By Ben Moore
Throw me a bone. Pretend for a minute that you passionately believe that the presidential search process at Gallaudet University is flawed and it’s absolutely non-negotiable that it be redone, since this blog isn’t about the protest’s rationale per se but rather tactics a large of group of students recently resorted to: seize a major academic building before eventually locking down the campus.
Since Tent City first folded last spring and until last Thursday, when students disrupted building naming ceremonies, the protest had been civil. You continued to voice your opinions through various avenues, such as writing editorials for the Buff and Blue school newspaper and letters to the administration and the Board of Trustees.
If you kept this up, you’d lose.
100% guaranteed.
Do you really honestly think it’s possible to win simply by politely expressing your displeasure to the administration and the Board of Trustees?
I remember reading an interesting article written by somebody who had experienced scores of protests during his lifetime. He had been involved with successful and unsuccessful protests and he noted differences between them.
What kind of protests consistently fail, according to him? Picketing, letter-writing, chanting, and the such. The Powers That Be tune them out. Eventually the demonstrators get bored and leave, satisfied with the cathartic experience.
What about media attention? Actually, when people read or hear about demonstrations, they feel good because it affirms that they’re living in a wonderful country with freedom of speech. They say, “Look at the wheels of democracy churning along merrily.” Then they get on with their lives. Nothing is really accomplished.
What’s effective? You probably can guess where this is going. Actions that directly throw a wrench into the machinery of status quo.
What if Americans in 1776 simply complained about the English monarchy? What if the northerners simply whined in 1861 about slavery? What if African Americans simply grumbled and moaned in 1955 about Jim Crow laws?
Imagine how the Deaf President Now movement would have turned out if the campus stayed open and students simply picketed on Florida Avenue? All in probability, the media would have solemnly reported some students were disappointed with the selection of a hearing president. Then they would’ve been eventually forgotten and faded from the public consciousness.
If we’re to win without compromising our objective, we’re absolutely required to escalate. That’s reality.
Obviously the lockdown is causing inconvenience for a lot of people. Unfortunately, fights for change are almost universally messy.
I don’t know what proportion of students support the building takeover and the lockdown, but it’s clear that an overwhelming majority of the faculty and students are opposed to Dr. Fernandes’ appointment.
Consider some facts:
- 83% of the undergraduates deemed her unacceptable in a poll last spring
- the faculty voted to express no confidence in her by a ratio of about 2 to 1 (I learned that the ballot was secret so there was no undue influence from the peers)
- the student congress all but unanimously passed a motion to not recognize Dr. Fernandes as the 9th president (this congress is quite diverse, representating every organization, from Rainbow Society to Black Deaf Students Union)
Essentially, they are flexing their power by numbers right now.
So is the cause legitimate? That is worth another blog.
Ben Moore is a senior at Gallaudet University.
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The “ends justify the means” posting just now does you and your motives little credit. This is largely why you and other deafist (as opposed to audist) protesters will never win the support of the entire deaf community, and not just the pure “D” deaf population.
Read my lips — Gallaudet is not just for “D” deaf folks. It serves the entire deaf community.
Feh.
I have to remind you, no such luck, that the protestors are not just “D” but from all walks of life. Not only that but Gallaudet University SBG received a petition of 35,000 signatures from other universities’ SBG offices, including Howard University, supporting the protest.
Remind me again — how many deaf people go to Howard University?
I don’t know. It just seems to me that 35,000 people from other colleges GET THE POINT.
I wish you did.
Yes, I can feel the tidal wave of indignation at the abuse the poor ASL deafies are suffering under Fernandes.
:rolleyes:
I want to know if 35,000 signatures are legitimate, because that is a high number and I would be quite surprised to see other students at neighboring universities and colleges have a great interest in this matter. I do not buy this at all.
35,000 signatures is relatively meaningless. So the “support from other student government boards”. Just because a thousand people at UCLA may have said they support this, DO THEY? What influence do George Washington, Howard, Georgetown, etc have over Gallaudet?
If you brought a list of 35,000 signatures from accross the country to your local congressman/representative/senator, would that change their vote?
It’s a nice touch to see that there are people who signed it Hopefully, they have a grasp on the situation.
Ultimately, it still comes down to the powers that be.
It does not matter who support the protest, or where they come from. What matters is the type of justification used- which was feh’s point. This should not just be for the sake of audism- which I find extremely ironic anyway because tolerance is a two-way street. Gallaudet, if truly the “deaf mecca”, should NOT only be for the ASL community- but also welcome cuers and oralists. And let me assure you, that is NOT happening here. Deaf people should not be forced to learn ASL if they don’t want to. They also should be free to wear their cochlear implants. They, too, need Gallaudet just as much as you do. The focus should be on inclusion, not exclusion. Over again and agian, I see the case being made for increasing the number of faculty and staff who can sign- and despite that being a very valid point in itself, it still excludes the rest of the deaf/hoh population who don’t use ASL.
ANyway, that’s not really the point here (although nothing will change my mind on THAT). Very well written article, Ben- I really enjoyed reading it!
one of the rare times i agreed with JKF was when she said there’s more than one way to be deaf.
‘inclusion of all types of deaf people’ is a complicated issue at gallaudet. oralists and cuers ARE welcome as long as they learn sign language. sign language is basically a “common ground” on which everyone can communicate- not every deaf person can become a successful oralist, but everyone can learn to sign.
i do disagree that ASL per se should be “the” language of gally. while everyone can learn to sign, not everyone can become fluent in a language radically different from the one they grew up with.
yes, gallaudet is home to signers, cuers, and oral deaf folks. but they all are expected to sign in class.
gallaudet is a signing university, and all deaf and hard of hearing - and some hearing - students are welcome to attend. but… if you don’t want to learn sign language, perhaps attending a signing university is not the most fitting choice for you.
Definitely do not get me wrong- I think ASL fluency should be mandatory for anybody wanting to work at Gallaudet, as ASL will *always* be the “first” language of Gallaudet. But, this university should eventually evolve into an educational setting for *all* the deaf and hoh. That means deaf non-signers should also be made to feel welcome.
I do not think that ASL is a “common ground” upon which diverse members of the deaf community can meet. More rather, it’s their mutually shared hearing loss *and* greater need for visual accessibility. Gallaudet can be a leader in this field if they so choose- and Jane Fernandes, to me, sounds like she’s certainly got the right vision. I’m not supporting her “all the way”- but neither do I support the protestors “all the way”.
Back to Ben’s original point. Actions do speak louder than words. And judging by all the responses to Marc Fisher’s blog, people out there are interpreting our actions quite differently.
Good point, Grad. I’m not sure of the number, but I know there are well over 300 universities in this country. All of them have a service for students with disabilities (some better than others), and most - I bet - teach ASL as a course. So, the option is there, if you don’t like the environment, there are literally hundreds of options for you. Before I’m attacked for this, I’m directly referring to the last few lines, I am NOT saying that the protesters should all just go someplace else.
Personally, I do agree that ASL should be the language of choice at Gallaudet University. It is shocking how some (former?) teachers at both Gallaudet University and NTID are incredibly weak/unable to do ASL (without any physical/mental handicap to justify this shortcoming.)
But of course, it should NEVER be that English be outlawed. In fact, English should also be the standard for the written word. ASL is a visual language, and there comes a need to write — and English fills this role very well.
Gallaudet University — one of the first bilingual University in the United States. Such a wonderful honor, isn’t it?
pure “D”, huh? I guess I must not be who I think I am. I guess, after all, I really am not someone who grew up using Signed English, has a hearing family, went to a hearing graduate school, and teaches ASL in a hearing school.. I guess I MUST be one of those deaf militants who think everybody who isn’t genetially deaf or uses ASL is crap.
Gee. I knever knew myself, did I?
Now, can we stop using stereotypes, can we? There ARE a variety of people supporting this. I know. I’ve talked to them. This militant deafie strawman act is getting old.
pls reread the line about the student congress.
the one about 83% of the undergraduates too. the so-called “D” folks make up only about 20% of the student body.
not to mention that only 38% of faculty members are deaf.
That is an interesting factoid, but nonetheless inapplicable to the situation at hand. At most, that figure is simply saying that there aren’t enough deaf folks going for a PhD and going to work for Gallaudet.
You know, a funny thing about 99 percent of all PhD programs out there — they require more than a basic command of English. Deaf folks who have only ASL to fall back on will find themselves disadvantaged and, more importantly from your perspective, will not be qualified to teach at Gallaudet.
the point is, the faculty voted no confidence by abt 2 to 1 and if only 38% of the members are deaf, it means a lot of hearing people voted against dr. fernandes in a secret ballot as well.
Excuse me? “Deaf folks who have only ASL to fall back on will find themselves disadvantaged…” I have met many deaf people who not only fluent in ASL but also fluent in English. It is a myth encouraged by so-called hearing AND deaf experts. This is how they keep us under their control in order to keep their status quo!
Fernandes is a pain in the ass for every decent Gallaudet faculty, independent of hearing status. She is the butcher of Gallaudet University educational quality and academic standards. By any decent measurement she should have been fired ages ago. We need to correct this cosmic blunder now.
I bet you’ve never experienced oppression in your life.
No Such Luck - “Read my lips” are considered as an offensive audist comment. That shows us how arrogant you are just because you are able to speak, to read lips, or whatever. “Read my lips” and other audist comments have to stop now.
You surely act that you don’t belong to the Deaf community. Why don’t you create http://www.hardofhearingDC.com or http://www.audistDC.com?
Read my hands - GO AWAY, SUCH NO LUCK!
Another fine example of “D” deafist inclusion.
You seem to be laboring under the misapprehension that Gallaudet exists only to serve you and your “D” peers.
Nope. It serves the entire deaf community whether you like it or not.
Obviously you have a wrong idea about Gallaudet. Gallaudet is a major center for deaf culture around the world. The people of the lower case of “deaf” (i.e.: senior citizens with hearing loss, hard of hearing who prefer to use the oralism method and know absolutely nothing about ASL or the culture, so on…) are NOT part of the Deaf culture. Those people don’t belong to Gallaudet. They could have gone to another university that fits their needs and their cultures better.
Will you just stop making ignorant comments about Gallaudet or the protest? I am sure that you have a better thing to do than running around like a crying wolf about the protest.
Who appointed you judge and jury with respect to who is and who is not deaf?
Comments like these show your true colors. You complain of audism and yet your colors are of that of a deafist.
I have little truck with extremes and you make a marvelous humorless political commissar. Stalin and Hitler would be proud of you.
:clicks heels:
if eric’s who i think he is, he grew up in a hearing family and was mainstreamed during his formative years. goes to show people can’t really stereotype anymore.
off i go to gally. good day to everyone!
Nope, wasn’t me Ben. I think that one’s been dropped a few times during infancy though.
Btw, kickass article. Keep up the great work.
Yes. I grew up in a hearing family with a Deaf brother and was mainstreamed during my formative years.
Nope, I wasn’t drop when I was an infant. Sorry…
Ugh! Why did someone have to invoke Godwin’s Law in this discussion? It’s common knowledge that once someone attempts to invoke Godwin’s Law, it is commonly an indication of someone having nothing logical to say or a lack of substantiality to add in any discussion. Also, whoever conjures Godwin’s Law inevitably loses their credibility in the debate.
Say, one common thing that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin loathed above all they dealt with in the past: dissenters and protesters. Hitler and Stalin’s dislike of dissenters and protesters resemble comparatively to some of the anti-Gallaudet protest people whom commented their disapproval upon pro-Gallaudet protesters.
Yes, I’m using your Reductio ad absurdum argument against you.
Gallaudet family created this University to educate D/deaf signers. U.S. Congress agrees with the mission and chartered the school into law signed by President Lincoln. It was known as a “signing” university. A place when D/deaf people could not get an education at many other colleges in the United States back then.
Deaf people tend to express themselves better in using ASL and why is that not allowed baffles me. We have interpreters and computer translators to translate into English.
Now, what is exactly is going on? Deaf people wants to be respected and most of the time they are shunned because of their militant ASL attitude. Thats their identity and why does people want to make them into a “hearing” conformist?
Respect is a two-way street and if one thinks they are superior than the Deaf because they can talk like the hearing people which is really causing division within our communities.
This is not new and its been going on for years.
Eric - that’s allright. I was dropped once and turned out just fine!
Jean –
Marry me.
-Teej :-)
You know, when you fall back on the “us vs. them” argument, that’s not the way to be inclusive.
Outsiders gain the perception that you’re only preaching inclusivity to the ASL deafies only.
Unity for Gallaudet, indeed.
I grew up 100% oral and didn’t learn sign language until the age of 18. I am not the typical Deaf ASL user and yet I support the protest passionately.
Same here, I learned ASL when I was 14 years old. I am hard of hearing, and I don’t sign with my hearing family. I don’t write to communicate to hearing people, I stilllll have a hard time understanding completely Deaf people with strong ASL skills due to my lip reading background. but I COMPLETELY support the protest. Even a hearing president that is more willing to be involved in the student body, and faculty is better than her!! She has committed many injustices in her career at Galluadet. I went there for four years, and have heard horrible stories and even more after the protest started. The administration’s reaction to this whole protest… is injust and cruel and wrong. Why else would JKF want to be president even after seeing ALLLL these people not wanting her in that position… money… money..and her closed minded view that she is the right person. ANY SANE person that would be going through what she is right now, would resign… ANY SANE person would see she is not wanted… but no.. she is not sane.. she is not humane… and she is not right. period.
I am in 100% agreement, Ben. Campus wide lock down was the only way the protestors could go in order to make things happen. That was the problem with the protest last May, people were concerned about graduation.
Now the ball is in the adminstration’s court.
IMO, only 2 things will happen now:
1.) JKF will resign.
0r
2.) The cops are gonna come in and clean up.
I am not sure #2 is even a viable option for the adminstration.
Supporting a cause is one thing. Protesting in front of administrative offices, etc. Depriving people who have paid their money of an education crosses the line. I have been a student. I have paid out of pocket, after and while working sometimes two jobs. If I were to find out that I was unable to get the education I had paid for, I would be angry with the protestors, regardless of whether or not I supported their cause. The latest actions are the fault of the protestors. IKJ/JKF/BOT did not block the HMB. In fact the school did all it could to provide alternatives so that students could continue their coursework. IKJ/JKF/BOT did not block the campus this morning. As a result, this is another day of classes cancelled, and for those looking at a calendar, this is a Friday and Wednesday, which (not counting an un-rescheduled monday class) this was an academic week blown for students.
How does this hurt the students? Sure time off might be nice, but how do you cram the missed material into the reduced amount of time? I’m sure that this has thrown midterms into chaos. Assuming this continues a while and lets up… After how many weeks is this semester just shot? Sure you could grant the student whatever grade they currently had at the time, but think of the cumulative courses. How will a student get through Calculus II when they have only had a few weeks of Calculus I? Apply this to any courses with pre-requisites. Think of what this does to those with graduation plans. This could off-set a student an entire year, depending on the availability of classes. Likewise think of the paying students, and their financial loss - there may be grants, but loans need to be repaid, and out-of-pocket is a pretty big sting. Now for those going on grants, scholarships, VR (or equivalent acronym) funding - this has the potential to cause second thoughts on sending students to GU. They would have to justify spending an inflated (next years) portion of their budget to send a student to Gallaudet. This may mean paying twice for the same student to take the same classes. With all the fuss on cleaning up state spending, this may work against deaf or hard of hearing students.
The current tactic of blocking the campus is doing something else, too. It’s preventing access for the younger students that attend on GU’s campus. They have a right to an education, of which they are being deprived.
I understand the cause, I understand the protests, I do not support or condone the current tactics.
I think that it is important that your final comment be expanded. The lockdown of campus has cut off children from KDES and MSSD from their education. Children as young as 2 years old have been denied not only their education, but also, in some cases, the only communication access they have, as their families may have limited sign skills. It has also cut them off from any additional services they need. I guess it’s OK to abuse children in the cause of the protest.
If the protesters really care about deaf children, they would at least allow KDES access. They have their own entrance and the road to the rest of the campus could be easily blocked. If the protesters continue to deny these children their needed services they are demonstrating their complete disregard of the needs of deaf children, and completely invalidate their cause.
Quite right. If we expand on this, it becomes an even greater problem. First: How many of these children are from a single parent family? This would require the parent to miss work, or find suitable child care - both costly. This is similar with a dual income family, as one will have to make the same decision as the single parent. As well-stated elsewhere, it also deprives the younger students perhaps their best chance at being able to communicate in sign, while parents may not have the full grasp on ASL. Thanks to legislation, many students may be able to attend mainstream schools. What happens if people start pulling their children after this? It could be for finalcial or other reasons, but it COULD happen. It would be a great shame.
You forget that disaster was not caused by the protest. The protest is only a symptom of the disastrous leadership that was served to Gallaudet University during the last 6 years.
Raping public will, as Irving Jordan did by forcing an inept Jane Fernandes to presidence, is already out of fashion in the hearing world. Now is the time for the Deaf community to throw out the rapers.
The blocking off of the campus was caused by actions of the protesters. Regardless of the motives or perceived provocation. Analogy - two individuals are arguing, it gets heated a bit, one punches the other. In this case, the puncher could say “he made me do it” , but ultimately, it was his choice to raise his fist and swing. In this case, the blockade was caused by the protesters, based on their beliefs. The administration/IKJ/JKF/BOT did not force this to happen. People need to take responsibility for their actions, WITHOUT trying to pass blame to someone else. I understand and respect the protests. I just disagree with the recent tactics.
As I told you, the disaster is NOT the protest. The disaster is the appointment of Jane Fernandes. You cannot rape your wish through our linguistic minority. It is contrary to our culture, contrary to our self-determination, contrary to our human rights. The questions is not who did what first. This is ridiculous! The question is this: should we accept this arrogant rape on our cultural body or do we have the right to say no? Think about this, please.
A very thought-provoking post. I had written a similar but different post about the protest. I used the history of Magna Carta as an example.
From the very moment pro-Gallaudet protest movement started, I had kept quiet because it’s their (d/Deaf) moment and floor to voice their rights, hopes and desires about their future in Gallaudet. Until now. Beyond a doubt, I’m frighteningly alarmed by some unjustifiable hostility from the anti-Gallaudet protest, anti-ASL and anti-Deaf culture people here and there towards the pro-Gallaudet protesters. Needless to say, it’s a horrifying scenario for hearing people like me who are interested in or fascinated by ASL and Deaf culture. It’s almost like, like…black people telling other black people or threatening them to get lost for supporting the Civil Rights movement. For the first time in my life, I felt panic-strickened about my future offsprings if they were born Deaf. As a rationalist, it’s hard enough for me to believe that I’ll ever feel that way for my future offsprings.
People like Ben Moore, Julie Hochgesang, Mishka Zena, Elisa Abenchuchan and innumerable unsung heroes/heroines give me hope and a promising future for my future offsprings if they are born Deaf.
I’m a hearing woman without a d/Deaf background and have no d/Deaf relatives. Through a few people, I was exposed to Deaf culture and ASL only two months ago. And I support the protest wholeheartedly. Luv you all for your persistence despite those unjustifiable hostilities and unceasingly unfurled suppression that was spat in your faces every day and everywhere from the anti-Gallaudet protest people and Administration.
For I, a hearing woman, also am a devotee of Unity for Gallaudet.
This kind of post reminds me of the abortion debate. If someone is pro-choice, they are called pro-abortion. Having worked at an abortion clinic, I can tell you that NO one is PRO-abortion. They just want it to be safe if women feel forced into the position of needing one. Similarly, those of us who want the illegal and unsafe activities of the protesters to cease are called anti-Gallaudet or anti-protest. That is far from the truth. Most of us support legal, safe, respectful protest. Many of us agree with the more rational points of the protesters. What we don’t agree with is unsafe behavior and stealing the education of not only other university students, but also children as young as 2 years old, many of whom are sent home to parents who have limited ability to communicate with them and no ability to model ASL or any complete language for their deaf children. Is this the action of individuals who are concerned about the deaf community at large? I don’t think so.
This protest is NOT uniting Gally, it is separating everyone…faculty, students, and alumni alike. I do not think that everyone that is protesting truly knows what they are protesting nor does the rest of the public. When people find out I go to Gally, they ask me about the situation and want to know more…no one knows anything! Not from the news, not from the internet, not even from the students themselves. I would possibly support the protest if I had time to do so outside of figuring out where my possible classes may be, if I need to study for a supposed midterm or not, if I can find another student that may have accessed materials prior to HMB’s takeover, etc. I am now stuck, glued to my computer at all times having to keep up with school, alone. This is not only an inconvenience, but a blatent disregard for one’s own peer’s rights and feelings.
If Fernandes stays president, your Bachelor degree from Gallaudet will worth crap. Why? Because Fernandes is a walking academic disaster, who ruined the reputation of Gallaudet University. If you want to be concerned, this would be the right thing to be concerned about.
I’d say that the student protesters have downgraded even more a Gallaudet degree. Who wants to hire a whiny person who protests at the slightest drop of a hat?
This is BS. You are the one who is whining about the protest, because you are coward. Why don’t you organize your own protest?
Our protest sends the message to world: we stand for something!! And hearing people will respect that. They also had their big moment in the 60s.
After our protest won, the new leadership of Gallaudet University will restore academic standards and will turn Gallaudet back in its original role as ‘Harvard for the Deaf’.
Another Concerned Student:
You’ve got to be a hearing student. Can’t be a HUG for obvious reasons, so you must be a grad student.
Otherwise, the only possible conclusion is that you’re a plant for the administration.
You spelled “blatant” the way it SOUNDS…”blatent”…just like a hearing person would write it, never would a deaf person do so.
Ask Mercy to buy you a spell-checking program before you post again.
-Private Investigator
Your degree is already worth crap. Ben Moore is what, on his 6th or 7th year working on his bachelors? Jesse Thomas, who was on TV this morning, has been working on his bachelors for 10 years, at least. I have a solution: downgrade Gallaudet to community college level. It’s already there, anyway.
Some people take longer due to other obligations and downgrading Gallaudet’s standard is not the answer.
Galluadet Community College, GCC.
Galluadet University, GU.
Which sounds better?
You know the answer. No need to put Gallaudet down.
Have some balls to post your name.
Jesse and Ben are friends of mine.
They both are very intelligent people who made different choices in life. Having a college degree is not a validation of your level of intelligence. Tell that to Bill Gates.
How long it takes someone to get a degree at some University is irrelevant to how good the University’s academic standards are. Talk about a dumb argument.
Bill Gates is the exception and not the rule.
Like it or not, college degrees have some relevance to a person’s intelligence. Given a choice of degrees between your local community college and Harvard University, which would you take? Your choice potentially affects your lifetime earnings.
When someone takes such a long time to graduate from college, there is an automatic presumption that there is “something wrong” with that person.
That doesn’t mean that said presumption is correct. I know Ben and Jesse too and their taking a long time to graduate has nothing to do with their intelligence. They are both very intelligent and talented people, and they are doing a terrific job.
JJ- appreciate it, man.
Jesse and I’ve been at Gallaudet as students for only about 5 years. We took a lot of hiatuses while we were younger. If some people think that invalidates our intelligence, so be it. :)
Fernandes downgraded Gallaudet University big time! She is an incompetent twit who has no idea how to work in academia. All she did for 6 years was damage, damage and even more damage.
Nevertheless she terrorizes people and abuses her power to keep herself afloat. Now she is probably blackmailing Irving Jordan to dig for her and do the dirty job, before she could enter the scene, emerge in white gloves to accept the crown she does not deserve!! It is so disgusting.
Following the rules ensures that there’s fair play. Without rules, you have anarchy.
The pigs on the farm decided what were the rules.
In 1988, Dr. Sussman said a plantation mentality had Gallaudet. IKJ rose. Now, he is making his own rules.
In late April, he met with each of the three final candidates even though it wasn’t part of the “transparent” selection process.
Over the summer he drew new guidelines for public demonstrations on campus.
Recently it appears he has prevented then relented on allowing students access to media and interpreters.
Play by the rules, you say? How if they are designed to have you lose every time?
IKJ and his nose upturned at his faculty and students–his constituents, his customers, his charges, however you call them–shows him to be a pig and his nose a snout.
Question of who are the pigs in Gallaudet as per Orwell’s missive? I think IKJ and JKF are the farmer and his wife and the deafist protesters are the pigs who decide what is right and what is wrong.
yes it is fact that protesters are pigs…
If any one not understand by that, they should reread Animal Farm again to get clear picture of “who”
Pah! About time the DeadDC.com finally got a sensible guest blogger who can tell things as is.
Thank you, Ben!
Cheers,
R-
Let’s talk about the English banner. In colleges and universities across the nation and around the world, this English banner includes composition writing, literature, creative writing, journalism, English as Second Language, Shakespeare, Chaucer, etc. ASL needs to become an academic banner, too! How about translation of great books into ASL so the students could be critiqued for cross-linguistics/cross-cultural discourses? How about clear and coherent composition in ASL? ASL Poems? Registries in ASL (from exclusive ASL to language contact in which English influence is apparent)? Would love to hear your thoughts out, Ben!
hey i think we all need help to pay for that female student who got assualted by very senseless police to get help with paying legals fees to sue city of d.c. d.c. for damage comp monies. police have treated us like an animals for years and years. wake up!!!!!
I have been reading some of people’s messages here regarding the usage of ASL at Gallaudet-
I would like to bring up a point- In America, English is the national language. All of the schools, hospitals, police departments, etc are required to know English, period. Not only is it the law, it is a moral value.
Now, let’s go back to Gallaudet. Since ASL IS the official language of the deaf- it SHOULD be required and implemented in schools for the Deaf nationwide and, most importantly, Gallaudet University. (’Should be’, as in a requirement.)
SEE, SSE, & PSE ARE NOT LANGUAGES. They are COMMUNICATION TOOLS. Whereas, ASL IS a language. The fact that SEE, SSE, & PSE exists is simply a result of audism.
This means that deaf people that uses PSE, SEE, and SEE are NOT TRUE to their true Deaf identity. It means that they are byproducts of audism!
If the president of an internationally reknowned insitution for the deaf in America is not Deaf-centric, and does not use NATIVE ASL- then what does that tell about our Deaf community?
Those little ‘d’ deaf babies really need understand & analyze themselves, and realize that they are the victims of Audism.
It angers me that ‘d’ deaf people are ruining it for the rest of us. It angers me that oppressed ‘d’ people are not willing to realize that they are oppressed!
Those oppressed people are standing in our way. If they think that ASL should not be required at Gallaudet, then GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! You ‘d’ babies have plenty of other places to go to, such as mainstreamed universities. You ‘d’ people have NO PLACE in the Deaf community.
Those ‘d’ people have a choice of being an “Uncle Tom”, a humble slave to the hearing world and audism- that, and between being liberated, accept Deafhood, accept the cold & hard truth.
I think I have said what needed to be said. If you little ‘d’ (not culturally deaf people) people have an issue with ASL being THE language of Deaf Americans, then maybe you should consider leaving the Deaf community? You are unwanted if you’re gonna be that way.
We don’t need weak slaves to the system to be in the way. Thank you.
That shows a LOT of tolerance. Some pretty good points on comparison, though. Yes, English is the primary language. However others are acknowledged, accepted and provided for. Many times I see contact phone numbers listed, and right below the TTY/TDD number. When many companies are called, a language option is presented. It seems that it generally began with “For English press one”, however it seems that many start off with providing options for Spanish (or other languages) first. Hospitals provide translation services for all languages. If they do not have an interpreter on staff, there is a phone-in service in which they can get French, Albanian, Nigerian, or any other language. It seems the idea is to be able to include all.
Following your closing logic, non-native English speakers who attend college should strictly use the English taught, despite that perhaps they learned a hybrid form through work? Sounds good, I mean that would help them become fluent in the primary language. Their choice outside the class is strictly that. They become only unwanted by short-sighted and close-minded individuals who cannot see beyond their opinion.
Yes, ASL is the primary language. It’s instructed, it is most commonly communicated between people, and it’s relatively universal. It’s wrong to outright damn other methods because they are different. Different people have had different experiences of growing up, and some have learned other methods of communication. The opportunity to learn should be presented regardless. The use of ASL should be highly encouraged, as it is a more universal language than the other “dialects”. It’s taught, it’s required, and anyone who chooses to attend will know this. Your closing lines showed a level of intolerance much like that which people have been fighting for years. Is it merely ok from within the community?
Not gonna fly. Section 504 will make sure of that.
Am 3rd generation deaf and believe that proper english is best way to communicate more than ASL as we are minority in world… ASL cause alot misunderstandings… Between deafies, ASL is great communications… In writing proper english is “must”
Word up, Ben. About time you show your teeth instead of your clasp