I may be coming late, and others have covered events at Gallaudet better than I, but I’d still like to take a moment to share my thoughts.
I’ve shared my opinions and commented elsewhere extensively on Gallaudet, but the last few days have instilled in me a new concern– or rather, an ongoing concern. One of the many issues that popped up last May in the cornucopia of grievances, demands, and age-old conflicts is a fundamental one: communication. At heart, this is really what Gallaudet is about: a chance to gain an education on a level playing field. I believe Neil McDevitt said it best when he said Gallaudet afforded him the chance to be a participant, rather than a spectator, in his education.
This “level playing field” has only come about due to the ease and facilitation of communication. Gallaudet has long been a bastion for manual communication, and for the development of communication systems. While ASL is the preferred language, educators at or affiliated with Gallaudet have helped develop SEE, Cuing, and tinkered with other possible ways to ensure communication.
However, Gallaudet’s dirty secret is that while it incorporates support for ASL and fluent communication into its mission statement (and its Communication Statement), not everyone at Gallaudet can sign well. For that matter, some employees know just enough to verbalize through sign on a very basic level. This gap between the main constituency of Gallaudet (its students) and its employees became very clear on Friday.
For a pointed take on what this has meant to us alumni who are watching from afar, this blog entry says it best. I agree: interpreters should not be political footballs. I also feel that regardless of the stance of the protesters and the administration, communication is central. This means allowing everyone to freely comprehend what is going on– on every level. This has to be separate from all other issues, political or not. Otherwise, Gallaudet isn’t Gallaudet.
For the vast majority of us, communication is never a given. We can read, write, and sign. Some of us can speak using our vocal cords. But all of us have trouble hearing, from the profoundly deaf to those with a mild loss. This means we are never guaranteed 100% access to communication around us. Gallaudet affords an opportunity for a few years (for most of us) to reside in an oasis, a haven where visual communication is guaranteed. Ideally, that is. Regardless of the outcome of the current protest, the aftermath MUST be a full reassessment of what Gallaudet means, and that has to include the right to unfettered communication. Carl Dupree wasn’t a saint; he was a human being. But his death was an extreme example of what happens when there is a communication failure. It’s a shame Campus Security doesn’t seem to have fully learned this lesson.
It’s a shame that some staff members do not sign when they speak at all times.
It’s a shame that professors continue to struggle with imparting their lectures years after their date of hire.
It’s a shame that regardless of babbling about inclusion, the administration allows the official spokesperson to state that the University expects its employees “…to know some level of sign language.”
What’s wrong with being fluent in sign language, rather than mastering “some level”? What’s wrong with expecting that you will be able to understand what’s going on around you, 100% of the time? What’s wrong with paying tuition in exchange for a level playing field, both inside and outside the classroom?
While the protesters may or may not win this battle over who is at the helm of the University, all of us must not lose sight of far more important struggles. In the aftermath of whatever happens from this point on, communication can and must be a priority. I would hate for us, a generation later, to look back 20 and 40 years previously and bemoan the fact that despite how far we have come, that communication is still an issue.
I leave you with this wonderful statement I found on yet another blog today. DeafDC’s Adam Stone is currently in Sri Lanka, and has had discussions over there about the state of communication at the school he’s working in. A wise friend of his made this remark: “People who do not learn sign language make deaf people disabled.”
Gallaudet is the ONE place none of us should ever have to feel disabled.
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Thank you for sharing this post! It is excellently written and for everyone to ponder.
It is not only at Gallaudet but also deaf schools across the nation where it is a BIG problem except for VERY few deaf schools. Everyone should meet the highest competence in ASL, so no one is left out. Once it’s established at Gallaudet, all deaf schools everywhere should follow.
I remember a superintendent at a deaf school who barely knows ASL, trying to get this 4 years old DoD to get back to the gym, during the tournament, instead of wandering off elsewhere in the building. As I walked by, I noticed the struggle between them for a while, I offered to help with ASL translation. He finally cooperated and walked towards to the gym with us. What’s nice about the superintendent is she took the time to thank me. Unlike others, she admitted her incompetence and showed appreciation for my help.
Gallaudet and all deaf schools across the nation are where deaf people/children should not feel disabled!
Hi Katherine- thanks for the compliment. I agree, the residential schools should also be places where deaf people are on 100% equal footing when it comes to communication.
It won’t be an easy struggle, and protests are not always the answer, but achieving equal access is something we cannot lose sight of, regardless of what happens with Fernandes.
David,
Residential schools must provide 100% visual communication access. It appears that many people place some of the responsibility in ensuring that this happens on Gallaudet’s shoulders. Is this fair? I think it may be.
Shane, that may be the goal or mandate, but as Katherine above states, 100% visual communication access remains an ideal, not necessarily a reality. Additionally, I have heard from others at residential schools that they have noticed incidents or individuals where less than ideal communication was taking place. One friend has noticed hearing employees voicing without signing in public on a residential school campus. Another told me that at their former workplace, several employees had very rudimentary sign skills.
As for placing some of the responsibility on Gallaudet’s shoulders, how so? I think Gallaudet definitely needs to act as a MODEL, but has no real say in employment and hiring policies at state schools. This is where all of us can be effective: working in our own states for schools that can become models in their own right.
Eventhough 100% language rich communication through ASL may not be a reality, but it is a direction we need to aggressively gear ourselves toward to make it a reality.
Several years ago, I walked in this deaf school with signs posted everywhere by my cousin, insisting that everyone sign ALL THE TIMES. To my dismay, I saw two teachers chatting vocally by the evelator with small children in their supervision. I couldn’t resist it and pointed to one of the signs nearby to them. They made excuses for not signing. Just unbelievable.
I think Gallaudet’s mission needs to be adopted everywhere once the university acts as a model. ASL needs to be standardized like how English is everywhere.
David, thank you for writing this. Partial inclusion is not total inclusion at all. And that’s a civil rights issue. Gallaudet today is on its way of being the new Gallaudet of tomorrow. Alumni need to stay on top of this. Stakeholders too. And especially the BOT.
You’re welcome. I agree- 100% access to communication is a civil rights issue; unlike Fernandes’ acension to the Presidency, which is more of a leadership issue than anything else. As a community, we need to look beyond the current conflicts and continue our drive for equality- nothing more, nothing less.
Dave, thank you!
You’re welcome. :)
Your article’s headline doesn’t make any sense with the rest of writing. The headline of yours - “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate”. It ought to say “Importance of Effective Communication Within Facilities Involved Deaf People”.
I really THANK you for writing this article anyway for pinpointing out the real hyprocrisy of so-called equal communication playing level at Gallaudet. I truly apperciate your article.
We ought to say “Freedom from Awkward or Questionable Communication Among Deaf Youngsters/Students” via headline.
Unforunately, deaf pre-college youngsters dearly pay the price for ineffective or compromising communication or limited conversation abilities within educational facilities of the deaf on daily basis. Why should we put up with incomptent or unqualified educators who stifle the language development among deaf youngsters? They ought to be replaced of fired!!!!
Why should Katherine do the dirty work for the supertindent of the deaf educational facility? Did Katherine get the finanical compenstation for conveying effective communication between the deaf boy and supertindent of the deaf school? How typical for deaf people putting themselves on the sideline to correct the existing situation!
Katherine’s superintident of the deaf school ought to face the question of her qualification to be employed within that educational facility. WHAT about other qualified deaf educators??? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH about hiring incomptent or unqualifed educators of the deaf!!!
Can you, Dave, care to explain why you consider Carl Dupree as a non-saint? How come? Please give me more specifics about Carl Dupree. Thanks!
RLM:
It was not at one of deaf schools I attended that involved this superintendent in my above post. It was a tournament of a deaf school I went to recently. However, those deaf schools I attended as well as the schools I worked at are guilty of such incompetence.
When I aided this superintendent, I was disgusted, not directly at her attempted sincerity, more about how the flawed system has continuously made it possible for anyone unqualified to be employed in a signing environment in 2006. I have seen a good number of deaf college educated people, who have trouble finding a job in higher positions at a deaf school yet I keep seeing unqualified people getting hired and eventually moved up at deaf schools. This is baffling me.
I am doing this more for the child than the superintendent because I know what it was like being subjected to these incompetent signers at deaf schools. It pains me to see deaf children are still being exploited.
Any effective communication is not enough. It MUST come with language rich communication that is the most accessible.
RLM,
You’re right. It was not one of my better titles. But your two suggested titles sound like something you’d find on a list of government publications from the GPO. Nevertheless, I’m glad you enjoyed my piece.
As for Carl Dupree, he isn’t the focus or the point of my post, so I don’t want to stray too far. That said, maybe I didn’t clarify fully: who Carl Dupree was or wasn’t isn’t the point. It’s the fact that he isn’t an iconic being above us; he could have been any of us. It could have been you, it could have been me that day. What happened to him was extreme, a tragedy, but not a day goes by that a deaf person somewhere doesn’t have frustrations or repercussions stemming from miscommunications and misunderstandings. While I’m not expecting the entire world to learn ASL, I *do* think that Campus Security needs to take a look at its own history. For that matter, the administration needs to take a good, hard look at how effective its statements and policies have been regarding language and communication on campus.
Oh I see!
You were very sincere about doing the right thing for that deaf child. Many thanks for clarification on the whole “communication’ matter. Gotta go now and enjoy real nice autumny weather! :)
A very thoughtful and effective post! Thanks for the reminder that although I am deaf, I can communicate orally and its a constant reminder to myself the importance of communication when it comes to education not only for myself but all deaf children.
Thanks!
This is totally aside from the important discussion here but would someone kindly remove the Hamilton ad, the never-ending “HAMILTON-THAT”? While it may be cute and creative at first but over time, it really gets annoying!! :) :) :)
I personally like it! It is creative.
And it could be argued that the fact that it’s gotten your attention and has you commenting about it - speaks volumes about how effective it is? :)
My toddler now knows how to sign “Hamilton That” because I check DeafDC numerous times a day.
I am for bilingual environment. Non-signer leads a deaf school is a no-no. What about deaf leaders who cannot express in written English fluently that is leading a deaf school? That is no no, too!
Can you imagine that the hearing board members did not require candidates for superintendency at a deaf school in Indiana to submit written sample? All teachers for the deaf must submit their written sample.
I would rather have a deaf leader who can articulate fluently in both languages to lead the university or deaf schools in nation. It is not happening in our country. That is shame!
I agree- this is where Gallaudet could certainly be a leader. We need to aim for bilingual fluency in both ASL and English wherever possible.
No question about the importance of bilingualism in ASL and English.
The majority of deaf people are not literate in English as a result of misguided education systems throughout the years where ASL was not used as part of the instruction and still today. Is it fair to demand them to submit their written sample if some of them have met most of everything else?
We are talking about a small pool of deaf people and even hearing who could be eligible as bilingual. There are many schools and board of trustees out there in the deaf community but few potential bilingual in ASL/English. And what level of English would deem as acceptable?
While I absolutely support the importance of ASL/English bilingualism, that’s something to think about, given the current problem we are facing and how that can be solved.
Evans - thought you would like to know that Marc Fisher of the Washington Post mentioned you in his blog about the Gallaudet “ruckus” - check it out:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/
Wow. I had no idea. Unfortunately, the comments following Fisher’s piece indicate the PR offensive hasn’t been working well. Still, it’s nice to see I’m getting two seconds of fame here (I don’t count it as 15, and I want my remaining 14 minutes, 58 seconds, thank you. ;^)).
Only if Jane Fernandes did something about communication access at Gallaudet during her reign as provost… We wouldn’t have all of these unhappy people. I. King and Jane were very well aware of these issues but no effort was put forth (The audism mandates, delivered by the SBG).
David, thank you very much, your insight is appreciated.
There is an article on Gallaudet Univ. Protests on the front page of Washington Post web as of http://www.washingtonpost.com. It later might be moved under the region news, etc.
Do check it out while you can.
[…] Congratulations to Chris Kaftan and David Evans whose Blogs, “A Centuries-Old Parallel to the Gallaudet Protest” and “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate” respectively appeared today in Marc Fisher’s popular Washington Post column. See related posts:DeafDC.com Blogger in the Washington Post WeekStart Roundup: The Deaf Also Rises DeafDC.com Blog in Express! […]
Well written, Dave. Keep up the good work.
Great commentary, Dave! Well-thought out.
One must remember that not everyone are used to communicate in secondary language casually when they were raised with a primary language in a casual or formal fashion.
For example: when you goes visiting France, do you think the French people required you, an English language user/speaker, to communicate in French all the times just because you’re in France?
Yeh, good point there Rob, and I wonder how ASL can be standardized on gallaudet campus, or even in general. I would like to see that happen. I think more professors and staff need to learn ASL and/or sharpen their skills. Unfortunately, there’s arguments of who is qualified to do what? For instance, say there is an excellent biology teacher who has an excellent resume, background, etc.. but is hearing and wants to teach the deaf at Gallaudet? suppose they are just learning to sign? well, actually in that case I’d want a knowledgeable teacher who also signs. but who is to say this person will ever reach fluency? as a hearing individual, this person may never sign like a native.
I wonder how ASL can be taught to hearing people from an early age. the problem is that language exposure other than English is a big problem in U.S. schools. How often do our kids learn Russian? or Japanese? or Chinese? what about so many languages we don’t have the opportunity to learn? the problem is that mainstream schools often don’t expose their kids to languages other than french and spanish, if that. it’s a big problem internationally, for when it comes time to negotiate, discuss, and even to understand or empathize with international people. U.S. is english-centric. and we are a bit snobby. (smile)
ASL of course is rare in schools, although some colleges and high schools are now recognizing it as its own language and are teaching it. But we also have to think of when is a good time to be exposed? As a child right? What is the learning curve? Doesn’t it get harder to learn another language as you get older? Well, sure it does. Our brains get set in their ways. It’s hard for a hearing individual, even young in their early 20s to learn a langauge like ASL and become fluent in it. Constant exposure and immersion in the community helps–but again, deaf people, and fluent signers will have to be patient. they have to teach, educate, be tolerant and open. especially, if they want knowledge of ASL to flourish.
So there must be reasonable expectations. There must be a bridge. Do you want qualified people to work with deaf people, deaf children? YES! Qualifications include both signing and knowledge in that field. We want the best. But to allow for qualified people in that field, perhaps we should be reasonable in our expectations.
[…] If you don’t have access to today’s Express, download it here. Caution, though - it is a big PDF. Willard’s Blog was also included in the online version of the Express (second blurb). Since the Gallaudet protests began again after a hiatus over the summer, Evan’s “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate”, the Kaftan’s “Gallaudet Interim Provost Announced“, and Allison Kaftan’s “Worlds Apart: Divergences in Perspectives on the Protest” DeafDC.com Blogs have appeared in the Washington Post Express. The Express is one of the most widely read commuter newspapers in the DC Metro area! In addition, Chris Kaftan’s “A Centuries-Old Parallel to the Gallaudet Protest” and David Evans’ “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate” DeafDC.com Blogs appeared in Marc Fisher’s popular Washington Post column. […]
[…] In the last four weeks, since the end of September, Tom Willard’s Guest Blog “A Few Ideas to End the Stalemate“, David Evan’s “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate“, Allison and Chris Kaftans’ “Gallaudet Interim Provost Announced“, and Allison Kaftan’s “Worlds Apart: Divergences in Perspectives on the Protest” DeafDC.com Blogs have appeared in the Washington Post Express. […]