Universal Symbol for Deaf People?

[Cousin Vinny]

Check out this blog entry, made in response to a Ridor9th video.

Universal Symbol for Deaf People?

Please feel free to comment here or on the blog.

 

[A]

I agree with Ridor.

The I love you sign make us look like we are so lovable dovey people (when we are just like hearing people)


And we don't focus on our ears.

yes we do need a symbol that represent us as WHOLE

 

[A]

One of the picture there with two hands look like a sign for interpret. If I'm correct, I don't think that reflect deaf people at all.

And about the "you rock" sign, well They got it wrong, most people do not use their thumb. It is not suppose to look like "ILY"

 

[CJB]

Isn't the universal symbol for deafness an iconic ear with a bar through it?

 

[A]

Isn't the universal symbol for deafness an iconic ear with a bar through it?

Ridor did mention that and he thinks it is the wrong reflection of deaf people and so yesterday

Ridor is signing and there's no transcripts/summary/captions so I don't know what he said so I'm out of the loop. I can only go by people's comments of what is going on.

 

[Reba]

The blue "slashed ear" symbol has been around for many years. It always makes me think of traffic signs where the slash means "not allowed". So, are ears not allowed? (In other words, it doesn't make sense.) Also, where would it be applied? Would you put it on the door to a building meaning "hearing not allowed?"

The black and white symbol with two hands is a graphic for "interpreter" or "interpreting."

Before designing a symbol one must think for what purpose is the symbol. How would the symbol be applied?

For example, in public, the wheelchair symbol indicates an accessible facility or space for wheelchairs or other mobility challenges. What would a "deaf" symbol indicate? ASL interpreters available? Signing only?

Or are you looking for a symbol for solidarity or unity to be used within the Deaf community?

 

[A]

I think he is looking for a symbol that will show people that we are human beings but yet we are deaf.

 

[Reba]

I think he is looking for a symbol that will show people that we are human beings but yet we are deaf.

Then I don't think anything emphasizing an ear would be appropriate. That's just a body part, not a person's essence.

 

[Cousin Vinny]

Thank you for the replies. The commentator, 'A', said it succinctly; A symbol to show that Deaf people are human beings first and foremost. I like the idea of using a handshape such as the ILY. Another example would be to emphasize the visual component, i.e., an eye, in a symbol? Or a symbol to represent thought and language? (Aristotle once said that Deaf people were incapable of such.)

 

[Reba]

Thank you for the replies. The commentator, 'A', said it succinctly; A symbol to show that Deaf people are human beings first and foremost. I like the idea of using a handshape such as the ILY. Another example would be to emphasize the visual component, i.e., an eye, in a symbol? Or a symbol to represent thought and language? (Aristotle once said that Deaf people were incapable of such.)

I'd like to see something that shows either the unity of the deaf community, or the concept of passing down the ASL culture from one generation to the next. I'm not sure how that could be expressed in a graphic image.

If you use an eyeball, maybe you could show the ILY hand in the reflection of the eye?

Endless possibilities.

 

[Cousin Vinny]

If you use an eyeball, maybe you could show the ILY hand in the reflection of the eye?

Pure genius. From a minimalist perspective, this could be unworkable, though. Love the idea, anyway!

 

[CJB]

Ridor did mention that and he thinks it is the wrong reflection of deaf people and so yesterday

Ridor is signing and there's no transcripts/summary/captions so I don't know what he said so I'm out of the loop. I can only go by people's comments of what is going on.

Oh, got it.

Before I was just thinking along the lines of signs used in public places (like the wheelchair symbol and the white cane symbol) to denote accessibility.

Hard to think of a Deaf symbol that won't piss off some sub-group of Deaf people (either signers, or oral, or late-deafened, or HOH...)

 

[A]

I'd like to see something that shows either the unity of the deaf community, or the concept of passing down the ASL culture from one generation to the next. I'm not sure how that could be expressed in a graphic image.

If you use an eyeball, maybe you could show the ILY hand in the reflection of the eye?

Endless possibilities.

Speaking of eyeball, someone commented in Ridor's youtube about the deafway 2 logo... I like it as well.

 

[CrzyMeg]

i dont think those symbols really represent us.

 

[frankiesmom]

to me..that looks like an ear with a pipe jammed through it.

 

[Cheetah]

I don't think there can ever be on symbol that can sum up deafness for everyone that is deaf. In thinking about international symbols. The American Red Cross has a nice symbol that everyone thought would be perfect for use everywhere. They had to come up with a different symbol because some nations felt that the red cross was too Christian (using a symbol that looks like a crucifix). Those nations have the International Red Crescent.

Personally I like either a simple ear symbol (no line going through it) or the ILY hand symbol. It doesn't say everything, and it should only serve to symbolize the unity of the international deaf community. If you want a symbol that means everything that is to be Deaf, then you are going to have an exclusive symbol not an inclusive symbol.

 

[Jazzberry]

i dont think those symbols really represent us.

I agree, mostly for the reasons that Reba gave:

The blue "slashed ear" symbol has been around for many years. It always makes me think of traffic signs where the slash means "not allowed". So, are ears not allowed? (In other words, it doesn't make sense.) Also, where would it be applied? Would you put it on the door to a building meaning "hearing not allowed?"

The black and white symbol with two hands is a graphic for "interpreter" or "interpreting."

<snip>

I'm not in favor of using the ILU symbol either. I think its pretty -- but, I don't know about you, I'm not always in a 'lovey dovey' mood! So, I'd prefer something else.


Perhaps the CL symbol for cluster? Aslpro.com has one around a globe for their logo.

Also, FWIW, I disagree with X50S5 when he says in his blog that mainstream media is "misappropriating" the ILU symbol. I'd like to see a lot of that kind of "misappropriation"! IMHO, the more people that recognize signs the better!


I'm not in favor of a new sign if an organization needs a symbol to show that they have ALD available. The existing ones do the job and people know what they.