Gallaudet University: College for the Deaf

Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University (AKA Gally) was the first school for the advanced education of the Deaf and is still the only college were all of the programs (excluding ASL Interpreting) are specifically tailored for Deaf students in the world.  Only a small number of hearing undergraduates are accepted into the university, though the number of hearing graduate students are much higher.   Gallaudet is located in Washington D.C. and about a mile from Union Station.

In 1856 the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb and Blind was founded.  Gallaudet University was founded in 1864 by an Act of Congress and its charter was signed by Abraham Lincoln. 

 According to the school’s website, the President of the United States, starting with Ulysses S. Grant, signs every graduate’s diploma.  Nowadays, Gallaudet has over 1,100 students and its campus covers almost 100 acres. Over 95 percent of classes have 20 students or less and the freshman retention rate is about 70 percent according to the Princeton Review.

I got the opportunity to visit Gallaudet with 10 other students from Central Michigan two years ago and I will not forget the experience.  I’m not going to lie, for an ASL minor at CMU, my signing skills are pretty good.  Definitely above average.  Sometimes (more often than not if you ask my roommates) I get a big head about my signing abilities. 

When I visited Gallaudet it was like learning to swim in a small backyard pool then being thrown in the ocean and told to swim to shore.  I was awed, first by the number of people signing and second by my ability (or lack of) to maintain natural-paced conversations.  Students at Gallaudet had to slow down their signing for me, much like if I went to France and was practicing my French.    Deaf culture is different from so many other cultures because there is not a geographic center of Deaf World, however, I think Gallaudet is as close to this geographic Mecca as Deaf World will get.  It was so amazing to be surrounded by people signing everywhere you look.

This is the inside of that building

My group got a tour of the campus, which is beautiful, and I had to rely on the interpreter to fill in some of what I had missed from the tour guide.  The campus is gorgeous, though dated, but there are some modern buildings as well.  One of the newer buildings was engineered to be a model-example of a Deaf-friendly building.  The building was full of open spaces and natural light, you could see from the first floor to the second.  It was amazing to think about an architect sitting down and designing all of these features to make this building as functional as possible for the Deaf community.

Sneak preview of post to come!  We will be discussing who
Thomas Gallaudet is and how sign language as we
know it came to America!

Signing on campus

Gallaudet is an amazing place with a unique atmosphere.  It is a place every student of ASL and Deaf person should visit once in their life.  It would be nice for more hearing people who are not tied to Deaf culture to experience Gallaudet too.  I feel like this university has the power to thwart so many of the “Deaf and Dumb” stereotypes.  When you are on Gallaudet’s campus, surrounded by all of these students who are advancing their education, socializing with friends, studying, and just being young adults like any other college, it is hard to fathom how people can be so discriminate towards Deaf people.

Me loving Gallaudet!

All pictures used in this post were taken by Jacqueline Norman 
of CMU, one of the members of my group.

Sign Names

Alright, so I’ve been a bit off the radar the past couple weeks so I’ve decided I’ll discuss something fun for the one or two of you who might actually read this.    There is a single moment for hearing people that you know you have been accepted into Deaf World. I’ve heard it described as an initiation; however, I’ve always described it as Deaf puberty.  This pivotal moment in any ASL student’s life is when he or she gets a sign name!  Before a person receives a sign name their name is fingerspelled like N-I-C-K. 

There are two types of sign names: arbitrary and descriptive.  Arbitrary sign names use the first letter of the name and place it near the temple for males and near the chin for females.  Generally the top half of the head is for male names and the bottom half is for female names.  I’ve heard two reasons for this but we’ll stick with the less offensive one:  in the 1800’s men wore top hats on their head and women wore bonnets tied under their chin.  This means my sign name would be my hand shaped in the letter N (for Nick) and placed near my temple.  Obviously there must be a better way to give a sign name than this or there would be so many repetitive sign names.

The descriptive sign names are much more Deaf culture centered.  They are unique to each individual person, almost like a nick-name in the hearing world. Let me start with there are no laws or rules sign names must follow; however, here are a few quick guidelines for descriptive sign names (rules 1 and 3 cross over into arbitrary sign names as well):

1.       A Deaf person typically gives a sign name.

2.       A sign name incorporates a unique characteristic (usually visual characteristic)

3.       It also typically incorporates the first letter of the person’s name

4.       A person’s sign name can change from social group to social group

5.       Sign names can change over time

Another important aspect of Deaf culture that is related to sign names is Deaf culture is blunt …. Really blunt.   Since Deaf people are visual people, they make a lot of references to visual characteristics.  This means sign names can sometimes come off as a little harsh in our culture, and maybe even make some hearing people uncomfortable.  Here are some examples of sign names:

If there is a girl names Heather who has a large nose, her sign names might be tracing an outline of a large nose with the letter H.    If Heather had a large scar on her face her sign name would probably be the letter H tracing where her scar is.   Now in hearing culture we are taught not to stare at a scar on someone’s face or a comically large nose but Deaf people identify others by these visual characteristics.

OK, here are two real life examples:  My instructor is bald and his name is Kevin.  His sign name growing up was a K near his temple.  A couple years back he was given the sign name of K tracing the bald part of his head.  Now I don’t know about you but I would never would up to my economics professor and refer to him as Dr. Baldy but in Deaf World that’s ok.  My sign name is an N to my chin because I’m gay and the sign for gay is a G to the chin.  Kevin was referring to me (in voice) to his daughter as “Gay Nick” and she told him he could NOT call me that!  In hearing culture that would definitely not be appropriate but within Deaf culture it is not only accepted but it recognized as a very useful tool.  My sign name was given to me to differentiate me from her other friend Nick, who was straight.   

I typed a little more than I intended to with this topic so I’ll stop here and leave you with a Deaf culture related fact: The huddle formation was developed by the football team at Gallaudet University (a Deaf university in D.C.) to prevent the team from reading their signs while the quarterback was calling out the plays.

Deaf Culture: The Basics

So although I'm working in an "advanced" Deaf culture class, I think the best place to start for this blog is the beginning. For any readers who do not have any experience with Deaf world or have not met any Deaf people before, this post is for you!

Ok, so I'm sure there are a lot of questions about Deaf culture that are swimming through your head right now: Can Deaf people drive? Can they enjoy music?  Was the Deaf choir on Glee really Deaf?  Why does this guy keep capitalizing the word "Deaf"?  Let's start with the basics though:  What does Deaf mean?

There are two definitions we will discuss today: deaf and Deaf.    Lower case deaf is the simple one, it's refers to the inability to hear.  Upper-case Deaf refers to an individual who identifies as a member of Deaf world or embraces Deaf culture.  One can be deaf without being Deaf and vice versa.   This is where for some people the waters get a little muddy so let's look at some examples:

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host and political commentator, suddenly lost his hearing over three months in 2001. Limbaugh got a cochlear implant and goes on with his ranting and ravings with no regard to Deaf culture.  He would be considered deaf but not Deaf.  On the other hand, a hearing child of a Deaf adult (CODA) who has grown up with ASL in the house and experienced Deaf culture would be considered Deaf though not deaf.

Rush Limbaugh with cochlear implant borrowed from:  http://article.wn.com/view/2012/03/04/Rush_Limbaugh_apologizes_
to_Sandra_Fluke_for_slut_other_rema/

Now we know a Deaf person is someone who identifies within Deaf world or embraces Deaf culture, the next thing to look explain is Deaf culture.  Since Merriam-Webster doesn't have an entry for Deaf culture, lets look at some ways they define culture:

5. a : The integrated patter of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
    b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a [group]
    c : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or social characteristic.

I picked some parts of the definition Merriam-Webster provides that I will dive into a bit with regards to Deaf culture. One of the ideas to start building a foundation for an understanding of Deaf culture may a bit hard for some people to wrap their heads around: Deaf people do not consider deafness a disability.  It is a way of life.  I will go into this more in a later post, but for now just take it for what it is and know Deaf people are proud to be Deaf.

In part a of the definitions above, transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations is mentioned.  90% of Deaf children are born to hearing parents.  This means only %10 of Deaf children are born into Deaf World. For the average person where do we learn most of our values, beliefs. social practices from?  Our parents and family, at least for the first part of our life.

 If in 90% of the cases, Deaf culture isn't passed on from parent to child, how would it be passed on?  The answer depends on the child, and usually on what type of school that child goes to.  If the Deaf child goes to a Deaf school, he or she will learn her values, beliefs, and social practices from teachers, peers, advisors, coaches, etc.  If the child goes to a mainstream school, it is highly unlikely the student will have teachers who are proficient in ASL; however, the interpreters will become the transmitter of these cultural ideas.

I know some of this post is pretty lengthy, but there are some significant ideas presented that are crucial to understanding Deaf world.  Deaf individuals are proud of their culture and their culture is unique in so many ways (which we will be discussing in the coming posts!).  There are not many cultures out there that are not passed parent-child, which creates an amazing bond between members who identify within Deaf culture.  I don't want Rush Limbaughs face the only photo on this post so here is a picture of Marlee Matlin, a Deaf actress:

Marlee Matlin by her star on the Walk of Fame borrowed from:
http://hansgutknecht.com/blog/?paged=30  

Peace, Love, and ASL

Teaching Assistant in ASL 390: Sociocultural History of the American Deaf Community

This semester I will be my minor advisor's (let's call him Kevin) TA for his ASL 390 class and I cannot wait.  This will be my final class before I complete the requirements for the ASL minor at CMU; however, that isn't the reason I am so excited about this class.

Since this class began it was always a voiced lecture ... until two weeks ago.  Kevin decided since ASL is frankly a significant part of Deaf culture, it seems silly that a 300-level Deaf culture class was not signed.  I couldn't agree more with him!  I never understood how we, as an ASL program (and maybe it was more my campaign than the program's) can argue and present about how ASL should be considered a foreign language and still have a 300-level lecture be voiced instead of sign.  ASL is the medium with which members of the Deaf community teach and experience their culture.  That would be the same as having an advanced Spanish-culture class taught in English!

I'm sure in my future posts I'll discuss the legitimacy of ASL as a foreign language (especially in the university setting) and other ASL/Deaf culture ideas but this is just my (new) introduction.  I'm commandeering my old blog that I started for an English class and actually using it how it is meant to be used.  I'll try to make weekly updates about what the class is going over, my experiences as a TA, blurbs about what the American Sign Language Society (ASLS) at CMU is doing, I'm sure a little venting at some points, and some other fun things.    I hope you all enjoy the blog's metaphorical face-lift.

ASL 390 Test

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Interpretation by Nick

This was one of my finals for ASL 390 at CMU

College of Education reverses decision on Deaf student’s use of an interpreter to attain teaching degree

After a petition, local media coverage and legislation introduced by the Student Government Association, one student’s degree is no longer at risk.

The College of Education at Central Michigan University has reversed itsdecision regarding Deaf elementary education student Kelly Laatsch’s use of an interpreter to complete her student teaching requirements.

The original decision, first reported by Central Michigan Life, threatened Laatsch’s student teaching graduation.

“I’m so relieved. It feels like thousands of pounds have been lifted off my shoulders,” the Freeland senior said. “Nobody deserves to have the feeling I’ve had for months. It was absolutely draining, but now I can focus on what most other student teachers are doing during their student teaching experience.”

Laatsch has been Deaf since birth and uses cochlear implants to speak and hear more clearly. While she is able to speak in English, her hearing isn’t as good as that of a hearing person, so Laatsch requested the use of an interpreter while completing her student teaching at a Saginaw elementary school.

Upon her request, Laatsch was told by Director of Student Teaching Karen Edwards that if she were to utilize an interpreter throughout her entire time as a student teacher, she wouldn’t pass her student teaching requirements.

At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, Laatsch was teaching in Saginaw when she received a call from Renee Papelian, director of ProfEd and assistant to the dean of the Center for Student Services in the College of Education and Human Services, saying the decision had been reversed. Papelian also emailed Laatsch a statement.

“You will be eligible for your Elementary Michigan Provisional Certification upon your successful completion of your student teaching,” the email stated. “The use of an interpreter in the classroom for the entire student teaching experience will not exclude you from being eligible to apply for your Elementary Michigan Provisional teaching license.”

The Student Government Association proposed and passed a resolution on Tuesday that called on CMU to review the College of Education’s decision to deny Laatsch the ability to earn her teaching degree.

“I am very pleased that the university has made the right decision and reversed the decision about Kelly,” said SGA President Vince Cavataio, a Shelby Township senior. “I wish Kelly the best of luck in continuing her teaching program.”

Laatsch said she is thankful the situation is resolved, but is wary of the good news.

“It’s really hard to trust (the College of Education) now,” she said. “I really hope they learned from this situation and don’t do this again to others. It’s been an experience for everybody involved. I’m just very relieved.”

(can be accessed at http://www.cm-life.com/2012/02/28/college-of-education-reverses-decision-on-deaf-students-use-of-an-interpreter-to-attain-teaching-degree/)

Deaf student may not be able to graduate with teaching degree because of interpreter regulations

After completing almost all of the requirements to graduate from the College of Education, one student’s degree is at risk because of something she cannot control.

Kelly Laatsch, a senior from Freeland, has been deaf since birth. She is in her final year of the education program and is completing her student teaching requirement in a class of hard of hearing students in Saginaw.

Laatsch requested an interpreter to complete this requirement and was told by Karen Edwards, director of student teaching, that if she were to utilize an interpreter, she wouldn’t pass her student teaching requirements.

Laatsch said she brought a section of the Michigan Department of Education Teaching Technical Standards that states (students) should “understand and speak in English” to Edwards’ attention. The document also states students may complete this requirement “with or without reasonable accommodations.”

Despite Laatsch’s efforts, Edwards and Susie Rood, director of Student Disability Services, told her she would need to complete a portion of her student teaching without the aid of an interpreter.

Rood and Edwards created an “Action Plan” designed to wean Laatsch off of an interpreter so she could “become independent.”

“The action plan allowed me to use an interpreter full time for the first two weeks. The following two weeks I could only use an interpreter half time, then for the rest of the semester I needed to show that I can teach without an interpreter,” Laatsch said. “Being severely-profoundly deaf since birth, I knew this wasn’t going to work out. I tried convincing them that even with my cochlear implants and being able to hear and speak well, I still cannot hear as well as a hearing person can.”

Laatsch said in an email that although she is allowed an interpreter part time, she was told the continued use of the interpreter may impact whether she passes student teaching because it hinders her independence as a teacher.

After trying the “Action Plan” for a few weeks, Laatsch again requested full-time interpreters. Rood hired an interpreting agency in Saginaw to accompany Laatsch daily.

“There are days where I will have one or two interpreters. Other days, I’ll have different interpreters throughout one day. Some days, I will go without any interpreter from between 30 minutes to a few hours,” she said. “This is confusing for me and for the students. The class has a lot of students who are at-risk and they very much need consistency.”

At a meeting Laatsch had with Rood and Edwards last week, she was given two options.

“They gave me two options to think about: I could not pass student teaching and just get a bachelors of science (non-teaching), or sign a waiver stating that I will never seek teaching certification in the state of Michigan,” Laatsch said. “I was baffled with both suggestions, especially the latter one. Even though I plan on teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students, I still want to get my bachelor of science in elementary education.”

Edwards was contacted and acknowleged the incident but declined comment. Rood did not return several calls for comment.

Laatsch filed her case regarding her reasonable accommodations with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights in October, and the case was expected to take as long as 180 days to be reviewed.

This isn’t the first time Laatsch has had difficulty with the education program.

In 2010, she attempted to transfer to Michigan State University to take advantage of the certified deaf education program. When she learned MSU would be phasing out the program by 2013, she chose to remain at Central Michigan University and attempt to create a program.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a long process, but I think it would be really beneficial for students,” Laatsch said in a 2010 Central Michigan Life article.

The program never took off at CMU.

“Currently, I’m just taking it day by day with a lot of unnecessary stress,” Laatsch said about her current issue. “I am loving my student teaching experience in the classroom and look forward to the rest of the semester. But, I believe I should be able to pursue anything I want to do and utilize my reasonable accommodation. It’s my right.”

(can be accessed at http://www.cm-life.com/2012/02/23/deaf-student-may-not-graduate-because-of-regulations/)