LING - SL Issues + Barriers

Language Deprivation

Chronic lack of full access to natural language during the critical period of language acquisition

^Linguistic Neglect

• Language Dysfluency

• Knowledge deficits

• disruptions in thinking, mood, + behaviours

Arises from audism

What is Audism?

Attitude based on pathologizing deafness ; views deafness as a problem to be fixed

= negative stigma

• judges, labels, + limits based on hearing ability

• greater impacts on multidimensional individuals ; migrant backgrounds, LGBT, autism

Shows only exposing deaf children to spoken language can result in lesser abilities in comprehension + expression (lower ends of charts)

→ consequences of lang deprivation + audism

Importance of Access to Sign Language

First languages support neural development

Increases status of deaf communities + sign languages → linguistic + cultural minorities

More resources to learn about social + cultural norms; creates economic opportunities

Two main barriers to communication access

• Service Provision

• Funding

What is a Disability Dongle?

Well-intended elegant, yet useless solution to a problem

“Contemporary fairy tales that appeal to the abled imagination by presenting a heroic designer-protagonist whose prototype provides a techno-utopian solution to the design problem” → Deaf people not being a part of the process that directly impacts their lives

Deaf Gain

Reframes deaf as a form of sensory + cognitive diversity that has potential to contribute good to society

eg Captions, wing mirrors on cars