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.
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:
Peace, Love, and ASL
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.
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| 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
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