The Deaf Edge

Several things to add to my previous post here. First, Jill Bradbury left a comment mentioning that if it was not for Academic Technology, the webcast would not have been possible.

So, to Academic Technology, thank you as well! (Cindy King, Earl Parks, Jim Dellon, and many others!)

Secondly, it was clarified that Dr. Moore is deaf, and most likely he was referring to the provost office as whole when he was discussing the VP situation. I should’ve thought of that in the first place. Oops. Like everyone else, I hope that everyone at Gallaudet receives a VP as soon as possible! That definitely will improve in opening up the lines of communication further.

There were some comments made at the conference that I forgot to write about also. Chris Heuer asked about libel, and whether it was libel to falsely accuse a group, and Shane answered that it was not technically libel.

I would like to add to what Shane said. I’m not an attorney, but yeah, it’s not libel. It’s stereotyping. You see it all the time with other minorities. For instance take this statement: ‘Black people all are uneducated thieves.’

Obviously, that is untrue. Black people are not uneducated thieves.

But what is different between the deaf community and other minorities is that usually an organization like the NAACP will send out a press release denouncing that kind of remarks. You also see various community leaders remarking to the media that those statements are wholly unappropriate and discriminatory.

That is where NAD and all of us need to step up. NAD needs to send out press releases denouncing those remarks every time it happens. And we need our leaders to write an op-ed denouncing it. We need the community members to send in letters to the editor denouncing it. We need the bloggers denouncing it.

It is my hope to see that happen from now on.

A couple of ideas that I would like to mention here: I agree with various people’s remarks that we need a source of unbiased, neutral information regarding significant issues that impact the community. I’m glad to see there is finally discourse on impartiality and ethics on presenting information to the community. This was one of my main gripes since May. The information I often received was not impartial.

So, I suggest that we have an aggregate mass media feeder that will display every and single article with the word deaf mentioned in it. That way, we can stay on top of things. We can read the article and judge for ourselves whether it’s worth responding to or not.

Secondly, I would like to see a central, moderated forum where we all can come together to discuss those ideas. The blogs are scattered all over the blogosphere.

Imagine one forum where we had A-list bloggers such as Jamie Berke, Mike McConnell, Shane Feldman, Allison and Chris Kaftan, David Evans, and so many others on it? Imagine how powerful we could become from coming all together and sharing our ideas about a particular issue. Imagine how many people would learn from those people’s input.

Because like it was said at the conference, basically, the world is watching us. They’re not just watching Gallaudet. They’re watching us.

I could not attend the conference because I’m a broke college student who has no job. So, I settled for watching the conference over the webcast, and I must say that I found myself wanting to be there in person so I could make comments and respond to some of the questions! It didn’t feel like I was sitting there for hours on end while I was watching.

Before I go further, I would like to make a couple of suggestions for the next conference if there will be one. (This is a pet peeve of mine – I majored in television production at Gallaudet.) For those who got up on stage and made presentations, asked questions or made comments, please follow the interpreters’ rule of attire. White people wearing white or bold, clashing colored shirts on camera did not look good and I had to squint to catch everything that was said by the person. So next time, please wear a solid colored shirt that contrasts with your skin tone.

And for the conference organizers, it would be nice if it was arranged to have a blue background so everyone could be seen clearly, regardless of his or her skin tone. That’s why you see so many press conferences with a blue background.

Now, onto the conference itself! In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed watching so many bloggers and commenters I know from DeafDC.com stand on stage and talk about what we all have been discussing on that blogsite. Some people were not what I pictured to be, and some were. Of a particular interest to me were people’s mannerisms and affect.

Take Wildstarryskies for instance – her comments on DeafDC.com are full of passion and intensity, and she talks exactly the same way! So it was interesting to me to notice that for the most part, people’s mannerisms and affect were the same on-line and off-line.

The topics covered at the conference in general were: communication, technology, being proactive, education, and outreach to hearing parents, mass media and the general public as a whole. It was heartening for me to see that despite such a diverse panel, everyone was almost in universal agreement on what needs to be improved. There were quibbles on the fine details, but the big picture was agreed upon.

A point I would like to make regarding about how blogs and vlogs impact the deaf community and the general public. I would like to note that blogs are accessible to literate deaf and hearing. Vlogs are accessible to all deaf and hearing who know ASL. That distinction is very important to me, because you have to keep in mind of who your target audience is.

If you caption your vlog that does help reach those who do not know sign, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll stick around long enough to notice the vlog’s captioned when they see the hands fly. We tend to be scared of something that we don’t know anything about. So, when someone writes a blog or does a vlog, I think it’s very important to keep in mind of who your target audience is. That completely ties in what the panelists said time and time again.

During the first panel, when Interim Provost Moore responded to them, he made a comment that completely took me aback. He told us about the story about him requesting to have a videophone in his office and I was just astounded for two reasons: I had him at Gallaudet for my chemistry class and I never realized that he was hearing! Ha!

Secondly, the attitudes of the people installing the videophone were appalling! I knew there were problems at Gallaudet – I was a student there and I witnessed a lot of antics that were inappropriate from both faculty, staff and students, but I never realized how systematic it was, and I’m glad Provost Moore set them straight! They chose the right man for interim Provost and I sincerely hope the next Provost continues Dr. Moore’s good work.

There were a few things that were said, that I wish people would’ve elaborated or responded more about, such as Alok’s point about knowing English is a social and economic power, and having a solid foundation in English does not have an adverse impact on Deaf identity. He remarked that we need to become more aware of the corporate world, so we can become more of a power, because the rules of the corporate world is how people gain sociopolitical and economic power. Perhaps he was a bit too intellectual for many, but I thought he made solid points. Of course, I have to admit my bias here; I’m flattered that he quoted me in his presentation! *grins*

And how come nobody really answered Ella Mae Lentz’s question? I thought it was a great question! It was a very deep, philosophical question based on John Rawl’s ‘Veil of Ignorance’ and ‘Original Position’. Maybe I’ll write a separate blog entry about Ella Mae Lentz’s question later on since nobody didn’t really seem to answer it.

I hope this conference will happen again, and when it does, that I will be able to attend in person! I also hope that this conference spurs people to implement some ideas that were put forth, and also spur more encompassing dialogue in the deaf community and allies.

Thank you for allowing thousands of us deaf from all over the world to watch this conference for free, Jill. You’ve definitely made a positive mark on the community and a historic one at that. Not very many people can truly say that. Bravo!

I read Allen Neece’s guest blog on DeafDC.com about the LA Times article.

It reminded me of an essay that I wrote several years ago, and I think this is apropos.

I am stone-cold Deaf. I do not consider myself to be disabled. I can read and write far better than the average person at my age. I can do anything just as well as any average hearing person. The difficulties I have with being Deaf is how people judge and treat me.

I have been asked if I could read and write. My hearing friends have been questioned about my mental capacity from strangers who have never met me. My friends and I receive dirty looks when we use ASL to converse in public. People have approached me, only to blanch and leave when they realize I am Deaf. One woman, jealous of my writing skills, submitted me to public humiliation by standing up in class and accusing me of turning in a paper written by my mother in order to receive an “A”.

My Deaf friends have been abused sexually, physically, emotionally, and mentally, simply because they were Deaf. Furthermore, they cannot get justice for these inhumane acts, because just by being Deaf, their credibility is in question.

Hearing educators, arrogant in their assumptions, have integrated Deaf people into hearing classes. Most Deaf students go through school without a bilingual education, therefore forcing them into a system about which they are unaware. Through social promotion, they are advanced without learning anything. The highest level that my Deaf classmates ever attained was a sixth grade education.

People keep decrying, “How do the Deaf know when they are in danger?”

Being Deaf is not dangerous. We have ample warning if we are in danger through pagers, phones, television, strobe lights, and our own eyes.

People then ask, “How can the Deaf really experience music?”

One need only experience a small portion of the songs and poetry in ASL to realize that they are some of the most beautiful works ever composed. Our hands are our voice. Our faces convey our emotions. Some things expressed in ASL can never be properly translated.

One needs only stand still and feel the rhythm, to feel the vibrations course through one’s body, to realize how we hear music that hearing people create.

To hear the rain drops patter down, we simply just have to place our hands on the windows. To hear the thunderous applause from an audience, we just have to look at the hands applauding.

We hold a baby, and see it’s laughter on it’s face. A toothless grin. To hear how people feel, a simple glance is only needed.

I can sit in the middle of a forest, and enjoy it. I see the birds and squirrels flit from tree to tree. I smell the freshness of the earth. I feel the gentle, warm breeze that carries wafts of various scents.

I can see a rainbow. I can see the pure white snow. I can see the beauty that is here on the earth. I can feel, smell, and taste it.

With a swish and twist of my fingers and hands, I can tell a joke that will cause a room full of people to burst out in laughter. With my hands, and my eyes, and my body, I can tell a story that will move people to tears. I don’t need a voice or ears to do it.

I can even sit anywhere, with people or alone, and simply enjoy the so-called silent world I am in.

I cannot properly convey the full beauty and depth of Deaf culture with words, because there are no words to describe it. As Deaf people, we cannot fully grasp hearing culture, and hearing people cannot fully grasp Deaf culture, even when one is immersed in the other. Therefore, all we can do is wonder how the other side truly experiences life and try to accept each other.

©Jeannette Johnson/Deaf Pundit