By Alok Doshi
This is a narrow-minded and divisive notion. At a time when blacks living in this country, whether by birth or by choice, should be harnessing their collective political clout to empower all black people, we’re wasting time debating which of us are truly black.
- Majorie Valbrun in her Washington Post Article, “Black Like Me?“
Sound familiar? This is a variation on the “Not Deaf Enough” theme raised during the Gallaudet protest. While I supported the movement in principle because I felt the university needed a major paradigm shift, I still felt there was a strong sentiment against someone who was “not deaf enough”. As some readers may remember, my guest blog last year discussed the social and cultural rights for the deaf community. At the time it was posted, I began to see parallels between the deaf and black cultures. While there are many areas of comparison, I focus on two key concepts here:
- Economic Power: The NAACP, the black advocacy organization, seems to recognize that achieving civil rights is just not enough. The NAACP is known for its history of hiring a person from civil rights, religious, or political background to be their CEO/President. However, their latest hire was from the corporate world – Bruce Gordon, former President of the Retail Markets for Verizon managing $23 Billion in revenues. According to USA Today, Gordon would appeal to younger black people, many who want to move past civil rights to the broader world, to achieve higher economic power (by this, I refer to earning power – higher salaries, entrepreneurship, rapid advancement of qualified people, and so forth thus creating a stronger voice in business and politics).
- “Not Black Enough”: The Post Article by Ms. Valbrun emphasizes that politics and media should not focus too much on the “degree” of blackness. There is not a single definition for the whole culture. There are African immigrants. There are black people born of wealth. There are blacks who are highly educated. Blacks born of interracial couples. Does the same apply to our own? Does it matter what degree of deafness we possess and what method of communication we prefer?
At first glance, the Hispanic community, despite their clear differing groups (Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, etc), seem to stand together and have a strong voice. You could say the same thing for the Asians.
I may be wrong, but I still ask: Why are we are wasting time discussing whether someone can sign or not – whether they are “deaf enough” to participate in community events? While I believe in the beauty and power of ASL and think Gallaudet should make it a vital part of their culture, I do not want to focus too much on that. Instead, I want access – I want captioning (especially on the web) – I want to be recognized and hired regardless of my communication preference – I want social and cultural recognition of the whole community. Just like what the African-American community is also experiencing.
I also wonder if Obama’s message of racial inclusion worries some blacks. Do they think if he reaches out to “them” (whites), it means he neglects “us” blacks?
- Majorie Valbrun
I have the same question. I agree with those who said that Deafhood is mainly about the process of re-discovering ourselves. I applaud the efforts of those who want to preserve our deaf history/culture – yet I still believe there are people who forget the greater purpose – to achieve a collective economic, social, and cultural power.
Is it time for us to come together and empower all deaf and hard of hearing regardless of how we define ourselves?
Alok Doshi is in the management program at the National Institutes of Health. A MBA graduate from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, Alok is also a RIT graduate. During his free time, Alok likes to perpetuate the deaf poker craze at the National Deaf Poker Tour.
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44 Comments
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I think you’re on to something. We need to focus less on who qualifies to be in our group and more on what we could accomplish with our allies included.
Anyone who doesn’t believe deaf people or black people have economic clout should observe car salesmen pouncing hungrily on those of us who start kicking a few tires.
Anyone who obsesses about degree of blackness or degree of deaf culture should realize that in America we are all a composite of many races, ethnicities, backgrounds and have combinations of families/friends/allies. To try to sort that out and group people would be a logistical nightmare.
Instead of demanding recognition for our (whatever) we should be describing what we want, what we need, what power we have and show the number of people in the same direction for maximum clout. We want access. We want equality. We want fairness. We want acceptance and appreciation for what we offer. We want to be people like any other people with no “buts”.
I am sick and tired of the whole “Deaf Identity” discussion because I feel it serves as a major distraction from what should be larger issues of concern such as telecommunications accessibility and renewing the fight to add some ‘teeth’ to the ADA through legislation. Instead we’re navel-gazing about who’s “deaf enough” and how oral deaf people or CIers are “evil” or ignoring their “deaf identity.” I don’t believe in a standard definition of deaf identity because any deaf person has the right to define it for himself or herself without having to subject themselves to community standards of what constitutes deaf identity.
Do I consider myself a part of the deaf community? Yes. I went to a deaf school, have deaf friends, and I communicate orally and I have a cochlear implant. Yet there are those in the deaf community who don’t consider me a part of it because I don’t know ASL. Do I think ASL should be the defining feature of what makes you deaf? I don’t. I know there are people who disagree with me on this point.
Every time we fight about deaf identity, I see another company coming out with an internet media product that doesn’t have captioning. I missed two episodes of LOST and I can’t upload the videos that are on Apple’s Itunes because they don’t have captioning so I’m stuck without those two episodes until the Season 4 LOST DVD comes out.
So, yeah.
Curious - do you know any sign language at all?
Not knocking your personal choices. Just wondering.
WSS, there you go again! *exasperation*
What difference does it make if she signs at all? Do you not see that, whether she signs or not, there are many more similarities than differences between you and Noelle? Are the issues of telecommunication access and ADA not worth any thoughts on your part? Or does the possibility that Noelle may not be a signer relate to the issue of credibility? Does she have more credibility if she signs, and zero credibity if she does not, regardless of the fact that you really, really want everything on the Internet and TV to be captioned too?
Let me paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr. here. Some day I’d like to see little ASL-using deaf children and little SEE- and CI-using deaf children marching hand in hand, campaigning for telecommunication accessibility.
(Now that you’ve met me and know I don’t breath fire or have a forked tail and horns, I hope you realize the above was written with equal parts humor and irony. Just to add some subtext here. smiles.)
No, I don’t. I just don’t have the time to learn. I’ve tried but it takes time and commitment in learning a new language, and I quite frankly don’t have the time. When I do, maybe I’ll do it.
Noelle, you reminded me of my late mother who tried, halfheartedly, a few times to learn sign and gave up. She missed out on sharing in my life and that of her grandchildren, and so much more besides that.
Perhaps you don’t feel you need it, but you are passing up chances to get to know others like yourself on a very intimate level; the soul level.
Try again. You won’t be sorry, I guarantee it. Don’t commit to it or look at it as a big task. Just join in and learn by using.
gaaaahhhhh!
Noelle said: Do I consider myself a part of the deaf community? Yes. I went to a deaf school, have deaf friends, and I communicate orally and I have a cochlear implant.
What does ASL have to do with it? Noelle seems to be having a happy life without knowing or using any ASL. In other words, she’s oral and fine with it. Can you be fine with it too?
I get upset when people tell me that I’m not complete with my deaf identity because I don’t know ASL. I’m fine with the way I am and who are you, really, to tell me that unless I do x or y that I’m not a part of the deaf community?
Screw that, really.
While I do not justify how some deaf people say you are not complete with your deaf identity because you don’t know ASL, I hope you’ll give me a moment to explain why I think it’s a learned behavior. It is what some deaf people have experienced for years where it has been repeatedly embedded in them that they’re incomplete without the hearing identity if they don’t speak or hear like them. Worse, it doesn’t matter if they can read and write. Often I’ve noticed the things I see some deaf people do or say, it is a direct result of learned behavior and we need to recognize that to put an end to it and show that we’re better.
Noelle, for you not to know ASL is not your fault. Deaf community is for all of us if we desire to be part of it.
I appreciate the fact that you are willing to learn ASL when and if you have the time. I hope you would give ASL a consideration one day and then make your own judgement. I pray for you to win lottery so you’ll have the time in the world :)
I have a question for you. Does it bother you that your inability to sign with some other deaf people at deaf events has created a barrier for you?
Have you thought about starting with basics from a book and go from there?
Noelle, I hope you don’t mind that I’m jumping in here. I’m not taking it as my mission in life to defend you or anybody else, just that this relates to the topic of who is deaf and is allowed call herself a member of the deaf community.
Katherine, I wonder if you have any idea how patronizing you sound. You said, in essence, that there is never any valid reason for a fully self-realized deaf person to be oral. It can only, I repeat, only be a manifestation of audism and oppression. You said that Noelle “learned” to be oral because she was told, implicitly or explicitly, that there’s something wrong with being deaf and using ASL. She is a passive victim and that her choice to be oral was imposed on her. What she needs to be truly happy and fulfilled is to accept that she is D-E-A-F, not an imitation hearing person, and begin learning ASL.
Katherine, perhaps you should get out more? Not everyone with a hearing loss is an oppressed Deaf person crying to escape the prison of oralism and become liberated through ASL. As Mike McConnell put it so well: I can hear all right. I can talk pretty damn good. So what exactly is your problem???
Guess we’re not ready to let go of the issues of identity and begin tackling the real problems that confront us all.
Curious Eyes:
I think Noelle is very capable of speaking for herself. Since you have jumped in and made some comments, putting words in my mouth, I want to take these words out of my mouth :)
First, I am sorry that you found what I said to be patronizing because it was never my goal. I am not sure where you got the impression that I said an oral deaf person can’t be a fully self-realized deaf person or be content with one self. It’s for each one of them to decide that as it comes from within and no one can tell them that, which is why I said I do not justify how some deaf people said she is not complete with her deaf identity because she doesn’t know ASL. That alone shows that I’m on her side that no one has the right saying that to her.
Please don’t tell me to get out more. You have no slightest idea the kind of background I grew up and I have been pretty much a part of the hearing community since I was little that my mother made sure I was involved in other than the deaf community. I can speak if I choose to though not as well as some others, but this is not the issue.
The reason why I mentioned about the learned behavior that some deaf people might have picked up is to help us to see BOTH sides of the issues. I am sick and tired of some deaf people being put under the microscope. No one said anything about hearing people who have embedded in deaf people repeatedly for years that they’re worthless because they don’t speak or hear well like them (including those who read and write well) yet when we see some deaf people do something they did to Noelle, they get attacked. Neither side is right, but why am I seeing only one side being picked on. Without understanding where learned behaviors are originated, this will never end.
Wow! I get attacked for being supportive of Noelle’s interest to learn ASL when and if she has time. I was only reiterating what she said in one of her posts. And for your information, if she ends up never learning, it wouldn’t change my view of her.
Chris mades an interesting point in his post ##79364
Katherine, I don’t draw my conclusions out of thin air. This is what you said that I interpreted as patronizing and showing bias.
Noelle, for you not to know ASL is not your fault. Deaf community is for all of us if we desire to be part of it.
um? “Not your fault” implies victimization and lack of choice. Noelle said she already a part of the deaf community. It happens to be the oral deaf community.
here’s more:
Does it bother you that your inability to sign with some other deaf people at deaf events has created a barrier for you?
I hope you would give ASL a consideration one day and then make your own judgment. I pray for you to win lottery so you’ll have the time in the world [to learn ASL].
Noelle says that she has deaf friends, and no particular need or desire to learn ASL, really. I further presume that she has already considered the benefits of learning ASL, and decided not to learn.
I happen to be an ASL user myself. I love it and feel complete using it. It’s my preferred language. I consider myself a member of the deaf community too. However, I learned ASL later in life, and so some deaf people may not consider me a member of the deaf community because I talk and did not go to a deaf institute. I empathize with Noelle here, because she has said that she also considers herself a member of the deaf community although she she is oral.
What’s really important here is that she is a bona fide member of the deaf community, period, and she is not “cut off” from the deaf community because she is oral and doesn’t sign ASL. That’s all I’m saying. Not because Noelle cannot speak for herself, but simply on principle and as it relates to WHO can be deaf.
Thanks for sharing your interpretation.
It is often not deaf people’s fault for not knowing ASL as many of us know that there’s no secret that the medical establishment withheld ASL as one of resources. I agree that it’s Noelle decision/right not to learn ASL and in no way does it make her less of a deaf person.
When I said “Deaf community is for all of us if we desire to be part of it,” not all deaf and hard of hearing people are part of one of the subgroups. Noelle happens to be part of one that she chose, which is oral.
I can see your point about how “not your fault” can imply as victimization and lack of choice. It doesn’t seem to be in Noelle’s case, but we cannot overlook the fact that these are real issues among some deaf people.
What’s the harm of wanting to learn of Noelle’s perspective when I asked if it bothered her that her inability to sign has created a barrier? Maybe it bothers her or it doesn’t. What I understand from one of her posts that she either have attended or plans to attend a signing oriented event. Or is it wrong to try to open a dialogue and learn?
Is that a bad thing to be hopeful when Noelle mentioned about the possibility of learning ASL when and if she has time? Let alone that Noelle gave a hint about it is appreciative even if it means she’ll never learn. About hoping that she wins lottery to give her the time she lacks is a humor and if that offended you or Noelle, I’m sorry.
Years ago in a classroom at RIT, I watched the movie, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” This is one of my favorite movies. Actor Sidney Poitier as Dr. John Wade Prentice said the famous quote in 1967, “You think of yourself as a colored man. I think of myself as a man.”
To motivate us to contemplate, let me say it a little different. “You think of yourself as deaf man using ASL. I think of myself as a deaf man.”
Katherine:
You do come across as patronizing when you tell me that you’ll pray that I’ll learn ASL, and you treat oralism as something distasteful or as a mark of ‘oppression’ by the larger hearing world upon the deaf. When you say that, you’re saying that my mother made the wrong decision in getting the cochlear implant for me and sending me to an oral deaf school. She wanted the best for me, and she’s been one of my most powerful advocates in supporting my dreams and goals. Do I think what she did was wrong? No, I don’t because due to her efforts as a parent, I’m where I am today.
I wish more hearing parents were like that, in whether they choose the oral or the sign language method for their children, to the best advocates they can so that their children can succeed in life.
I never said anything about your mother making the wrong decision to get you CI and send you to oral school. I am glad it worked for you.
My concern is about how the medical establishment community has a tendency not to present all resources to allow parents to choose from. Not all parents are fortunate when it comes to producing a literate deaf child.
What do you have to say about the cases where parents have been the best advocates to their deaf child and it turns out it was a failure and not knowing the other alternative before it’s too late? I just do not advocate a russian roulette approach.
It’s not the fault of the method or the approach, sometimes the deaf child doesn’t fit that method because we are all so different. That’s why I don’t advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to language.
Parents should have the right to make those choices for their children. Do I think ASL should be the standard choice for those parents? No. Do I think oralism should be the standard choice for those parents? No.
I am an advocate of total communication.
I would hope that parents would employ both methods or try to with their deaf children. And to work hard on language development skills, because in order to succeed in this country, you must know English and be proficient in it. And that’s the reality of that situation today.
Katherine, if I may add: I’m sure you’re a nice person and have kind intentions. Nothing in what you said was malicious or harmful. But rather than wanting to open a sincere dialogue and learn, your questions came loaded with value judgments. Yes, “some deaf people” pick on oral deaf people for not using ASL. “Some deaf people” experience language oppression from hearing medical personnel. “Some deaf people” are not members of subgroups of the deaf community.
Noelle is not any of those people. It’s pretty clear that you feel that she needs “fixing,” that is, to learn ASL and join the “real” deaf community. Exactly like the hearing community attempts to “fix” deaf people by teaching them speech and making them get cochlear implants.
I am not going to go on except to say I’m amazed how the whole thing gets blown out of proportion and how words were continually to be put in my mouth that I have given up trying to take words out of my mouth.
Maybe I’m the cause of a misunderstanding or what I said was open to interpretation, I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter anymore. While I respect your and Noelle’s opinion that I was patronizing, I don’t agree. Happy blogging.
I have no need to put words in your mouth, Katherine, you’re doing a fine job of that all by yourself. Here’s another gem:
What do you have to say about the cases where parents have been the best advocates to their deaf child and it turns out it was a failure and not knowing the other alternative before it’s too late? I just do not advocate a russian roulette approach.
hmm, let me guess… oralism is the “russian roulette approach”? Charming analogy. Wonder what Noelle thinks about that one. When is “too late,” and how do you know when that is? What is “failure”?
Parents are having successful and unsuccessful experiences with a variety of languages, modes of communication, and educational philosophies, including ASL and bi-bi. Every parent knows your kid doesn’t come with an instruction manual. They have to figure it out as they go along. There’s no guarantees that the decisions any parent makes about anything will be a success or failure. There’s only the journey.
I wonder if you’ve thought about how parents feel when well-meaning deaf individuals presume to tell them what to do with their deaf child.
WAIT A SECOND.
I ONLY asked her why she didn’t know sign language. It was just a question out of curiosity. I’m not knocking her because she hasn’t learned it yet, or saying she isn’t “deaf enough”.
I just wanted to know Noelle better and understand where she is coming from.
I mean, whoa. You really jumped the gun here. Um, like project much?
p.s. yes, I’m a big advocate of ASL and I often say all deaf people should learn it. But I don’t think less of those who don’t! I don’t consider them any less “deaf” if they don’t. I only feel that ASL is a great equalizer. Not everybody can succeed as an oral deaf person. I couldn’t. It worked for Noelle, and that’s great. But I know deaf children it didn’t work for, and they were hurt by that. But everybody can learn ASL. That’s what is so beautiful about it and that’s why I advocate it so much.
Also, maybe you did not realize this about me, but I’m really “into” language and literature. I read books everyday, read blogs, watch ASL vlogs. I minored in English literature. Other people play sports. They hike. They climb mountains. I read. A LOT.
So when I am advocating for ASL and English, I am not just saying it for political reasons. I’m saying it because I am deeply, deeply in love with language. I remember the second I opened up “A Tale of Two Cities”, and read that first paragraph. I felt as if I had been touched by God. I had the same feeling when I first saw Ben Bahan’s bird story (I can’t remember the name now!).
Trust me. You’ll find me on my deathbed clutching a book.
So please keep that in mind. Smile.
Great post.
It is Bird of a Different Feather by Ben Bahan and Sam Suppalla.
Curious Eyes,
Okay, Just one last comment. This has been bugging me all day since I wrote it.
I only asked an innocent question and was slammed with all those wild impliciations about what I asked and why. I mean, talk about baggage being dropped on my head!
If you take issue with something I said, then please ASK me to clarify my intentions behind it. I’ll be glad to do so. If we can’t enter those discussions with an open mind and an objective eye, then how will we come to some kind of agreement? I know we ALL have issues, but I personally try not to let it color my judgement of other people’s comments.
You guys were really hard on Katherine, too. You had a right to disagree with some things she said, but she really did mean well. She NEVER said explicitly that Noelle isn’t “really deaf” in any way at all. Seriously. Give me a VERBATRIM example of when she said that. Not something that seemed to be implied.
She only expressed a wish that Noelle would learn sign language someday, and yeah, she did come off as patronizing and admitted it could seem that way. However, YOU made that assumption based on what you THINK she meant (that she didn’t think Noelle was “deaf enough”). You took her statements and read a bias in it, and you didn’t give her a chance to clarify before you had decided what she meant by it.
Next time, ask if people really meant what you thought they meant, and give them a chance to clarify their position before accusing them of ulterior motives.
I had to say something because this is something that really BUGS me. I HATE it when people “read into” things I say.
We are cool, nothing personal here, although I was pretty insulted that you thought I had those opinions. I’ve more than earned the benefit of the doubt.
Now I feel better and I can move on. Peace.
Hey WSS, welcome back. I was wondering when you were going to check in.
You said that asking whether Noelle could sign was just an innocent question because you were curious. OK, I’ll take your word for it. But consider the context: Noelle just got done saying she was sick of the whole deaf identity discussion; she identified herself as oral, went to a deaf school, has deaf friends, and considers herself a part of the deaf community.
Ironically, by drawing attention to subtle and not-so-subtle ways that identity politics sneak into the debate, I’ve gone and done the very same thing I don’t want to do any more, either. ARGGH. I’ll just shut up now and try to practice what I preach.
Thanks!
“she identified herself as oral, went to a deaf school, has deaf friends, and considers herself a part of the deaf community.”
She never said she COULDN’t sign. ;) (if she did, I missed it)
that and I was certainly curious why she hadn’t learned it.
It seems that you missed this part, which I bolded right here for better reading comprehension:
“Do I consider myself a part of the deaf community? Yes. I went to a deaf school, have deaf friends, and I communicate orally and I have a cochlear implant. Yet there are those in the deaf community who don’t consider me a part of it because I don’t know ASL. Do I think ASL should be the defining feature of what makes you deaf? I don’t. I know there are people who disagree with me on this point.
Also, WSS, I would still really like to know if you have any concern about, or interest in promoting telecommunication access.
Noelle,
“Do I consider myself a part of the deaf community? Yes. I went to a deaf school, have deaf friends, and I communicate orally and I have a cochlear implant. Yet there are those in the deaf community who don’t consider me a part of it because I don’t know ASL. Do I think ASL should be the defining feature of what makes you deaf? I don’t. I know there are people who disagree with me on this point.”
So what? Does that mean I can’t ask you about yourself and your background? Does that prevent me from indulging my desire to learn more about people with backgrounds different from my own?
Did I even say, even ONCE that YOU aren’t part of the deaf community?
p.s. neither did Katherine..
Curious Eyes -
yes, I am interested in telecommunication access. I just wasn’t in the mood to debate the issue recently. Yes, we as a community should work together to promote telecommunication access. All of us.
Certainly. :)
Is it time for us to come together and empower all deaf and hard of hearing regardless of how we define ourselves?
Alok, it probably depends on who you ask and where that person is on their journey to Deafhood. For a person who has the resources to commit to the causes, such as telecommunication access, it’s way past the time. But another person, who struggles to put food on the table and thus still wrestles with barriers to economic parity, there may not be enough time or energy in the day to devote to something that doesn’t seem directly related to survival. Psychological states such as internalized opppression also affect one’s willingness to take risks and interact with the dominant hearing society. Different deaf people experience different degrees and types of barriers.
All that’s needed is for thoughtful individuals to band together and brainstorm creative, unified ways that citizen advocates can affect change, such as MoveOn.org has done. A good beginning may be with the Silent Cacophony blog by Deaf Pundit. It doesn’t take long to send an email or a fax, to write a blog, or to comment on someone else’s blog. Not long ago, Chris Heuer initiated a social experiment whereby DeafDC readers sent emails to the American Society of Deaf Children (ASDC). I never received a reply from them, by the way.
I count myself among the many who want to help but are not sure what to do, and are looking for direction. That direction doesn’t have to be an official organization like NAD or even Gallaudet. It can come from us, regular folks. Together, we can be powerful! When do we start?
I think it’s time for us to come together and fight the good fight. Basically like what CE said, we just need to band together and think up creative ways to get our message out there. Discussion on deaf identity and ASL is fine, since it helps us understand ourselves better if done right, but imho, we also need to start putting a face on the ‘grassroots’ deaf. I had an e-mail exchange with someone over this subject actually.
It’s definitely time. We are more than capable of speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves and when we start doing that, in the long run, it’ll also help us. Like CE said to me once, ‘It’s time to stop admiring the problem.’ And sometimes I think we’ve been admiring it for far too long.
You know, there IS a relatively simple answer to the discussion going on above. Why not just divide the deaf community into the “Signing” community and the non-signing or oral or whatever community?
In fact we ALREADY do this… it’s just that if more emphasis is placed on the “Signing” community over the “deaf” when talking about ASL, then there should be no reason for non-signing deaf people to be upset or feel excluded. Because now we’re not talking about “deaf” identity… we’re talking about “signing” identity.
Logically my identity as a signer–ASL or some other signed language–is directly influenced by my signing ability. But my identity as a deaf person need not be. And as a signing deaf person I can easily hook up with other non-signing deaf people on issues that have nothing to do with signing.
On the other hand, you know, let’s get the other side to ALSO back off from making any claims on “deafness.” The Alexander Graham Bell Association, for example… are they really for ALL “deaf” people, or are they more just for “non-signing deaf people?” Suppose the answer to that question is the latter group. Fine… how come AGB doesn’t get bashed for being exclusive? How come THEY aren’t labeled extremists? Absolutists? Etc?
Guess we’re not ready to let go of the issues of identity and begin tackling the real problems that confront us all.
sigh…. I rest my case.
Chris, how about looking beyond the issues of identity for a change? Let it just be a low hum in the background. Why not reach out to someone in the AGB organization, and make a plan to tackle some telecommunication issue. Even though the AGB member might be oral, have a CI, think Deaf people are stupid and ASL is a “low” language, and actively promote auditory/verbal teaching strategies — there’s still something you have in common. Guess what it is? Right. You’re both DEAF. And you both want everything on the Internet to be closed captioned. Is this not a good goal for you both, and is it worth setting aside your philosophical differences to work toward? You might not like the person or espouse his/her values. But suppose 1,000 AGB members got together with 1,000 NAD members and sent emails, letters, and faxes to Congress demanding 100% communication access on the Internet. Would that be somewhat more effective and impressive than NAD doing it all by its lonesome? Does NAD have a monopoly on telecommunication advocacy?
Just curious.
That’s what I advocated in my guest blog post earlier: the joining of AGB with NAD on telecommunications issue. Each organization has the right to discuss the benefits of oralism, sign language, cued speech, and so on, but should it really prevent them from joining together despite those points of disagreement in the fight for telecommunications access? I don’t think it has to.
The discussion here in this post so far has proven my point that the discussion of deaf identity, who’s deaf enough, and how ASL will save me from my dreaded life of oralism, serves as a MAJOR distraction from the fight for telecommunications access.
Hi Noelle:
Not just that but other issues too. Infant hearing screening, for example. Both oralism advocates and ASL advocates both benefit from knowing as quickly as possible that a child is deaf or has a hearing impairment. If we have to we can part ways on the issue of what to do once we know a child is deaf, but there should be no problem whatsover in ALL of us hooking up to get the testing in place.
I fully concur with you on that. My own parents didn’t know that I was deaf for a year and a half until I was in the front yard and a car backfired. There was no reaction from me, and that’s when my mother knew.
She worked hard on making sure that there were no language development delays with me by encouraging me to read as much as possible. Ha. When I’d get into trouble, my mom would threaten to take my books away because I loved to read so much.
Every infant should be screened for potential hearing loss so that once that diagnosis of deafness is made, the parents can decide which method is best for their deaf child. The earlier, the better, and minimizes the impact of delay in language skills.
Hi Noelle:
Agreed on all counts.
There are many issues in the deaf community that needs to be addressed but only a few of us.
How do we prioritize the issues. If you want us all to really work together, we need to put aside our own selfish needs and pay attention to those far less fortunate than us. I think Deaf Education should be on the top of everything as deaf children should be our priority and are our future. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of deaf and even hard of hearing people who can’t read and write — an ongoing issue for decades where the systems, involving deaf children, are broken. The more literate deaf children we produce, the more support we get in fighting many causes.
As for AGB, they are exclusive of those who sign or is a oral failure while NAD is inclusive of anyone deaf regardless their background. So, how can you honestly ask those of us to put aside our philosophical differences and work with the AGB organization?
Knowing the extremity of AGB’s nature, they will never work with NAD to get circular vlog-like signing (if something like that ever happens) other than close captioned for those deaf and hard of hearing who are illiterate.
Hi Katherine:
So we go around them. I’m for trying to work with what’s already there if people are willing to cooperate. If not, I’m all for coming up with stuff that turns the status quo on its head. Look at DeafRead.com and all the blogs/vlogs. In a very real sense they’ve done more for deafness and literacy than a lot of programs in Deaf Ed have done in years.
Think about what’s already there, yes. But also think above, beyond, over, under, through, and around what’s there.
Chris:
I agree that DeafRead.com is revolutionary and will have an impact. Not one day goes by that I’m not grateful for its existence. It gives a wonderful balance between ASL and English through blogs and vlogs.
I hope that you agree that we also have to do something together about the Deaf Education, not limited to only deaf schools, across the country.
I’m not saying that NAD should work with AGB on sign language or anything like that. That would be completely antithetical to the philosophy of AGB. What they should work on is advocacy for telecommunications acceess and the renewal of the ADA. That’s what they can agree on.
Sign language may be completely antithetical to the philosophy of AGB.
Wouldn’t it be nice for AGB to reach out the oral failures (literate or illiterate), who were a product of AGB’s philosophy, by working closely with NAD on issues that’ll benefit the signing community? The very signing community welcomed those “rejects” that AGB deem as worthless and hurtful to their image.
If that’s asking too much, then why should we have to meet more than half way to work with them on some issues? I’m all for going half way.
AGB can’t always have their cake and eat it.
Actually, AGB has plenty of young deaf folks who sign and plenty of deaf folks with CIs who are, in fact, curious about signing since they understand that it represents another medium of communication. While not an AGB member, I know many folks who identify themselves as deaf and who sign albeit not “pure” ASL, and, yes, even attend DPHH here in Washington, D.C. So there’s plenty of common ground to be found, exclusive of those who insist that there is one answer to everything, i.e. signing vs. oralism, etc.
Just an observation. It’s not black and white when it comes to AGB.
Sometimes I have to admit to some amazement that I’m actually defending AGB, because, like many others deafies, I shared some strong prejudices against AGB.
Folks,
After reading all the comments, I have few thoughts:
The discussion of ASL is going off the point. The main goal of my post is to get you all to think about the bigger picture. One part can be a partnership between NAD, AGB, and others on the telecommunications issue. However, that’s still an aspect of the whole idea I have.
What I want is this: the deaf community regardless of our own individual identity will be able to use its political and economic clout to get what we want - i.e. access, interpreters, telecom, job hiring without a thought about disability, etc. An example: when society sees the Indians (like my race), the assumption is that we are hard working, educated, and intelligent but I do know some that do not fit that stereotype - nevertheless, that’s the perception.
I am already getting some examples of this and I think my next guest post will be more positive - examples of how we as a community is able to use clout - if I can get some :-). If you do have stories, send them to: alok2004@hotmail.com
Thanks!