Deaf Culture and Equality

Hello again, does anyone remember that group project I mentioned? Because here it is. This was that group micro-mentary, plenty of hard work was put into this. During the Experiential Term, we learned ASL and immersed ourselves into Deaf culture. We worked as a group to make a micromentary that answered a question that we were passionate about answering. We all had roles that we took on during this project. We learned how to work together and listen to each others ideas. What we are most proud of is how our micromentary came together. We worked really hard on it. Watch our video below!

Transcription:

We learned that as early as 1000 BC the Deaf were discriminated against due to their permanent loss of hearing and outrageous claims that deafness was a sign from God to show his anger towards humanity. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, there were very high limitations in educational opportunities for Deaf children in America. In the 1800’s there were about 30 deaf schools that opened across America. The Cobbs School, Alexander Graham Bell School and Gallaudet were the first schools to present curriculum based on oral learning and ASL for both educational and cultural purposes.

 We watched Sound & Fury a documentary following a 5-year old girl with the desire to learn spoken language by getting a cochlear implant. Her parents were deaf and proud members of the Deaf community and feared losing their daughter to the hearing world. This showcased the struggles of being a member of both the Deaf community and the hearing world. There is much controversy surrounding cochlear implants which is believed to be a cure to deafness. This technology is controversial because it threatens the survival of the thriving Deaf language and Culture. Today, it is easy to see the importance and prominence of Deaf culture in schools, sports, and Art.

We visited the Children of Peace School in Chicago that focuses on integrating hearing and deaf education. We were surprised to see hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf students learning in the same classroom. We also attended a basketball torment for the Deaf where Deaf teams from as far as Boston competed for the title of champion. I was in awe by how highly athletic these players were and how everyone knew each other. We witnessed the same type of talent and friendship when we watched the documentary Deaf Jam, which showed a group piece performed by Aneta, a Deaf poet and Tahani a spoken word poet .They captured the vision of Deaf and hearing worlds coexisting.

ASL in the New Term

Hello once again, it’s time for another Action Project. Now this new, Experiential Term (which was much shorter than the rest), is coming to an end. We learned ASL (American Sign Language) this term, which is just one of the types of sign language. We’ve learned about the Deaf culture and went on multiple Field Experiences (in the case you may have forgotten or do not know, an FE or field experience is an external visiting from or to us), including visitors from the 30 Million Word Project and certified professionals of the Lurie's Children's Hospital.

This image empowers the DHH community

However, I think the one that inspired me the most was the La Rabida Children’s Hospital. This vivid and colorful treatment center cares for children who are challenged or disabled. Every inch of this center is as child-friendly as possible, with every patient’s room has a lakeside view. This facility does not fulfill surgical operations, only basic clinical care.

The appeal to the youth is still accomplished with a section named the S.S. La Rabida, following a nautical theme due to the center being near a large body of water. This is important because you want a facility to be as appealing to the children as possible. It inspires me by how they care for their patients, all the consideration to make La Rabida a comfortable environment to the children. You can check out their website at http://www.larabida.org/. That's where you can learn more about how they give any mentally challenged child a fair chance at life with equal education and special treatments.

Overall, learning ASL has changed my perspective on the Deaf community. I used to think that they couldn’t complete tasks like driving or teaching, but now I know that the only thing they can’t do is hear. I also learned the Deaf or Hard Hearing (DHH) community can access certain assisting devices and services if needed, including: hearing aids, cochlear implants, interpreters, video/relay calls, a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid), or even simply making notes.

We also worked on a group mini documentary during this brief term. Working with other students to form a micro-mentary, or a mini documentary, we pursued a single guiding question: “How may Deaf culture become mainstream?”

In that project I filled the roles of being a researcher and interviewer (gathering information on FEs). Contributing to the project by finding multiple creative commons images. I've also gathered collected information regarding questions in Field Experiences. As for the question itself, my personal opinion differs upon situation. I want the DHH culture to become mainstream but if the hearing "world" can't accept it, then we won't be getting anywhere.

Another question asked is how may we live in another person's life and step into their shoes. In my opinion, this is impossible. We can attempt to experience the same things they have, even feel a similar emotion, but we can never truly do what they once have. Books, videos, illustrations; those can assist but we can never truly be.

This is an intro to me using sign language and has captions that will translate the ASL. Thank you for your time.