Black Deaf Community

Black Deaf Community
Previous researches on Deaf cultures were mostly on superficial issues such as the typical cultural
differences between the deaf and the hearing communities, the history of Deaf education, the
distinctions of the deaf from the Deaf, and the critical points in the fight against discrimination.
Sociolinguistics of sign languages also has its typical subjects such as Martha's Vineyard,
justification that American Sign Language is a true language, and the spectrum from Signed Exact
English to American Sign Language. The study seeks to add knowledge to the developing area of
ethnic minority studies in the Deaf community particularly the Black Deaf. In this paper, a brief
description of the Black Deaf community, their history, signs and identity has been given. The study
also seeks to find out more about the issues of the Black Deaf community by engaging them through
interviews.
According to Anderson and Grace (1991), the notion of a Black Deaf identity is really astounding
because there are four different cultures that affect the members; the hearing, the Deaf, European–
American, and African–American. A major feature of the Black Deaf identity is their first
identification as either Deaf (Deaf Black) or Black (Black Deaf). When the question on which
culture they identified with, Black culture or Deaf culture, was asked, eighty seven percent of Black
Deaf adolescents identified with Black first whereas thirteen percent identified with Deaf first.
Research has revealed that the
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Thomas H. Gallaudet: The Oldest School For The Deaf
Throughout history the movement for people with disabilities has made a great amount of progress,
but has not always been obvious to the public's eye. People with disabilities have gone from being
thought of as freaks of nature to just everyday people in society. It may just seem like a small just
change of thought, but this change actually created a transformation for anyone with disabilities
daily lives. As time as gone on these changes have created such a large impact on the movement for
people with disabilities. Back before the nineteenth century children who were deaf did not always
get an chance to get an education as to hearing children. Thomas H. Gallaudet started wanting to
teach deaf children way back when he was young and lived ... Show more content on
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The creation of the American School for the Deaf was the first time that deaf children were being
given the support they needed from their schools. The same goes for the movement towards creating
inclusive schools because these schools are making sure everyone is supported in the classroom,
including deaf students. When Gallaudet was creating the school for the deaf there was not inclusive
classrooms really around. Most schools would only cater to the middle ground of students and leave
it at that. So when the American School for the Deaf was created it was one of the first times that the
focus of these students education catered to the fact that they were deaf. These students were finally
being provided with teachers who could meet their needs. As goes for the move towards inclusive
schools today because now all students are being provided with teachers that meet everyone's needs
in the same classroom. So the major similarity between these two creation of schools is the idea of
inclusion. Back then it was mainly focused on the inclusion of deaf students and now the focus is on
including all students. All in the movement for people with disabilities has come a long from not
catering towards any students with disabilities needs, to finally getting across to deaf students, to
now catering education towards all students abilities and

Deaf Immigrant Process
The immigration process is a tedious path to United States citizenship. Foreign citizens who want to
live permanently in the United States require a visa and multiple forms. United States law limits the
number of visas available each year, with certain limits by country. The entire immigration process
is very opaque. Now add the intricate layer of being deaf. Deaf immigrants face many problems
when immigrating to the U.S., along with adjusting to life in the U.S. In the 1880s the Federal
Government began to regulate who could enter the United States. The primary aim of Congress was
to exclude what they considered "defectives" or "undesirables" (Douglas 394). The Immigration Act
of 1907 denied entry to anyone who had a ''physical defect being ... Show more content on
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Through solidarity we recognize that we all are one family. Regardless of our struggles and
differences we must seek peace in our society. We must understand everyone's adversities and
respect their journey. Deaf immigrants coming to America are usually vulnerable and poor, which
leads into the second social teaching of option for the poor and vulnerable. How we stand and care
for the deaf immigrants in our society says a lot about our nation. We need to have a special concern
for their needs. But most importantly the call for participation. Deaf immigrants have the right to
participate in social, economic, political, and legal aspects of American life and society. Inclusion
into American culture and activities will only ease the struggle deaf immigrants face on a day to day

Informative Speech On Deafhood
Hi, this is my pro–tactile interpreter, (I missed the name, looks like ptpt), we are working together.
Before I begin, I want to thank you and I am honor to be here. My experience and relationship with
Deafhood is different but honestly I am happy to be here. To the board, thank you for inviting me
here and to the community, thank you for inviting me here. I speak for myself, no, I speak for my
various intersecting communities: The Deaf, Deaf–Blind, people of color including Native–
American, Black, South–East Asian, West African, and all of the groups, and the disabled people.
Sometimes when I do presentations, people have given me more information for community work. I
am going to discuss community collective healing, the Deaf history has ... Show more content on
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I am not here to benefit the hearing people by speaking. But if a hearing person tells me "but you
know I have a deaf friend who says speech is better." That one deaf person does not represent the
whole Deaf community. Each of you represent something, each of you have a story to tell, each of
you have a background, we need to listen to each of you. We cannot say when one has a friend who
is Deaf–Blind and make assumptions on what this person needs. We must listen to a person and
provide the necessary accommodations based on this person's needs. Community Collective means
all including people of color, disabled, Deaf–blind, all of them. It begins with LAL, that is, listening
for understanding with love. You may become defensive but you cannot listen and say "wait." You
must listen to understand in order to love the process itself. Sometimes people will disagree with
you. For example, I have a dialogue with the KKK, do I like it? no, but I need to understand why. I
don't have to agree with them. In a strange way, I do understand KKK because the KKK members
were taught that way by their families and they want to be accepted by their families. It's human
nature. Do I like the concept of KKK, of course

Who Is Gallaudet Sign Language Affect The Deaf Community?
"A day when deaf people and their language are completely accepted–no, more than that, truly
welcomed–as a part of the family of man in which god created diversity not to oppress the minority
who are different, but to enrich the lives of all." This important quote from Laurent Clerc shows his
opinion on the acceptance of Deaf people in the world. He understood through first hand experience
the importance of communication and education for the Deaf community. Eventually with the help
of Thomas Gallaudet Sign Language was brought to the US and together the pair helped improve
the lives of Deaf people living in the United States. Laurent Clerc was a deaf man from France born
on December 26th 1785. He was not born Deaf however; he became Deaf around the age of 1 after
falling into a fireplace. This incident left Laurent with a scar on his face. The scar eventually became
a part of his name sign which was stroking the letter U down the right cheek. When he was a child
he didn't attend school until the age of 12 when he was enrolled into the Institut National des Jeune
Sourds–Muets. The school was run by Abbe Roch Amroise Sicard and his first teacher was Jean
Massieu. At the school they taught students to communicate through French Sign Lanugage. Laurent
was a very good student but chose not to communicate through speaking. Laurent decided that
signing is the best form of communication for Deaf people so he began to teach and demonstrate his
methods to other people.

The Apostle Of The Deaf Essay
Louis Laurent Marie Clerc or commonly known as the "Apostle of the Deaf in America", was born
December 26, 1785 in La Balme –les–Grottes, France. Mr. Clerc was born in a village in the south–
eastern side of France; he came from a well off middle class family that would have been considered
bourgeois for his time. His father was Joseph Francis Clerc a civil attorney for the royal family and
his mother was Marie Elizabeth Candy whose father was a notary public. Her father as well as being
an attorney also served as major of their Balme–les– Grottes village from 1780 to 1814[1]. Laurent
Clerc was born with the ability to hear, but around the age of one, Laurent was left unattended for a
few moments and manage to climb on top of a chair and fall onto the kitchen fireplace, badly
injuring the right side of this face. After this incident Clerc developed a fever and lost his hearing
and sense of smell [2]. He developed a scar underneath his right ear, this interestingly enough
helped create his name sign according to author Loida Canlas, "His name–sign derives from the scar
that remained – the middle and index fingers brushed downward across the right cheek near the
mouth" (Canlas) [1] ; it is believed that Laurent Clerc name sign is one of the most iconic and
recognizable name sign in American deaf culture. It is speculated and was argued by Clerc himself,
that he might have been born deaf, but that it was only discovered after the accident and attributed to
it [1]. When Clerc

Sign Language Is A Complex System Of Communication
There is not movement that does not speak both a language intelligible without instructions
(Mirzoeff 16). Sign Language is a complex system of communication; a language which uses visual
gestures and signs made by one's hands blended with the use of facial expressions, body positions,
and other gestures. Sign Language has played a signiﬁcant role in deaf and hard of hearing culture
and is the major communication alternative for those whom are deaf or hard of hearing with a
beautiful history of origin. Beings who were deaf did not have a voice to communicate with, but
when Sign Language was created it gave said individuals a symbolic voice. Sign language started a
new culture for the deaf and brought deaf people around the world together. Sign language is seen as
an authentic language therefore, there are many different variations of the language in each country
such as American Sign Language (ASL), French Sign Language (LSF), Spanish Sign Language
(LSE), and many others. With all those different variations of sign language there are also some that
sign differently, for example, Australian sign language uses the two handed alphabet method, while
American Sign Language (ASL) uses the one handed alphabet method ("Auslan"). There are over
300 sign languages in use all over the world and there is no single form of sign language that is
universal because each variation is unique to its specific region as any other language. Sign
language is a remarkable form of communication and

Alexander Graham Bell: American School For The Deaf
Alexander Graham Bell was a teacher in the science of speech sound and there production, a bright
inventor, financially stable and widely influential. Bell was an experienced signer although being all
of these things he still believed that speech should take precedence among all other understanding.
While the deaf community was taking amazing strides with the implementation of the American
School for the Deaf in Hartford in 1817. The culture was quickly facing a direct attack from an
individual that although was not deaf himself but, was well–versed into the culture because of his
abilities. Yes, although his extensive knowledge of the deaf culture the chapter makes it obvious that
he had alternative motives for a community he felt, "was a

History And Perceptions Of American Sign Language Essay
History and Perceptions of American Sign Language
Sign language is one most common ways for deaf individuals to communicate without using of their
voices. Different cultures and languages will typically have their own version of sign language so
signs are not always universal, just like gestures are not universal. Signs are culturally bound in
communication just like verbal languages and gestures are culturally bound. I will examine the
history of American Sign Language, as well as how it has been viewed culturally with positive and
negative social implications in the U.S.
History of American Sign Language
In order to fully understand the creation of American Sign Language (ASL), it must be understood
that it is a form of communication. That means every sign has a meaning that is culturally bound just
like languages in oral communication. That also means that the language has a distinctive origin. In
fact, ASL carries "several linguistic features that are similar to spoken languages" (Rosen, 2008)
such as the presence of homonyms and its constant evolution (Shaw & Delaporte, 2011). The unique
concept about ASL, though, is that it actually has very strong ties and connections with the French
Sign Language, also known as LFS. This connection is explained by Delaporte & Shaw (2009) and
Shaw & Delaporte (2011) as being due to how ASL was formalized in the U.S. by Thomas Hopkins
Gallaudet with the help of a deaf French professor named Laurent Clerc who used LSF. Because
"LFS

Essay on Laurent Clerc
Perhaps one of the most notable and widely known members in Deaf society is Laurent Clerc, who
was a teacher for the deaf. Born on December 26, 1785 in La Balme–les–Grottes, in southeastern
France to hearing parents, it is unknown for sure whether Clerc was born deaf or was deafened later
on in life. It is believed that Clerc became deaf at the age of one when he had fallen from his high
chair into a fire, badly burning his cheek. He developed a fever from the burn, and was later found
out to have lost his sense of smell and hearing. As far as it is known, Clerc was non–speaking and
relied on pen and paper to those who could not communicate using sign language. For the first
eleven years of his life, Clerc was not sent to school. At the ... Show more content on
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However, during the 52–day journey he made it a point to master the use of the English language.
This knowledge paired with the use of French Sign Language contributed greatly to evolution of
American sign language. Together, Clerc and Gallaudet founded the first deaf school in the United
States, what is now known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. The
school opened on April 15, 1817 with Gallaudet serving as the principal and Clerc as the head
teacher. Aside from teaching the students, Clerc was responsible to training the future teachers and
administrators of the School. He was sent to other schools throughout the United States to continue
to teach his methods to both students and prospective teachers, and his influence on teaching the
deaf spread widely throughout the United States. Though Laurent Clerc had originally planned of
staying the United States for only three years and then returning to his native France, Clerc married
a former student of his and decided to settle in the states. He did, however, return to his homeland to
visit. After 50 years of teaching for the deaf, Clerc retired from teaching in 1858. He died at the age
of 84 on July 18, 1869. The legacy of Laurent Clerc is long withstanding. As the first teacher for
deaf individuals, he pioneered a system of teaching the deaf that carries on today. Without him, the
American School for the Deaf may not have come to fruition. By offering classes in sign

Sign Language: The Deaf Education Movement
Early in human history, cavemen time, humans used simple sign language to express basic ideas.
Even when vocal communication became the mainstream form of interaction, people would still use
hand and facial gestures to enhance ideas in communication. ASL became prominent in the 1800's
thanks to Thomas Gallaudet. He wanted to help Alice Cogswell who was his neighbor's deaf
daughter, so he travelled to Europe to study how to communicate with deaf people. From there, he
met Laurent Clerc who was a deaf instructor of sign language, and the two of them returned to
America to found the first school for the deaf. From there they began to teach deaf Americans how
to learn sign language and began establishing a unique sign language in the United States. ASL was
then invented using signs from French Sign Language, as well as signs from the community in
Martha's Vineyard, and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Instead, the movement attempted to bring together several educational methods to form Total
Communication. This method became a new philosophy for deaf education. Allowing the deaf
access to information by any means, total communication can include fingerspelling, sign language,
and speech, to a wide range of different types. Another huge event in the history of sign language
was the Deaf President Now movement. The DPN movement unified deaf people of every age and
background in a collective fight to be heard. Their triumph was a testament to the fact that they don't
have to accept society's limitation on their culture. The history of sign language has an interesting
past, being the first form of communication in early man. Sign language then went on to help end
the discrimination of deaf people, and helped the deaf to become educated like their hearing peers.
This start began in France and then spread to the United States. Now worldwide, many sign
language schools and different sign languages

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet: American School For The Deaf
And finally, sign language in America. A hearing man named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet met with a
young girl named Alice Cogswell, a deaf child. Through interactions with Alice, Gallaudet
discovered his passion for teaching. Gallaudet was aware of the non–availability of resources for the
Deaf ans sought out ways to teach the deaf. Gallaudet travelled to Europe in order to learn more
about the bursting sign language communities and brought back a young Laurent Clerc, a Deaf
teacher. Clerc himself was a student of Abbe de L'Eppe and Abbe Sicard. He graduated from and
taught at the Paris School for the Deaf until his trip to America. Clerc and Gallaudet co–founded the
American School for the Deaf in Connecticut. The American School for the Deaf, est. 1817, was the
first school for the Deaf in America, and used a mixture of French Sign Language and Martha's
Vineyard Sign Language. The graduates of this school often went on to become teachers and
established other schools for the Deaf all over America. Later, in 1864, a college for the Deaf would
also be established in Washington D.C. It was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, he was also a teacher for the Deaf. He was a staunch believer in oralism and speech,
despite both his mother and wife being deaf. Bell taught at many schools for the deaf, and spread his
philosophy all over the country that Deaf people must be taugh to speak. Bell also strongly opposed
intermarriage among congenitally deaf people, fearing the contamination of the human race by the
propagation of deaf people, even though most deaf people are born to hearing parents. His ultimate
goal was to prevent the creation of a Deaf race. Although he largely setback some progress made by
Gallaudet and Clerc, Bell did manage to desegregate education and facilitated communication
between deaf and hearing persons. However, he was still an incredibly hypocritical and had a very
dark

Deaf Education Research Paper
The story of education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children in America dates back to 1817, when
the first school for the Deaf was established in Connecticut. It was called the American Asylum for
the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, known today as the American School for the Deaf, and it
taught its pupils academic material as well as occupational training. In the period of time that
followed, known as the "Golden Age" for American Deaf people, sign language was widely used,
and all subjects, including written English, were taught through sign and often by Deaf teachers.
Unfortunately, this period of time was short–lived, and by the end of the 1800s, spoken language
was seen by the mainstream education community as superior and it was implemented into the
curriculum after an infamous conference known as the International Congress of Milan of 1880. At
this meeting, it was confirmed that spoken language would dominate Deaf education, and the use of
sign language would be outlawed; this decision would change the learning experience of Deaf
children forever. The conference was unfairly filled with "Pure–Oralists," with only one Deaf voter
out of 164 participants, deciding the fate of children for years to come. After "hearing educators
decided what was best for deaf people," the education system shifted completely (Leigh 17). Deaf
teachers were nowhere to be found, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The traditional setup, and the most favored by many in the Deaf community, is state or center
residential schools. Students can live on–campus at all ages, giving them access to their culture and
language at all times, as well as providing them with Deaf role models and allies. They have direct
access to academic content through teachers, not through interpreters or spoken English alone, and
they are able to learn in an environment that was established specifically for them, where Deaf is the
norm and not the

Deaf Americans: Community and Culture
An average of 90% of all babies born deaf or with some type of hearing loss are born to hearing
parents. Deafness can be caused by a variety of things both genetic and environmental. Upon
learning their child is deaf, most hearing families try to find ways to fix what they feel is a defect.
However, deaf families rejoice in their child's deafness because now they have another person to
strengthen the deaf community and carry on the American Deaf culture.
There are approximately 35 million people in the United States who are considered deaf or hard of
hearing (Culture and Empowerment in the Deaf Community). The majority of these deaf people
struggle in the hearing world until they can find a connection to their deafness. They constantly ...
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In hearing, it shows support for the deaf without the desire to "help" the deaf, but rather to empower
them to do things for and by themselves.
The majority of deaf people do not see themselves as disabled, as hearing people are likely to.
Rather, deaf people embrace their deafness as an integral part of who they are. The increasing use of
hearing aids and cochlear implants are a concern to the deaf because it continually focuses on seeing
deafness as a negative.
It should be noted not all deaf agree with the values of the Deaf culture. These deaf are often
referred to as "Heafies". Heafies is a derogatory name given to a deaf person who sees deaf people
as inferior to hearing people and aligns himself with hearing values rather than the deaf values.
These deaf individuals are not part of the community or culture and often choose to communicate
through various techniques using English word order or oral communication.
The use of ASL is extremely important to the deaf community and to Deaf culture. Although fluency
is always desired, the willingness to learn and communicate in ASL goes a long way in being
accepted. A skilled signer who does not have the right attitude will be seen in a less appealing light
than a struggling signer with a true heart for the deaf.
Another interesting difference in the Deaf culture is the collectivist ideology. Deaf people, as a
whole, are

Understanding Deaf And American Sign Language
While attending high school, I was seeking a foreign language to take. I had learned Spanish at a
young age from my family, my two choices were French and American Sign Language, if you read
the title of this paper you can safely assume that I chose the alternative. American Sign Language
intrigued me at a young age when my father gave me a sign language book that illustrated some
simple terms, ever since then it had always been a desire of mine to learn American Sign Language.
With that being said, when I first started sign language class in high school the teacher made it the
classes' primary objective to understand the history of deaf culture. I soon learned that
understanding deaf culture is essential in being able to effectively ... Show more content on
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Most often culturally deaf are either raised by a family with a deaf presence or they lost the hearing
early on and were exposed to the culture. On the other end of the spectrum, usually deaf individuals
that don't identify with the deaf culture typically have lost their hearing later in life or have been
raised by a family that does not know American Sign Language. According to a study out of
Gallaudet "across all age groups, approximately 600,000 people in the United States (0.22% of the
population, or 2.2 per 1,000) are deaf" (Cole, "Gallaudet University"). What data is more difficult to
retrieve is the amount of culturally deaf people there are in the United States, and how many are just
simply deaf, this is because there are clear variances between the two that you would may not be
able to experience when communicating with a deaf individual in American Sign Language, let
alone conduct a study on with essential data.
Now that it has been clearly established that there is deaf culture, lets discuss why deaf people are a
minority group worthy of further research and to be the epicenter of a project like this one. Deaf
individuals are singled out every day for not being able to communicate in the manner that the
majority of people do, though even within deaf communities there are very diverse groups. As
pointed out by Author Padden and Humphries:
"Even within the population of Deaf people who use ASL, not surprisingly, there is

Deaf Culture Research Paper
How much do teachers know about Deaf Culture? The purpose of this paper is to explain what deaf
culture is and to show what teachers really know about this subject. This topic was selected to make
teachers aware of the different cultures inside of America. It is also that teachers are made aware of
the culture so they can learn more about that subject. When doing interviews I asked what questions
the teachers had on the subject. The questions varied from, "What life is like? How to compensate?
What can a school do to assist?", "What tools are there to help the students learn better", and "Can
they hear anything at all? Is it better for me to face them directly to read my lips? Will someone
assist them in communicating since I don't know sign language?". During the time of my research I
have tried to answer these questions to the best of my abilities. A culture can be defined as a system
of shared values, beliefs, behaviors and artefacts. When it comes to Deaf Culture they are made up
of their own social norms, views, values, historic figures, art and the forces that are acting upon
identity formation (Hamill & Stein, 2011). Throughout history the United States being Deaf has
been labeled as a disability. As well as the Deaf community as a whole making up a cultural
minority. But a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Deaf students want to be accepted and not looked upon as impaired in any way and deafness is an
invisible or hidden disability so it may often cause the Deaf student to be upset as they are learning
who they are and why others see them differently. There are two views of deafness– the deaf, who
believe that they are capable of being fixed, perhaps through Cochlear Implants and intense speech
lessons that will help them fit into the "Hearing World" or the Deaf who embrace their lack of
hearing and the culture that is part of the "Deaf World". They feel that they are fine the way they

Through Deaf Eyes Documentary Analysis
While watching the PBS documentary called Through Deaf Eyes, the part that interested me the
most was the deaf schools. Deaf Schools now range all around the United States. They are
interesting to me because they are different than a public or private school you see everyday. They
also interest me because I would like to know more about them than what the video talks about. The
three topics that interested me the most about deaf schools was how they started, how today's deaf
schools are, and what is different about deaf schools. The beginning of deaf schools is part of my
interest in deaf schools. The first permanent school for deaf children in America was opened in
Hartford, Connecticut in 1817. In the beginning he started out with only seven students and head
teacher from France named Laurent Clerc. Laurent Clerc was also the one who brought French sign
language. The school was later called American School for the Deaf or ASD. American Sign
Language developed from French sign language, blended with some signs already used by students
at the Connecticut school for the deaf. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Now there are around thirty eight states that have residential schools for the deaf. A residential
school is an institution where students typically go and live full time while attending. There are also
many more residential schools and other schools around the United States. In the late 1860s oral
schools for deaf children and the schools did not sign and forbade using it. They began speech
training and lip reading and that is the oral method of education. This idea divided educators of deaf
children then, and still does today. Schools started changing to the oral method and would not use
sign language in the classroom

Alexander Graham Bell's 'Through Deaf Eyes'
After watching Through Deaf Eyes I learned many things about how the deaf were treated
throughout American history. From being isolated from each other and discriminated against and
teaching them to use their voices and read lips instead of signing. I also learned that not all deaf
people use American Sign Language. Some use hearing aids, or cochlear implants. Also some use
other types of sign language like French Sign Language or Spanish Sign Language.
Most states had a school for the deaf. I was surprised to learn that many of those deaf schools had
completely banned American Sign Language. The reason for this was because of Alexander Graham
Bell. He was against sign language and taught the oralist method. He thought a world without
signing

Summary : ' American Sign Language '
Harmony Kelly
Mrs. Barbara Carr
American Sign Language 1
20 October 2015
Alice Cogswell What would you do if you were Deaf and living in America during the early 1800's
and before? Think of how hard it would be to learn when the teachers in the classroom would talk
out loud and you couldn't hear what they were saying. It was very difficult for Deaf students who
lived before the 1800's to get any education. Rich people would send their children across the ocean
to Europe where they could attend the Braidwood Academy in Great Britain among other great
schools for the Deaf. The many who couldn't afford it just had to live in silence looking on from the
outside. One of the problems besides having trouble getting an education, was that many people
misunderstood Deafness. Many people believed that because Deaf people couldn't hear and usually
couldn't speak, that they also couldn't think intelligently or reason. Some believed that Deafness was
a curse for bad behavior. One young Deaf girl by the name of Alice Cogswell helped to change that
thwarted thinking. She motivated and inspired Thomas Gallaudet to study education for Deaf people
and then later open the 1st school for the Deaf in America.
In Hartford Connecticut on August 31 1805, Alice Cogswell was born. She was a bright little girl
and very intelligent. When she was two years old, she had a severe bout of "spotted fever" which is
thought to have been a form of meningitis. Because of that illness, Alice lost her hearing

American Sign Language And Deafness Essay
American Sign Language and Deafness in American Culture Deafness has been an obstacle
thousands of people have had to overcome since the dawn of time. Even in the not so distant past,
the future was typically very bleak for individuals who were born or became deaf. However, the
future of an individual who is Deaf has become much brighter due to the development of American
Sign Language. As the name describes, this language relies solely on visible movements and facial
expressions with no auditory expression needed.
American Sign Language, often abbreviated ASL, is as complex and complete as any vocal
language and is complete with its own sentence structure pattern. ASL is often the language of
choice for deaf individuals living in the United States. As reported by the National Census of the
Deaf Population, there are nearly half a million people who use sign language as their predominant
language. The majority of deaf people were originally born hearing. Although people can be born
deaf, many become deaf due to an accident, illness, or old age. A deaf individual can sometimes
continue through life relying solely on an auditory language with the help of hearing aids and other
assistance. However, when students learn ASL they also discover the deaf community and the rich
vibrant culture that accompanies it. Many communities with large percentages of deaf individuals
have very close deaf communities where all the individuals know each other and can meet up

Chloe Ziff . Professor Gary Rosenblatt. April 13, 2017.
Chloe Ziff
Professor Gary Rosenblatt
April 13, 2017
American Sign Language II
Seeing Voices
By Oliver Sacks
Seeing Voices is a profound novel that was written by famous neurologist, Oliver Sacks in 1989.
Seeing Voices is a book that delves into the history of Sign Language and expresses a genuine
meaning behind what language truly is. Oliver Sacks is an engaging and fascinating writer. Being
able to explore outside what he is used to, he can expand his knowledge about language. Being
knowledgeable on psychiatry can help him get a better understanding of cognitive ability in the deaf
community and the importance of why keeping Sign Language away from Deaf children is not
beneficial for them in the hearing world. Like many of his books, ... Show more content on
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The language of the Deaf is usually consistent with the environment the language is being spoken
in. For example, the signs that one can encounter in British Sign Language can be different than
signs that are seen in American Sign Language. Although Sign Language itself is very universal, the
specific patterns and methods of speaking that are associated with each kind of Deaf Community
can be drastically different.
Sacks himself was not deaf, but it was an exciting experience for him to dive into a community he
was not familiar with. The second part of the book, Sacks goes into detail about the importance of
Sign Language itself and discusses the situation in which he meets a young Deaf boy named Joseph.
When reading this book, I completely understood and agreed with Sacks when he stated that deaf
children must learn a language at a young age to be successful. With that being said, Oliver Saks
researched American Sign Language, and as a result, he ultimately decided that the Critical Period
Hypothesis is extremely important when discussing the Deaf community. This theory states that
there is a critical age at which people should learn a language, or they will forever be unable to
express themselves with little to no education in language. Sacks show that by keeping Sign
Language away from Deaf children is ultimately hurting them rather than helping. Forcing deaf
children at a young age to speak and not use Sign Language as their first language is

Gallaudet
Sign language in the United States started out with each area having there own form of sign
language specific to that area. What is known as American sign language today was developed by
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet started to develop ASL after he visited his family in 1814 and
met Alice Cogswell, a young deaf girl who his siblings had left out. Gallaudet started to teach
Cogswell written words for things such as the word hat. After that Alice's father, Mason Cogswell
wanted Gallaudet to continue to teach Alice so he paid for Gallaudet to go to Europe to learn how
deaf children were taught there. While in Europe he met Laurent Clerc, a graduate of the Institut
Royal des Sourds–Muets in Paris. Clerc eventually came back to United States ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Gallaudet was founded in 1867 in Washington DC. The first superintendent of the school was
Edward Gallaudet who is the youngest son of Thomas Gallaudet. Eventually an elementary school
and a middle school were founded on the Gallaudet campus in 1969 to provide early education to
the deaf community. The founding of Gallaudet and the American School for the Deaf has given
Many new opportunities to the deaf community. The major thing that founding these schools has
done is created American Sign Language. The creation of American Sign Language has made it so
that there is a single uniform language for the deaf community across the the United States and
Canada. The schools also have allowed people in the deaf community to have access to the same
opportunities as members of the hearing community have access to. The founding of the schools
also has brought awareness to the deaf community and deaf culture. A major deaf movement is the
deaf president now movement. The deaf President now movement,The deaf Prsident Now
movement was pushing for the which was a movement that was pushing for Gallaudet University to
have its first deaf president. Eventually That lead to the the appointing of the first deaf president, Dr.
I. King Jordan. Now the deaf president now movement represents to most of the deaf community
being

Sign Language In The Deaf Community
What is Sign Language? Sign language is beneficial for both deaf recipients and families of those
who have a family member who is deaf. Sign language can be a useful tool to have in your back
pocket because communities now have increased in number with the amount of people who have
lack of hearing. Sign language can be combined in a daily conversation by using hands and spoken
words to help clarify what is being said. Sign language goes way back in time when it first got
discovered in the 1800 by an educator, which led to grand openings of schools specifically for deaf
students. Sign language is a type of communication that is used with hand, body and facial
expressions. Spoken language can be used with words because we can hear our surroundings and
what is being told to us to become educated. On the other hand, the deaf community cannot hear
their surroundings or the spoken language. Therefore, the deaf community has an alphabet that is
made of many signs used by their hands. Some words can be used to demonstrate one to two words
at a time to communicate their wants and needs of the recipient. Sign language is not universal
therefore you couldn't go to another country ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Therefore, the American School for the Deaf became the place where the deaf school system came
about in America. During the opening of this school caused growth in places across the United
States for the deaf community. In the same way, South Carolina had a huge population of the deaf in
all over which was established by Reverend Newtown P. Walker in late 1840's. The school is in the
upper state of South Carolina called Spartanburg Deaf and Blind. This school was specialized for
both the deaf and later the blind students who lived locally. Furthermore, Spartanburg Deaf and
Blind school does just reach out to their own students that attend but also state

Sign Language Research Paper
Around this same period in Europe, there were hearing people that began to be fascinated with the
ability that Deaf people could communicate with each other using their own home signs. With this
same fascination in America lived a man named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. He met a girl named
Alice Cogswell, who was Deaf and was able to teach her a few words. According to Gallaudet
University's website it says that he not knowing sign language, Thomas attempted to communicate
with Alice by pointing to his hat and writing H–A–T in the dirt. She understood him and he was
inspired to teach her more (Gallaudet University). Thomas decided that to further his understanding
of sign language, he would benefit by traveling to Europe to learn from educators there about how to
educate people who were Deaf. There he found a man named Abe Sicard who was the director for
the school for the Deaf in Paris. Another pupil who worked along side Sicard was Laurent Clerc.
After some time acquiring French Sign Language, Thomas was able to persuade Laurent to come
with him to America to build a school for the Deaf. This school broke ground in Hartford,
Connecticut. Students who were Deaf, who previously used various forms of sign language, began
attending the same school. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
These students were now able to learn together by using a visual language apart from not only
gestures. In a book called, "Forbidden Signs: American Culture and the Campaign Against Sign
Language" the author gives details about how the students new found culture and said that those
from small towns and the country side–met other deaf people for the first time and learned, also for
the first time how to communicate beyond the level of pantomime and gesture. (Baynton, 1996).
This exciting change brought members of the Deaf community together and they began to be
hopeful for a bright futures in

The Benefits Of Sign Language
Sounds are vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they
reach a person's or animal's ear. Some people are unable to hear these vibrations, they are either deaf
or hard of hearing. Sign Language is the use of facial expressions, fingerspelling, and gestures that
represent whole phrases or words used to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing people used to
communicate with deaf and hard of hearing citizens (lifeprint). All schools should teach sign
language as a foreign language.
Sign Language is the use of facial expressions, fingerspelling, and gestures that represent whole
phrases or words used to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing people used to communicate
with deaf and hard of hearing citizens. While many languages are "dying off," American Sign
Language is growing in use every day, as of 1972, it's used by 250,000 to 500,000 people in the
United States. Sign language is widely used to communicate with infants. Studies show that learning
Baby Sign Language has many developmental benefits including speaking earlier, having a larger
vocabulary, a +12 point IQ advantage over peers, as well as the ability to achieve better grades in
school. Being bilingual is useful in many jobs and careers such as social service agencies, mental
health clinics, government institutions, hospitals and clinics, hearing and speech agencies, and in
public and private schools. Some believe that teaching sign language in schools is unnecessary

Deaf Culture History Essay
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which
includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video
"Through Deaf Eyes," there are thirty–five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey
& et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty–five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf.
There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have
hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate
and significant level with hearing people all their lives. "Deaf people can be found in every ethnic
group, every region, and every economic class." The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Clec was from the Paris Institution for the Deaf and had been deaf since infancy. He bought to the
United States a nonverbal form of communication known as French sign language. The technique
that Clerc taught was by the use of his hands, which he communicated with French sign language,
blended with a bit of signs used by students in the United States. To Gallaudet the language was a
inspiration which he called it, "Highly poetical," but to Clerc and many of the deaf people, the using
of sign was natural and useful. This was a result of a created acculturated nonverbal language known
as American Sign Language (ASL). As new schools for the deaf spread west and south, American
sign language also evolved as well in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio,
Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois. By the year of 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a law
constituting the first college in the world for deaf students called Gallaudet University and all these
schools used sign as a curriculum. By April of 1871, a Scottish immigrant named, Alexander
Graham Bell (founder of the telephone), laid a foundation for teaching deaf children in Boston. Bell
had a deaf mother and wife, and was always involved with the Deaf community. According to
Baynton, "Bell thought that signing prevented deaf people from learning to speak, so he was against
deaf people using sign, their natural language." Bell also had

Deaf Persuasive Speech
Take a second, close your eyes, and imagine silence. Nothing is going on around you; you can't even
hear a pin drop. Not a sound to be heard for miles. You open your eyes expecting the world to come
to life, and everything to breath wavelengths into your ears, but instead, you are met with an ocean
of nothingness. People hustle about you, yelling at you to move out of their way, but still... nothing.
This is the reality of a deaf person's world. Every day they wake up to this, and nothing more. When
out in public, they must learn to communicate, to fend for themselves while the hearing go on with
their lives as normal. We don't even realize how blessed we are as a hearing person, until it's gone.
One way to dissolve this issue is by offering ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Although it is possible for deaf children to attend public schools and succeed, research suggests that
it is best for them to have their own environment, says Meagan McDonough. It is already hard
enough for a hearing student to find his/her place in the classroom, but when you add being deaf to
the list, a major challenge presents itself. This deaf student must work extra hard to keep up and be
able to read the lips of his/her teachers and fellow peers, and learn to communicate. Even though
accommodations are made and sometimes interpreters are given, it is hard for the student to feel
welcome. If this student were to attend a deaf school, he/she would not have to work so hard and
would find it much easier to communicate and socialize – both of which are major focuses in a high
school student's life. In Meagan McDonough's article "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Public
Schools", she states that public schools might not be best for deaf students, but if they start out in a
deaf school and eventually integrate into a hearing school, they will be better off and be able to keep
up. I agree with her in that it is good for a child to at least start his/her education in a deaf school so
that the base of their foundation is laid by something they can understand. If later they feel
comfortable trying out a public school, they may do so and will find it easier to be and feel included.
However, if ASL was to be offered in all public schools and colleges, it would give hearing students
the chance to be able to communicate and be more comfortable with deaf

Oralism In The Early 20th Century
In France, the United States, and some other countries, instruction and communication were carried
out in various sign languages, while in Britain, Germany, and elsewhere in northern Europe oralism
(speech and lipreading) dominated. These schools' graduates formed local and national deaf
communities. For example, deaf Swedes founded the Stockholm Deaf Club in 1868. In the mid 19th
century school alumni in the United States, who communicated in the American Sign Language
(ASL) they had developed, established newspapers, churches, and social clubs. During the late 19th
and early 20th centuries an aggressive oralist movement challenged sign languages everywhere.
Resisting oralism, the American deaf community formed state political associations and, in 1880,
founded the National Association of the Deaf. Deaf advocates fought the revamping of education
and defended ASL.

Deaf Culture Essay
Deaf Culture in America
CAPSTONE PROJECT
By Heather Velez
Liberal Arts Capstone
LIB–495–OL010
Dr. David Weischadle
April 19,2013
Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? There are
three sub–questions that will assist in answering the major question: (1) What constitutes Deaf
culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the
major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? With these questions answer, it will
give a better understanding as to what Deaf culture is and that it is indeed a culture.
The methodology of my research is based off of internet, books, and a survey. My methodology of
this paper is clear and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
There are also questions that arise such as, what constitutes Deaf culture? There are two other
questions that are very important into explaining the importance of Deaf culture, which is, how has
ASL (American Sign Language) impacted the Deaf community and what are the major issues that
are being addressed in Deaf culture today? This topic is very important to me because I was raised
in the Deaf culture. My entire family is Deaf and have faced many of these questions that hearing
people are unaware about. I feel that it is my job to educate when I have the chance to do so. By
being able to educate at least one person, I have done my job. I do not think there is enough
information out there to reach everyone's awareness of Deaf culture. While investigating this topic I
will be trying to ask at least 30–50 people; Deaf and hearing, about what they think Deaf culture is. I
am very curious as to how many understand Deaf culture and how many Deaf people actually know
what Deaf culture is. Deaf culture has been suppressed for many years that even the Deaf people
might not know what really makes up Deaf culture. I also what to get the Deaf people's take on what
they think are the major issues that are being dealt with today and also how they think ASL has
impacted their communities (History). I know that everyone will have a different take on these two
questions and it is always interesting to see the different answers. I

Accepting American Sign Language In The Classroom
Throughout the world, many people are unable to communicate with each other due to the language
barrier between them. When doing business or talking with people from other countries, most need
an interpreter or translator of the certain language in order to understand each other. A language
barrier is an obstacle within the United States of America as well between the deaf and hearing
impaired and the hearing people. Most people do not know American Sign Language (ASL) and are
not given the opportunity to learn Sign Language while in school. More colleges are starting to offer
American Sign Language classes, but several elementary and secondary education level schools are
not offering it to the students. Instead, they are offering languages ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
There are many uses of Sign Language in the classroom besides just speaking with it. ASL can be
used to manage students' behavior in the classroom and keep students actively engaged in lessons
being taught. It also helps students on an academic level by helping them in literacy development of
phonics, reading, and spelling. It aids students with speech and language development issues. Sign
language promotes students' communications and interactions with each other as well. According to
Andrea Simpson, a pediatric audiologist and speech and language pathologist, declares, "Studies
have shown that students who learn Sign Language for specific sight words learn to read at a faster
rate." Incorporating Sign Language in the classroom can have beneficial aspects to the students'
education and skills. When students are able to pair words with Sign Language, it creates a mental
picture in their brain and they are able to recall the words better. They are also using muscle memory
to remember the word better because the children are using more senses. Simpson declares,
"Children learn faster when they can hear, see, and feel the words they are learning." The more
senses the students use, the more ways of remembering the material. Dale Gross, who has studied
Sign Language and the benefits of learning it, declares, "Children who have learned American Sign
Language at a young age average a higher IQ of 8–13 points." Sign language is a way to keep the
students excited to learn and engaged in the lesson being taught. Barbara Cooper, who writes for the
Reading Teacher which is a peer reviewed journal and has researched this topic immensely and is
well informed on the information she wrote about, discovers, "I have found that incorporating Sign
Language in a diverse curriculum

The National Deaf Education Project
The National Deaf Education Project was founded in 1998 by Lawrence Siegel. Lawrence M. Siegel
has been an advocate and attorney for special education cases beginning in 1979 (National Deaf
Education Project). He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of California at
Berkeley (National Deaf Education Project). He has strong beliefs regarding the Deaf community
and culture and the Deaf's rights and liberties as Americans. Specifically, he believes that
communication and language is a right for human beings and should become a necessity for
learning. He established the NDEP to become the model and articulate a plan for communication in
the educational setting for deaf and hard of hearing students in the United States (National Deaf
Education Project). The board of the NDEP consists of representatives of Gallaudet University and
collaborators of the project of the American Society for Deaf Children, the Conference of
Educational Administrators of Schools for the Deaf, the Convention of American Instructors of the
Deaf, Gallaudet University, and the National Association of the Deaf (Gallaudet). This organization
continues to aid in reforming the communication systems for the deaf and hard of hearing in public
educational systems. Lawrence Siegel has succeeded in an abundance of fiets for deaf and hard of
hearing educational rights. The National Deaf Education Project has been succeeding in cases and
court by fighting for deaf educational rights since 1998 until

Deaf Camp
The summer of 2015, I went on a deaf camp titled T.I. Deaf Camp. Short for Teen Insitue Deaf
Camp. Now because i'm hard of hearing but I stand out as a deaf person, friends came naturally,
almost as if you was the hottest thing in Cosmo magazine. In other words myself and others was
noticed instantly. Now also I realized that we had some kids who was only partially deaf (not full
deaf) and they had hearing aids on and everything but also they didn't know American Sign
Language, it was so different and weird to work with them and during special events such as team
basketball, volleyball or even during scavenger hunts etc. Both kids who could sign and couldn't
were very distance from each other. I didn't know the answer to this conflict, so myself ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Deaf Culture is a true culture just like any other. It has a language, beliefs, rules for behavior,
traditions, and everything else every other culture has. However, without sign language, there would
be no Deaf Culture. Sign language is the language that ties the culture together. And having a Deaf
culture has significantly impacted the lives of deaf people throughout history. With Deaf culture,
deaf people have a group they can identify with, a place where they are comfortable and just like
everyone else, one where they can have role models, real friends, and join sports

Deaf People In The 1800s
Americans have little understanding what it's like to be deaf. Deaf people can be found in every
ethnic group, region, and even economic class. Deafness can be hereditary, or even be caused by
accident. What matters is the person get's the education they need in order to survive a society that is
dominated by hearing. In the 1800, hearing people seen deafness as a horrendous thing. They were
isolated in rural areas away from other deaf people and could barely communicate, because of lack
of education in sign language they had no idea what they could do. As well as deaf parents having
deaf kids they had no idea what their children could achieve without proper education. Hearing
people believed deaf people couldn't be educated at all.
Deaf education ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
So George W. Verditz the 7th president of the NAD prepared for battle. He was not ashamed of who
he was, and he was one of the very best presidents they had. After 2 years of protest Theodore
Roosevelt repealed the guidelines, and deaf people finally got the right to work for the government.
Deaf culture is culture like any other. Deaf people share a language, rules for behavior, values, and
traditions. The way the Deaf culture is living today is a direct result of the Deaf history that
preceded it. Deaf history greatly affects how deaf people live their lives today. And not only do deaf
people have a history, they have a culture.
One that many do not understand nor knew existed, but through much education, deafness became
their culture.Members of the Deaf culture do not see themselves as disabled, and resent any
discrimination or inference that they are disadvantaged. They have a physiological difference, but
don't see that as anything negative or that should be changed. To them it would be no different than
being born with blue eyes rather than brown. This positive attitude towards being deaf and the
importance of sign language as a device for cultural unity are perhaps the most identifiable social
belief of the

Deaf Education During The 1900's
The rich history of American Deaf culture in conjunction withlanguage displays the determination
along with the brilliance of these people. Though the hearing world had called them sin, denounced
them as dumb, these people rose up against their oppressors, making a new world for themselves.
Deaf people have always existed, as did discrimination towards deaf people. As far back as 384–322
BCE, people had been saying that deaf people could not learn. Due to Deaf people being seen as
inferior, we hardly have any documented history on them before the early 1500's. Patient parents of
Deaf children needed to have a way to communicate with their young, through this need the rise of
Deaf education began. Geronimo Cardano, a mathematician, created ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Jane Fernandes's appointment as President Gallaudet University, leaving the auditorium with plans
of protest. For the second time in Gallaudet's history, students march their way to the front gates,
refusing to leave. Students rallied, inducing the resignation of Celia May Baldwin. These events
were 11 years ago, showing that Deaf people still feel oppressed. What happened at Gallaudet
rippled across the globe, causing an uprising in Mississippi School for the Deaf. Though there are
many improvements in America, we all still have a very long way to go for advocacy of both deaf
and disabled

Essay about Discrimination Against the Deaf Culture
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which
includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online
transcript,"Through Deaf Eyes" (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are
thirty–five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty–five million an estimated
300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing
parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the
exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing
people all their lives. "Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
According to an online journal by Carla A. Halpern, in 1817, a Connecticut clergyman named
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, opened the first permanent school for the deaf in Hartford (Halpern, C.,
1996). This deaf school was for American children which only had seven students and a head
teacher by the name of Laurent Clerc. Clec was from the Paris Institution for the Deaf and had been
deaf since infancy. He bought to the United States a nonverbal form of communication known as
French sign language (Halpern, C., 1996). The technique that Clerc taught was by the use of his
hands, which he communicated with French sign language, blended with a bit of signs used by
students in the United States. To Gallaudet the language was a inspiration which he called it,
"Highly poetical" (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007), but to Clerc and many of
the deaf people, the using of sign was natural and useful. This was a result of a created acculturated
nonverbal language known as American Sign Language (ASL). As new schools for the deaf spread
west and south, American sign language also evolved as well in the states of New York,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois. By the year of 1864, Abraham
Lincoln signed a law constituting the first college in the world for deaf students called Gallaudet
University and all these schools used sign as a curriculum (Weta and Florentine

Deaf Culture
Deaf Culture
In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged
to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people."
(rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as
hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for
overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real"
communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip–read and we applaud deaf people who
use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this
climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
ASL also avoids one of the biggest scourges of English: the pronoun problem, the tendency of
English speakers to use "he" as a generic singular pronoun representing any unknown person, male
or female. However, once a person is mentioned in an ASL conversation, she is given a location in
space which represents her for the remainder of the conversation. Different ways of pointing to this
location can indicate the number of people who occupy it, and their role in the conversation but not
their sex. (aslinfo.com)
Because about 90% of Deaf people are born to hearing parents, they absorb their culture from their
peers, not their families. Most Deaf children who attend residential schools for the deaf pick up ASL
from their classmates. Because of this source of cultural identity, one of the first questions Deaf
people ask upon meeting each other is where they went to school and who their teachers were. In
this way, the Deaf community can become very close–knit, as each member becomes familiar with
residential schools in various regions of the country. Deaf culture also places a great deal of
emphasis on physical contact. Hugging is far more common than shaking hands, especially when
parting. Deaf good–byes are unusually drawn out and even in passing not taking time to chat for a
few minutes is considered rude. The Deaf community easily becomes a second family to many
people whose own families are hearing. Like many minority

What Is The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing?
Our world is made up of billions of people, all roaming the earth together. Each individual is unique
in their own way; each with their own story to tell. They all come from different ethnic groups,
speak different languages, and follow different religions. This uniqueness of an individual can be
classified as culture. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language;
Culture is defined as the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions,
and all other products of human work and thought. (Harcourt, 2015) A culture group that is often
misunderstood, or entirely forgotten is the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Looking closely at this group
one can see that though members come from diverse backgrounds, the bond of being deaf as well as
the individuality of their own language, American Sign Language, helps create their own enriched
culture and community.
Additional culture can be seen as various groups of people who develop distinctive ways of
describing, valuing and behaving in the world. (Smith, Lentz, & Mikos, 2008) The Deaf culture
consist of Deaf people who are normal everyday people just like you and me, who perceive
themselves as members of a linguistic minority group. Many Deaf people see themselves as
members of a cultural entity and therefore reject the notion that they are disabled. For them they are
normal in every sense expect for the minor inconvenience of being unable to hear. (Holcomb, 2013)
As a member of the

The Importance Of Deaf Culture
It is quite a task to identify oneself within a "culture" due to the unique social, behavioral, and
physical traits each culture represents themselves with. As I began learning about the hallmarks of
Deaf culture such as "language, heritage art and history", I began wondering about how the
historical significance of each one impacted the modern choices of Deaf individuals (Holcomb 17).
Our textbook Introduction to American Deaf Culture makes references to how important American
Sign Language is to define the Deaf community which leaves me wondering how strong the
foundation of Deaf culture would be if based on heritage rather than on language. Being Jewish I
never learned Hebrew but knew all the prayers, values, and traditions to feel ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Language never played in a role in how people viewed me as a Jewish youth nor did people believe
I was not culturally experienced because I could not hold a conversation in a certain language. The
Jewish people went through oppression both in the stories I grew up learning as well as historical
events like the Holocaust which emotionally changed the lives of the Jewish population to this day
and for years to come. The point of my experience as a Jewish individual is to lay the idea of how I
grew up feeling appreciated by my population without a language and how the community I grew up
with experienced oppression much as the Deaf community faced and show how the events we
endured made our culture stronger in the long run. I believe that much like the Jewish people, Deaf
people show the same pride in their community because of the oppression they faced and how the
pride they feel is attributed more to their history than to language.
When thinking about the historical impact against the Deaf community, the primary instance that
arises in my head is the oralist movement which was supported by hearing people like Alexander
Graham Bell. Many people opposed the idea of "Deaf Culture" and wanted to move Deaf children
away from traditional ASL by teaching lip reading and speech to children instead of allowing them
to use ASL in schools. While many could argue that this example proves

Deaf Culture Research Paper
I have always been very interested in the Deaf community and their culture. Some people think
there is no culture different form everyone else with deaf people. I have had the opportunity to have
a deaf child in my class and my daughter is medically known has hard of hearing. I got to see and
experience how sign language and children experience with the community around them. I chose the
Deaf Culture because I have always been interested in the Deaf culture after my daughter was on the
edge of losing her hearing. I started to learn about it a little from other specialist. I always wanted to
know more. I know this is a great way to do some research on the group. I will be having a student
who wears ear implants to hear and she is learning American Sign Language. I have found some
awesome labels for the classroom but I want to know more. I guess as a teacher we always want to
know more. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Deaf community share a common history, values, morals and experiences as some other
cultures. Deaf individuals come from diverse backgrounds. Deaf culture focuses on the stimulation
of the eyes and the enhanced visual perceptiveness of Deaf individuals. This has resulted in a great
history of rich American Sign Language (literature and storytelling. The oral tradition of storytelling
has allowed members of the Deaf community to pass down the histories of great Deaf men and
women, providing for Deaf children access to role models that enable them to feel rooted in history,
while also giving them mentors with common experiences. Most Deaf people are born within an
existing cultural group where traditions are past down for generation to generation. Majority of deaf
children are born to hearing

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