Deaf Culture

Midterm Exam

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

• Invited to become a master teacher in America and established a deaf school there

• 1816 sailed to America | he was on a loan for 3 years, learned how to write English from Gallaudet | wrote a journal about their voyage to America

• 1816 arrived and met Alice Cogswell → first to enroll in the first deaf school in 1817

• Gallaudet → principle | Laurent Clerc → the teacher (students ages 10-51

Alexander Graham Bell

• Was a CODA → child of deaf adult

• Wife was deaf

• Believed he could fix it, as he would view it as something medical.

• He was part of the difference viewpoint.

• Was known for patenting the first practical telephone

Edward Miner Gallaudet

• Supported manual use of education

• utilized sign/spoken language

• viewed visual communication as a benefit

• Founded Gaullaudet College

Gallaudet College

• The first and only higher education institution in the world for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

• Founded by Edward Miner Gallaudet

Charles-Michel de Epee

• 18th century French Catholic priest and educator who became known as the Father of the Deaf

• Dedicated his life and personal wealth to teaching and advocating for deaf people, earning global recognition for his humanitarian work.

• Founded the first public deaf school

• Sign language innovation → created a structured visual method, including Signed French and manual alphabet → to teach academic and religious subjects.

Colombia Institution for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind

A school founded in 1857 to provide primary education and moral training to deaf, mute, and blind children

• Evolved into Gallaudet college, and eventually Gallaudet university

Laurent Clerc “The Apostle to the Deaf in America”

• Born hearing

• fell into a fire 1786 → lost sense of hearing + smell

• attended the royal institution for the Deaf in paris (1797)

• Mother tried to cure his deafness at the age of 7 (painful injections and various liquids into his ears every day for two weeks)

• No formal education until the age of 12

• Became a scholar and taught the highest level of classes.

• Married Elizabeth Boardman → 6 kids together | former student of his

• Caught President James Monroe’s attention | invited to the white house| became the first to address the U.S. Congress.

• Taught for over 40 years | Presented at the inauguration of the National Deaf-Mute College in 1864

The American School for the Deaf

the oldest permanent school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the United States

Originally Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons

The history of ASL

ASL does not equal english

• different from english as it often eliminates words

Deaf President Now

• 8 day student led protest at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C

• March 6, 1988 → Board of Trustees chose a hearing candidate instead of two highly qualified deaf finalists.

• Reaction → students backed by alumni, faculty, and staff, shut down the campus, barricade gates, and demanded systemic change.

Monolingual vs Bilingual

Monolingual → Deaf people who are competent in ASL

Bilinguals → Deaf people who have skills in both ASL and ENGL but more fluent in ASL

Deaf vs deaf

Those who are proud and identify as Deaf, use sign language as their primary language, have a sense of pride related to their language/ culture, participation in Deaf events → DEAF

Those that identify as medically deaf or late deafened, might not be as involved in Deaf culture or deaf events, might not know sign language → deaf

ASL

Different from english often eliminates words

Parameters of ASL

• Hand shape

• palm orientation

• location

• movement

• non manual signs

Perspective rules vs descriptive rules

Prescriptive → how things should be done | often stems from an outsider perspective SEE P1 | Speaking while signing. an minimizing facial expressions to look proper | Views deafness as a medical deficit that needs to be fixed or accomodated

Descriptive → how things are actually done | comes from authentic lives or experiences of the deaf community | Emphasis on facial expressions and body shifts | views deafness as a unique culture and linguistic minority.

Manuals codes for English → an attempt to simplify english

Refers to a family of artificial signing systems designed to represent spoken or written english on the hands → follows english word order and grammar

• Signing essential english SEE 1 was born

• Signing exact english SEE 2

• Added word endings, added each part of the english language, mixed signal sign emerged

• PROBLEM= we cannot speak two languages at the same time

• this created initialized signs → ASL Monolingual ASL Bilinguals

Individualist Culture → mainstream hearing world

• The self, and individual achievement

• Values privacy, independence, and keeping personal matters seperate

• Quick or discrete departures from social gatherings

• Focuses on personal credentials

• relies on spoken/written autonomy

Collectivist culture

• group shared identity, and communal well being

• values open communication, sharing information

• keeping each other informed of news, events, and environment is an obligation

• Relies on constant visual contact, eye gaze, and shared physical presence

Culture shock

When hearing people or late-deafened individuals enter deaf culture, or when deaf individuals navigate their hearing environments.

• when a hearing or late-deafened student enters a deaf space

• Looking away when someone is signing can be considered rude whereas hearing people often do this

• Tapping someone on the shoulder, gently waving in their field of vision, or thumping on a table, or floor can be seen as blunt, but this is polite in the deaf culture, whereas this can be viewed as in polite to the hearing community

Name signs

• A unique, visual identifier used in the Deaf community to refer to a person in sign language without fingerspelling their entire name

• Receiving one is a sign of acceptance, inclusion, and cultural honor

Core Rules and Tradition

• Given not chosen → you cannot create or ask a deaf person to give it to you they are given organically.

• Not for direct address → used to talk about someone in conversation, not to get their attention directly to their face

• Not every person has a name sign, some people simply prefer to finger spell their name

• Hearing people: historically, restricted to deaf individuals, hearing people deeply integrated into the community (such as interpreters, deaf educators, or CODAS, can also be given name sings.

Two types of Names signes

Descriptive → Based on a physical trait, personality quirk, habit, or hobby

Arbitiary/initialized → Uses the manual alphabet of a person’s first name moved in a specific location on the body

Blened types → a combination that merges an initial with a descriptive gesture

90% formula

90% of deaf people end up marrying deaf people

90% of deaf people are born to hearing parents

90% of deaf people have hearing kids

90% Do not attend Deaf school

What are the two views of Deafness?

Pathology Viewpoint | Difference Viewpoint

What was the Pathology Viewpoint?

Pathological condition: Defines deafness as a defect or a handicap which distinguishes abnormal deaf persons from normal hearing persons

Handicap: Deny, downplay, or hide evidence of deafness

Deny or Downplay: Seek a cure for deafness, focus on easing the effects of the auditory disability or impairment.

Seeks a cure: Gives much attention to the use of hearing aids and other devices that enhance auditory perception and or focus on speech.

Lipreading: Place much emphasis on speech and speechreading”oral skills” → avoids sign and other communication methods which are deemed inferior.

Auditory Devices: Promote the use of auditory based communication modes; frowns upon the use of modes which are primary visuals

Hearing:Describes sign language as inferior to spoken language

Spoken Language: Make mystery of spoken language a central educational aim

Supported socialization of deaf persons with hearing persons; Frowned upon deaf/ deaf interactions and deaf/deaf marriages

Hearing word: Regard professional involvement with the deaf as helping the deaf to overcome their handicap and to live in the hearing world.

Inferior: Neither accept or support a seperate deaf culture.

What is the Difference Viewpoint?

Characteristic: defines deafness as merely a difference, a characteristic which distinguishes normal deaf persons from normal hearing persons. Recognizes that deaf people are a linguistic and cultural minority.

Accepts Deafness: Openly acknowledges being deaf/ emphasizes the abilities of deaf people.

Abilities: gives much attention to the issues of communication access for deaf persons through visual devices and services

Interpreters: encourages the development of all communication modes, including speech

Deaf: Strongly emphasizes the use of vision as a positive, efficient alternative to auditory channel.

encourages all communication → views sign language as a most natural language for people that are born Deaf

Equal: focuses on subject matter in education rather than on a method of communication. Works to expand all communication skills.

Sign Language: supports the socialization within the deaf community as well as within the larger community.

Communication| Socialization| Postive Role Models| Respect → Regards successful deaf adults as positive role models for deaf children, respect, value, and support the language and culture of deaf people. Regard professional involvement with the deaf as working with the deaf to provide access to the same rights and privilleges that hearing people enjoy.

Aristotle & the bible

• believed that speech is what differentiates us from Animals

  • Can’t talk = less than human

  • Incapable of reason

• Treatment towards deaf folks in this time were viewed both as positive and negative, through biblical text.

• Be kind & Protect the weak | do not be spiritually deaf to God and his plan.

Greek and The Romans

• They tied education and life through the church and religion

• If you were deaf it was part of God’s plan

• If you couldn’t hear or speak God’s word you couldn’t be saved

• St. Augustine acknowledged both signing and writing as language

Monks & their views

• Sign Language was developed in Monasteries

• Monks used them during vows of silence

  • communication was flexible

• Monks were the first educators for the deaf

  • Sign language was used to help teach reading and writing

  • Changed the view of what God’s plan was

Generational Deaf

Deaf parents who have Deaf children, culture passed on from one generation to the next, Family already signs, already has equipment and social networks.