Deafness, Cognition, Language and Bias Lecture Notes

Introduction

Bella Hardin and Kate are presenting the lecture and both work at the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre.
The centre is located near 26 Bedford Way and includes researchers from neuroscience, linguistics, psychology, and education.
Kate will cover deaf culture, and Bella will discuss the science of bias and its impact on research.

Deaf Culture

Understanding the deaf community's perspective on their culture and language is crucial.
Often, there's a lack of understanding regarding sign language, deaf culture, and various models of deafness.

Medical and Social Models of Deafness

These models are applicable to disability in general, but the focus is on deafness.

Medical Model of Deafness

Focuses on the anatomy of the ear, viewing deafness as a defect that needs fixing.
Aims to rectify and improve hearing to make deaf people as much like hearing people as possible.
Preferred by hearing people as it's challenging to imagine being deaf.
Individuals who become deaf later in life face significant challenges and loss.
Those born deaf have different experiences, often not feeling a sense of loss.
The term "hearing loss" doesn't resonate with them.
Being deaf provides a different way of interacting with the world.

Sociocultural Model of Deafness

Deaf people adapt their communication strategies to the environment.
Difficulties arise when the environment is not designed for deaf individuals.
Deaf individuals learn to navigate the world as deaf people, adapting to the environment's needs.
They often express positive feelings about being deaf, valuing sign language and the connections formed within the deaf community.
Language and culture are central to this positive identity.
Sign language provides access to the deaf community.
Codas (children of deaf adults) and sign language interpreters also value sign language and feel an affinity with the deaf community.
Deaf individuals are generally happy being deaf and are not seeking a cure.

Hearing Technologies

Some deaf individuals use hearing aids and cochlear implants to access environmental sounds and, in some cases, conversation.
These technologies do not make them hearing; strategies are still needed for communication.
Hearing individuals need to adapt to facilitate communication with deaf individuals.

Indy's Experience

Indy, a former colleague, shared an experience illustrating the medical and sociocultural models of deafness.
At home with her deaf-aware family, she feels comfortable.
During a COVID test, she faced communication barriers due to mask-wearing and a lack of adaptation from hearing individuals, making her feel disabled.
A UK and Spain study during COVID-19 showed deaf individuals felt mask-wearing created a significant communication barrier.
Facial information and lip reading are essential for sign language users.
Deaf people value adaptations made to support communication.

Deaf People as a Cultural and Linguistic Minority

Culture includes shared beliefs, values, customs, humour, behaviors, and items transmitted across generations.
The deaf community offers deaf children a way to experience the world as deaf individuals.
Lessons are learned from deaf adults about navigating a hearing world.
Deaf children can face isolation and pressure to rely on hearing, making deaf culture and community vital for their development and support.

Deaf Communities

Deafness is viewed positively within deaf communities.
Deaf adults know how to raise and integrate deaf babies into the community.
Deaf individuals often marry other deaf individuals due to shared language, experiences, and cultural values.
Deaf schools are valued for passing on sign language.
There has been a significant reduction in deaf schools, impacting deaf individuals' mental health.
Deaf education policies are designed by and for hearing individuals, often without deaf input.
British deaf communities exist alongside smaller communities linked to race, gender, sexuality, and interests.
Deaf communities are present globally, with deaf individuals often seeking connections in other countries.

Deaf Organizations and Bodies

Various organizations exist at local, national, and global levels.
The World Federation of Deaf People (WFD) includes nearly 200 member countries and advocates for deaf rights related to sign language and education.
The British Deaf Association (BDA) is a national member representing deaf individuals in the global forum.
The European Union of Deaf people also exists.
Other groupings include art festivals, theatre, music, and sports events like the Deaf Olympics, which lacks government recognition and funding.
Local clubs for sports like football, badminton, pickleball, and parkrun are also popular.

Sign Languages

Sign languages are used by deaf communities.
American Sign Language (ASL) differs from British Sign Language (BSL).
Indigenous sign languages exist in different countries.
Sign languages are proper languages with complex rules, processed in the same areas of the brain as spoken languages.
They emerge spontaneously from deaf people meeting and forming communities.
Sign languages are used for poetry, song, conversation, and lectures.

British Sign Language (BSL)

Recognized by the UK government in 2003.
The BSL Act in 2022 enshrined BSL in law, establishing the BSL board as a government advisory body.

Learning Sign Language

Deaf children with deaf parents or signing hearing parents acquire sign language naturally.
They also learn through deaf schools and interactions with deaf peers and adults.
Deaf culture is transmitted through families, deaf schools, sports groups, deaf clubs, and international organizations.
Some deaf children grow up without exposure to sign language or deaf culture until later in life when they meet other deaf individuals.
Experiences of learning sign language and deaf culture vary.

Deaf Culture as a Minority Culture

Patty Ladd: Minority cultures are often oppressed and colonialist cultures.
Colonialism: A larger cultural power tries to control a minority culture, often eradicating its language and culture.
Deaf individuals lack a homeland but possess a language and culture that has been oppressed.
Deaf children were historically prevented from using sign language and lacked access to other deaf individuals.
Deaf schools sometimes banned signing, punishing those who signed.
Deaf individuals were discouraged from marrying other deaf individuals to prevent more deaf babies.

Audism

Audism: The belief that hearing and speaking individuals are superior to deaf individuals and sign language users.
Coined in 1975 by Tom Humphries.
Deaf individuals have been oppressed due to their hearing status, with efforts made to change them into hearing individuals.

Deaf Gain

Reframes deafness positively.
It is about what deaf people can do, rather than focusing on what they can't do.

Vision

Deaf individuals use their eyes more effectively.
They perceive vibrations and movements to understand their environment.

Brain and Language Processing

Sign language is processed in the same brain areas as spoken language.
Tactile sign language used by deaf-blind individuals is also processed in these areas.
Deaf individuals' use of linguistic modalities enhances knowledge of the brain.

Contributions of Deaf People

Subtitles were invented for deaf individuals and are now widely used.
Large (2003): Deaf people are global citizens.
Deaf individuals form connections easily and have strategies for communicating across sign language barriers.
Theories of language based on spoken language are often challenged by sign languages.

Notable Deaf People

Deaf individuals can achieve in various fields: acting, music, politics, law, and teaching.
Early access to language and identity formation leads to robust individuals who can achieve much.

Intersectionality

The importance of remembering that a deaf person is not "just deaf¨.
People have various identities, privileges, and oppressions.

Bias in Science

Biases affect all aspects of life, including research.
Science is not impartial; researchers bring their biases and experiences.
Science becomes more interesting, rich, and better when it embraces diversity.

Audism in Scientific Research

Ableism impacts the quality of scientific research.
Negatively Affect scientific knowledge and research questions directly.
Without Sign languages, knowledge of language would be poorer.
Diversity in research and researchers makes research better.

Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants are available primarily in developed countries.
They provide some access to sound for deaf children and adults.

Functionality

A microphone and signal processor convert sound into an electrical signal delivered to the cochlea.
Cochlear implants stimulate the cochlea at different frequencies.
The brain extracts meaning from this stimulation, but it's unlike natural hearing.
Cochlear implants use about 32 channels.
Typical human ear uses thousands of frequencies.
Cochlear implants provide access to some sound information but not the same experience as full hearing.

Simulation

Examples can be shown using simulations to show the difference between real hearing and a simulation of cochlear hearing.

Access to Language

Cochlear implants do not guarantee access to language or language development.
Some deaf children develop spoken language fully with cochlear implants, but most do not.
It is difficult to develop a full language in a society where spoken language is the main form of communication.
Access to language provides access to culture.

Language Comparison

Language development in children can be seen using graphs comparing those implanted early in life compared with cochlear implanted children.
Most are still below those who have a hearing ability and some plateu.
Early Language development is important.

Variability in Outcomes

Variability exists in how deaf children develop spoken languages with cochlear implants.
Early implantation and parental involvement can contribute.
Brain: Very plastic early on.

Plasticity

Brain Plasticity: Important to acquire language early in life.
It becomes more difficult to learn if Language doesn't arrive early with consequences for cognitive development.
Language is important for language networks in the brain.
Brain: Develops and learns different languages through visual modality and the brain's networks can then easily pick up a spoken language.

Sign Language Preference

Timing of the initial language experience during human development influences the capacity to learn language throughout life regardless of sensorimotor form of the early experience (visual or auditory).

Auditory Development

Auditory development; Cochlear implants must be applied early on for better hearing development
There exist critical periods for language and auditory processing and development.
To separate access to language is difficult because of circumstances.

Separation Between Auditory and Language

It is important to know the difference because some programs and people recommend against sign language before a cochlear implant.

Deaf Children

Every time there is push back about using sign language for developing minds by focused individuals from other institutions.
By not recognizing that language and cognition is important they ignore individuals, their culture, etc.

Reality of Programs

Some programs push or look at sign language with a negative attitude.

Auditory Experience

It is difficult to teach sign language from parents whom cannot use it. So a societal structure is important for the deaf community and that includes deaf culture, society stepping in, etc.

Bad Science

Paper of bad results was written by those whom were trying to push this agenda with out seeing its downfalls.

Faulty Science

Starting points are important because the ending results will be impacted as well.
Did not measure the use or efficiency of language used. It was just simply based on whether sign language was ever exposed.
Bad science; The research will be better if the research group was more diverse.
To look at others comments and the entire study can show the damage that may cause.

Final Thoughts

Temporal patterns will affect all (memories, auditory, touch, sight, etc) because of how the brain is connected.

Conclusions

The impact of cognitive functioning is important to neurologists and those whom research brain patterns and functionality.
Temporal sequencing that occurs and effects the processing for auditory processes and patterns.
There should be various thoughts and ideas from a diverse group on a singular topic to look at the results and theories appropriately.