Interesting article about deaf culture

Good article. I read through it quickly and this caught my eye: Riefel, Lane, and others, take this even further in contending that deafness is not a disability. In fact, labeling deafness as a disability has done significant harm to deaf self determination and identity. This travesty was further reinforced when deafness was thrown into the Americans with Disability Act. By framing it within a deficiency model, the deaf then must be helped paternalistically.

Thanks for posting.
 
yeah, liked the article and the book promoted on that site looks intriguing too-
 
um, i disagree, it IS a disability, not that in physical term, but how society blocks us in our way to fulfillment...
 
This is a well written article.

The society labels deafness as a disability but the article said Deaf people prefer they DON'T want to be recognized as disabled. That's the argument here.
 
Here is the clincher: the deaf don’t want to be seen as people with a disability, but rather as a linguistic minority with its own language and culture. This stance has vital implications for the work of diversity and how we approach the deaf.

that's part of the problem [cultural] Deaf are being taught its not a disability issue, when it is clearly is.
 
I think it is a really good article. Getting people to think, to overlook their views is very important in order to change something.
 
Grummer said:
Here is the clincher: the deaf don’t want to be seen as people with a disability, but rather as a linguistic minority with its own language and culture. This stance has vital implications for the work of diversity and how we approach the deaf.

that's part of the problem [cultural] Deaf are being taught its not a disability issue, when it is clearly is.
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I respect your opinion. Not only deaf people think they don't have a disability, people with varying medical problems - for instance, dwarfism. Most often they think they can do pretty much anything average height people can do. They just do it in a different way. That was Amy Roloff from Little People, Big World. Same idea, different situation.
 
grummer, just drink your favorite one. ;)

of course i do respect your thoughts of this link. Thanks for sharing this with us.
 
You know, the more movies I watch (just finished watching MTV's True Life-I'm Deaf episode), the more I reflect on my own experiences and learn of others', the more I read, the more I know that the only way things are truly going to get better for Deaf people is for there to be a major reversal of mainstream attitudes.

As the article pointed out, the people who have the power of advocacy, of "helping," of "intervention," are all hearing. Most of them doing actually have a clue what it is to be deaf. (I mean no offense to those hearing members here who are striving to learn.) Parents finding out that their child is deaf do so from doctors... who immediately start pushing "fixes," something is wrong, life is going to be hard, there are so many communication barriers. The perception is that deafness equals limited job opportunities, limited communication, limited relationships, limited life.

"the hearing are the ones who decide what is best for them. It’s the hearing who own the schools for the deaf, have advocated for mainstreaming the deaf into classrooms for the hearing, and are most likely their teachers."

You know what my obstacles are? Audism. The hearing people I deal with on a daily basis who have *no* idea about deafness. The misconceptions, the lack of understanding, the underlying attitude that deaf people are broken hearing people. It's my family's unwillingness--or inability--to even admit my deafness... because they were taught to see it as something bad. My obstacles is the ignorance of Deaf culture, not deafness itself.

I don't know how, but more people need to receive messages like in this article. People need to be educated. The same way we are working to break down racial stereotypes (oh so long to go on that), we need to break down the definitions that are holding us down--and build something better in its place. It's the only way education is going to get better, jobs are going to get better, our trips to the freaking grocery store are going to get better.

Thanks for letting me share my 2 cents (or maybe 4). :)
 
I read that on FB a few days ago. Pretty basic and pedantic if you ask me, but I guess the article is meant to target hearing people who have no clue about Deafness, so that's good. I always snicker though when a hearing person writes something like this. Their whole world is just shattered because they suddenly realize that Deaf are normal people capable of doing anything but hear. LOL. It's kinda sad, really.

To add to Rachel Rene, yes it will take a major reversal in mainstream attitudes before Deaf people are treated the way they should be, but this reversal of attitudes is not limited to the Deaf. Society in general needs to let go of this idea that disabilities and people who are different from the collectively decided agreement of what is normal are somehow limited, abnormal, weak, bad, etc.

Human differences ought to be celebrated, not compartmentalized and dissected.
 
TheWriteAlex said:
I read that on FB a few days ago. Pretty basic and pedantic if you ask me, but I guess the article is meant to target hearing people who have no clue about Deafness, so that's good. I always snicker though when a hearing person writes something like this. Their whole world is just shattered because they suddenly realize that Deaf are normal people capable of doing anything but hear. LOL. It's kinda sad, really.

To add to Rachel Rene, yes it will take a major reversal in mainstream attitudes before Deaf people are treated the way they should be, but this reversal of attitudes is not limited to the Deaf. Society in general needs to let go of this idea that disabilities and people who are different from the collectively decided agreement of what is normal are somehow limited, abnormal, weak, bad, etc.

Human differences ought to be celebrated, not compartmentalized and dissected.
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I like this post.
However, I would add that a stink ought to be raised more often to point out differences in treatment.
 
Beowulf said:
I like this post.
However, I would add that a stink ought to be raised more often to point out differences in treatment.
Click to expand...

If you like it so much, how about clicking that "like" button to the right. Hmm? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm???? :lol:



(I agree though. To point out intolerance and ignorance wherever it occurs is a categorical imperative, IMO.)
 
TheWriteAlex said:
I read that on FB a few days ago. Pretty basic and pedantic if you ask me, but I guess the article is meant to target hearing people who have no clue about Deafness, so that's good. I always snicker though when a hearing person writes something like this. Their whole world is just shattered because they suddenly realize that Deaf are normal people capable of doing anything but hear. LOL. It's kinda sad, really.
Click to expand...

snicker too but soon afterwards i worry it just become a 'fad' a cultural understanding that has no real substance in policy.real life terms...

TheWriteAlex said:
To add to Rachel Rene, yes it will take a major reversal in mainstream attitudes before Deaf people are treated the way they should be but this reversal of attitudes is not limited to the Deaf. Society in general needs to let go of this idea that disabilities and people who are different from the collectively decided agreement of what is normal are somehow limited, abnormal, weak, bad, etc.
Click to expand...
in bolded parts, i REALLY like this ... but this illustrates the point that while problem is much more complex than what "professionals" in deaf-industry workers likes to admit...Alex is also saying that this CAN and NEED to be shown on the table what exactly these are, in order to get society which ecncompassing both hearing and deaf to know exactly what can be done and have it on table as face value in an honest way. This is exactly the kind of message for Proponents of Cultural Modelist need to take in, in order to see the relevance of the Disability Social Model.

TheWriteAlex said:
Human differences ought to be celebrated, not compartmentalized and dissected.
Click to expand...

Again, Deaf languages, shouldn't be dissected by so-called 'caring' linguisitic researchers....
just my 2 cents
 
TheWriteAlex said:
If you like it so much, how about clicking that "like" button to the right. Hmm? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm???? :lol:



(I agree though. To point out intolerance and ignorance wherever it occurs is a categorical imperative, IMO.)
Click to expand...

Nice try. :giggle:
I also told myself not to reach ten thousand posts, so anything can happen.
 
Beowulf said:
I like this post.
However, I would add that a stink ought to be raised more often to point out differences in treatment.
Click to expand...

I would agree with that. Allowing things to continue to happen just because you don't want to be targeted as a complainer only keeps the negative alive and well.
 
Grummer said:
snicker too but soon afterwards i worry it just become a 'fad' a cultural understanding that has no real substance in policy.real life terms...


in bolded parts, i REALLY like this ... but this illustrates the point that while problem is much more complex than what "professionals" in deaf-industry workers likes to admit...Alex is also saying that this CAN and NEED to be shown on the table what exactly these are, in order to get society which ecncompassing both hearing and deaf to know exactly what can be done and have it on table as face value in an honest way. This is exactly the kind of message for Proponents of Cultural Modelist need to take in, in order to see the relevance of the Disability Social Model.



Again, Deaf languages, shouldn't be dissected by so-called 'caring' linguisitic researchers....
just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Actually, that dissection was a benefit to the deaf. The language of ASL would never have been recognized as a complete language in and of itself that is compelely separate from the spoken language of the majority culture.
 
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