Check out the book "Deaf in America, Voices from a Culture." Meet the deadlines below by READING and posting to the blog. For each blog post please include 2 quotes and a page number. Read what others have said. Your entry in that blog shows me you read that chapter. BONUS: Comment / Post to 7 of the 8!
The introduction of "Deaf in America - Voices From a Culture" dives into the usual way most hearing people look at being deaf and being Deaf. The two authors talk about traditional views and ideas about exposure to Deaf culture, the elements of a culture, Deaf education, and even basics of American Sign Language. From what we learned in our first year, we know the authors are describing the structure of the pathological view of the Deaf. The authors write: "The traditional way of writing about Deaf people is to of customers on the fact of their condition - that they do not hear - and to interpret all other aspects of their lives as consequences to this fact" (1). Most people are so focused on the "condition" of being Deaf that their rich culture and language are lost in a wave of searching for "solutions" to their "problem". In this chapter, the authors spell out their plan to focus on the culture and life of the Deaf (or the cultural view of the Deaf), by starting with who they are, not what they are. At the very end, the writers say, "They have found was to express themselves through their rituals, tales, performances, and everyday social encounters" (11). As I am not part of the Deaf culture, I am very excited to go through and read about the lives of the Deaf shown in a positive and culturally uplifting light.
ReplyDeleteSorry this is Heather! I couldn't figure out how to put my name on it!
DeleteSorry this is Heather! I couldn't figure out how to put my name on it!
DeleteThe introduction to the book starts off by explaining what we expect to read about in the upcoming chapters. It goes into detail about views of Deafness, Deaf vs deaf, grammar, schooling etc. A lot of it was review from what we had learned over the last two years as ASL students. One thing that really stood out to me was when the author was talking about the times of segregation, he mentioned there were different sign languages for black and white Deaf people, "Until about 1970, racial segregation in the larger society dictated that white and black children in the southern states should attend separate schools. Although teachers in black deaf schools knew the white variety of ASL, the segregation led to the development of a distinct black variety..." (4). I knew there were different forms of ASL based on the region you grew up in, but I had no idea a different form of ASL had developed based on race. It is interesting to me because we learned a lot about segregation and how whites and blacks were not able to share anything and adapted to their own new ways, so a new form of ASL that is theirs makes sense. Culture heavily influences all branches of sign language. This is particular prominent when talking about Deaf vs deaf. The author touches on when someone who is deaf can become Deaf. This is something that I have wondered for a little while. "self-identification with the group and skill in ASL should be important diagnostic factors in deciding who is Deaf" (3). This chapter just brushes over it lightly and talks about what hard of hearing and CODAs are characterized to, but it also says they will go into more detail about it in chapter 3, so I am excited to read more about it because it is and ongoing question I have had. I have never really read anything this detailed from a Deaf perspective so I am excited to read this book and learn more about how they view the world and everything else.
ReplyDelete(This is Diana Jecker). The introduction starts out by explaining the goals and intentions of this book. The authors intend to, "write about Deaf people in a new and different way" (1). The authors hope to not focus solely on the condition of being Deaf, as they feel most books on Deaf persons do-but rather on the lives, experiences, and cultures of Deaf Americans. The authors go on to explain their personal connections to Deaf culture. One author was born Deaf in a Deaf family, while the other became Deaf at a young age. The book then discusses what qualifies a person as "Deaf"-basing their rules on the convention proposed by James Woodward. Essentially, one must have "inherited their sign language, use it as a primary means of communication among themselves, and hold a set of beliefs about themselves..." (2). The book specifies that individuals who lose their hearing later in life are not included in the category of being "Deaf". I had always assumed that anyone who was deaf was also considered Deaf but I learned that that is not true from this section! The book then speaks about how there are many different groups of Deaf people in the world. Reading this part made me curious about Deaf cultures in other parts of the world, and how they compare to American Deaf culture. The book then moves on to comparing "black" and "white" ASL (two dialects used prior to the 1970s when racial segregation was paramount). It goes on to say that "black" ASL is still used in the Southern United States and many areas have exclusive "black Deaf clubs," to bring together fluent individuals. This part was perhaps the most interesting to me, as I had no idea there was "black" and "white" ASL. It makes me wonder if dialectical splits may have occurred within other cultures with racial tensions. Then the book talks about how there are no "reliable" statistics on how many Deaf individuals are in the USA and Canada. This shocked me because I know there are statistics on a large number of population-related things from the United States government. It leaves me wondering why the number of Deaf individuals is not one of them. The book moves on to discussing schools for the Deaf. It discusses the founding of the first school for the Deaf (in 1817,) and speaks to the difficulty of attending these institutions. The authors write, "educational policy typically emphasizes speech" (5). The book touches on the history of sign language-speaking to French schools for the Deaf, and how the language of ASL came about. Then the book breaks down many common misconceptions about the language of ASL such as: that ASL is made of a few simple gestures, and that ASL has the same grammatical rules as spoken English. The book then dives even deeper into ASL grammar, discussing verb placement and verb morphology. While discussing general sentence structure, the authors point out that while ASL does not have a similar grammatical structure with English, it holds much similarity to many other natural languages such as the Mayan language of Tzotzil. This factoid was quite interesting to me as I had always assumed the grammatical structure of ASL was entirely unique. The authors end the introduction by discussing the dire need for more literature discussing Deaf culture and history. They speak about textbooks focusing on the inability to hear, rather than the need to pass on Deaf history and traditions. Their last statements claim they will use this book to pass on Deaf culture to the next generation, and share "an array of materials" (11).
ReplyDelete1) nice novel there Diana lol
Delete2) What are you doing up at 1AM writing this?
1) Thanks, I try. I just sat down and started typing then realized it was crazy long so...
Delete2) I am a night owl x100000 and got home from crew at 11 and had other homework, hence the insane hour.
This intro simply sets up the book. Specifically how it will be written and the unique perspective that comes from Deaf authors. I think this intro is well summed up in the following quotes. First, the authors observe that "one of the primary identifying characteristics of the group is its language (6). They go on to explain how various forms of oppression afflicting many Deaf people. This is true at a fundamental level. Physical differences aside, Deaf people have one of the most difficult and frustrating obstacles that anyone from another culture could face: a language barrier. When I was in Albania, I almost got run off the beach by an old Albanian man because I had apparently disturbed him. However, due to the language barrier, I had no clue what was going on. Deaf people face the same thing. People not learning to accommodate or acting on assumptions without consulting the Deafie can unintentionally (or intentionally) treat them in a less than favorable way. So the authors of this book recognize that and intend to attack this book at that root. Secondly, the authors explicitly state that "in our work, we adopt an approach that begins not with hearing loss but with the cultural world" (10). From our hearing world, we only look at Deaf people and see a physical difference from us: hearing loss. Thus it stands to reason that any book written by hearing people will share a similar perspective. This book will be unique as it is written by those from within the Deaf culture. They don't see themselves as physically impaired, they only see their culture and their language and that is going to be amazing to read.
ReplyDeleteThe intro starts out by explaining the difference between deaf and Deaf."We use the term Deaf in this book to refer to other cultures of people who do not hear and who use sign languages other than ASL (3). There are many different varities of ASL depending on where you live in the united states, if you life in the south you will probably sign with a "southern accent" or if you live in the Northwest you will sign differently. Just like no one person talks exactly alike no one signs exactly alike, everyone has their own unique way of communicating. There is also many different options for Deaf children, they can choose to go to a mainstream school which is what we go to where most children are hearing or they can go to a Deaf school where they will be with other Deaf students. The choice is the child's family depending on which fits best into their lifestyle. Since I started at the nursing home there are some residents who either don't know English or English is not their first language which makes the language barrier hard because they can't communicate what they need so I show them basic signs so we can establish some form of communication. I think the introduction really sets up the book for people who want to learn about ASL for the first time or students that have been in ASL for a couple years. I can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteThis introduction did a very nice job of setting up the book. It explained that there wasn't really a lot of books like this out there. Most books on Deaf people focus on their disability and not on their culture. It also mentioned that a researcher, Rodda, published work that implied that "a physical condition, rather than other factors such as socioeconomic class or group affiliation, underlies all choices Deaf people make in their lives," (10). I think in the rest of the book it might talk about the history of ASL and how it came to be and why that makes it such a powerful language and very "real." This subject was briefly touched on when the authors wrote that one opinion on this was, "for their own good, deaf children should give [ASL] up in favor of a 'real' language," (9). This just shows how uneducated some people are on American Sign Language and how helpful this book is, even to people who know ASL, but especially those that know very little about ASL and the Deaf community. Another important thing mentioned in this introduction is that while a lot of deaf people participate in the Deaf community, there are some that do not affiliate themselves as such and both are totally okay as long as there is no animosity.
ReplyDeleteMost of us spend our lives on the outside looking in. For some people this might mean being a wallflower and watching others from afar, watching but not truly knowing. This is how the hearing culture is to the Deaf culture. The authors stated simply that "the traditional way of writing about Deaf people is to focus on the fact of their condition - that they do not hear - and to interpret all other aspects of their lives as consequences of this fact" (1). You may not know the history of the peer you sit next to during math, you don't know what they went through, what they're going through, or their hopes and dreams in life. However, you do notice that they're very quiet and you may use this attribution to conclude that the only thing worth knowing about them is that they don't talk very much. However, they might be one of the most creative people you've ever met. This happens in the hearing/Deaf culture. Those who are not a part of the Deaf culture may think being deaf is the only thing that can describe a person, that their life may not be that great because they are deaf. This perspective is completely wrong and the introduction tells the readers that this book will be focused on showing the perspectives of the Deaf culture. This way, many people will be able to learn and understand that there is more to a person than their inability to hear. This book is focused on showing that Deaf people "have found ways to define and express themselves through their rituals, tales, performances, and everyday social encounters" (11). Hearing people do this all the time. The difference is, there doesn't need to be a book written about the hearing culture in order for people to understand.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction of "Deaf in America Voices from a Culture" sets up what the book is going to be about. It explains how "the traditional way of writing about Deaf people is to focus on the fact of their condition—that they do not hear—and to interpret all other aspects of their lives as consequences of this fact" (1). The authors explain that while most books focus on the negative aspects of Deafness, this book will explore Deafness from another perspective, the perspective of two Deaf individuals. Throughout the introduction, the authors also mention misconceptions people have of Deaf individuals. I think this book will explore and correct the many misconceptions hearing people have of Deaf people and Deaf culture. This book will show people who are uneducated about Deafness that being Deaf doesn't restrict you from doing anything a hearing person can do, except hear. The authors also state the fact that Deaf culture and community is based on a rich history. I think this book will explore the historic aspect of Deaf culture and community, as well as show what Deaf culture really is. Throughout the book, the authors will "present the culture from the inside—to discover how Deaf people describe themselves, what sorts of symbols they surround themselves with, and how they think about their lives" (11). This book will give us a look into what Deaf culture is, how it differs from the hearing culture we live in, and many different aspects of a Deaf person's life.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction does what all introductions do best: introduces the topic and gives some basic background information that will be discussed more deeply later in the book. The author provides much basic information about Deaf culture and history. First off, the author has to distinguish the difference between deaf and Deaf. The author writes, “ we use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language...and a culture” (2). This brings up the point of which not everyone that cannot hear actively engages in a culture. In this same way, not everyone who grows up in a Deaf culture is deaf, such as CODAs. I imagine that being a CODA would result in having a very complex identity, as you are not deaf yet you live and are surrounded by a Deaf culture, and you are hearing yet you are not completely immersed within hearing culture. The author moves on to discuss how different dialects of ASL come about, the origin of ASL, and explains the educational system of the Deaf, which is quite often to send them to residential schools with other Deaf children. The author uses all these specific facts of ASL to defend the legitimacy of ASL as a language. The author writes, “The mistaken belief that ASL is a set of simple gestures with no internal structure has led to the tragic misconception that the relationship of Deaf people to their sign language is a casual one that can be easily severed and replaced” (9). After providing small insight on the culture of the Deaf and differences between ASL and English, the author aims to reiterate that this language of “gestures” is in fact truly as complex and important a language as any spoken language. Without it, the means of communication for many Deaf people are lost and replaced with lip-reading and years of speech therapy, and with a lost language is a lost culture. American Sign Language is a language of which is used by many Deaf people and helps reflect a long and rich culture, along with providing necessary means of communication.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction begins an explanation of Deaf culture as well as some history. It's almost like giving us a refresher of the information we have been studying for these past three years in ASL. There is discussion on the difference between Deaf and deaf,a s well as giving the reader basic things to know about the Deaf culture. The author states, "Our professional interests over the last ten years have also led us to this topic."(1) This brings to mind all the new technologies we are beginning to improve on or create. This quote references the increase in the topic of Deaf culture. As time goes by, our generation experiences an increase of improvements or need of bring up the Deaf Culture. The author also talks about the different type of schooling that is available for the Deaf or that used to be popular. For example, "Although there are some 'oral' residential schools, which officially disallow the use of sign language..." (5) I found this quote particularly interesting since this isn't the norm we see now a days. It's normal in our society for ASL to be used compared to the struggles that used to occur. Overall, this introduction made it easy for the reader to understand the basic information of the Deaf culture and what it was like before so we can be able to compare what is advancing and how the Hearing culture is responding to the Deaf culture.
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