallaudet University - we are looking at the U.S. Government. Its leader is incompetent and a liar to his own people. The Congress are finding many wrongdoings among its ranks that one can't keep count with. The Departments can't keep their facts straight and take action upon those who take advantage of the "disadvantaged". Not to mention - communication system break down.

The rich are getting richer, thanks to Bush's "personal" war and his oils. The poor are getting poorer and the middle class is no longer dreaming the "American Dream".

Why?

Look within yourselves and ask this question - What am I doing as an US citizen, a human, myself and others for my nation and the world? Would you allow this travesty to continue or allow your civil rights to be suppressed? The responsibility lies upon ourselves to take action in our government.

Remember Rome - it only lasted nearly 500 years. We haven't reached our halfway mark and boy, our lady Liberty and her people are tired, weary and disgusted with the actions of our leaders in those "higher" up positions (are they acting like gods?) that are occuring in both places in our history, the US Government and Gallaudet University.