CeCe Bell wrote a graphic novel about a young girl who becomes deaf. In this novel, she addresses the issue of differences and disability. Other articles and books that address the same controversy are The for Hearing People Only textbook, the Mastering ASL textbook, and the article Disability and Difference: Balancing Social and Physical Constructions. Disability and difference is a big issue today, the Deaf especially. The graphic novel is about a young girl (CeCe) who got sick with meningitis and in result of this illness she lost her hearing. She begins the journey of accepting herself as a deaf person and being deaf in her community. She experiences bullying and she is really insecure about herself and the use of her hearing aids. She
There are two different types of the word deaf. Deaf with a capital D means that your language is American Sign Language and you can and choose to sign all the time. Deaf with a lower case d means that you are hard-of-hearing and American Sign Language is not your primary language. Culture is defined as “the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought” (Zinza 53). In el Deafo CeCe is described as deaf because she uses hearing aids, she does not use American Sign Language, and she is not part of the Deaf community. An example of her culture would be when she went to the school where everyone had hearing aids so she was not the only one that was hard-of-hearing. Culture can be described for any group of people not just the
Social difference advocated believe that if you have a disability that it is unimportant outside the response to those conditions. The social difference advocates take as their focus, social reaction to that of signal difference. They are saying that if you are not recognized as someone who has a disability then there would be no judgements and everyone would be treated equally all the time. Social difference advocates of the medical model argue “between limits resulting from accident, age, or injury and those that affect a person from birth” (Koch 372). They believe that being deaf represents a community that is built around shared language and experience, a difference. They do not believe that if you cannot hear that you have a disability. The World Health Organization (WHO) is a group that believes that the world would be a better place if people did not have disabilities. This group supports the idea of a eugenic selection. Eugenic selection is when people believe that when you go and get a sonogram and the doctor notices that the baby has a disability, you should get an abortion no matter how far along you are. That is not even right. An abortion no matter how far along you are? That could be 4 weeks or even 20 weeks or more? It is just inhumane in my opinion. I believe el Deafo takes the stand on social difference. The author does
Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again is a biography about his life between two dimensions of the Deaf world and the Hearing world as well as the implications he faced throughout his journeys’. Mark Drolsbaugh was born from two deaf parents and was basically forced to adapt to the hearing world even though his parents are deaf. When Drolsbaugh was born he was hearing, however, by first grade his parents and teachers discovered he was losing his hearing. As time went on Mark realized the issues he faced from trying to adapt to the hearing world. Mark Drolsbaugh quotes in his biography, “Deafness is bad. I am deaf. I need to be fixed. I must be like them, no matter what, because deaf is bad.” However, no matter what his family believed that he
Have you ever felt like there was nothing that you can do for your child? In this book, Deaf Like Me, by Thomas S. Spradley and James P. Spradley, I can see the journey that Lynn’s parents took to get her help. (Spradley & Spradley, 1978). This book was an excellent read. I really liked the way that they described the ways they tried to help Lynn to understand the world around her. The book, is a great asset for any family that might be unexpectedly put into a situation that they know nothing about such as a deaf child.
In the autobiography Deaf Again, Mark Drolsbaugh writes about his life being born hearing, growing up hard of hearing, to eventually becoming deaf. By writing this book, he helps many people view from his perspective on what it is like for someone to struggle trying to fit in the hearing society. Through his early years, his eyes were closed to the deaf world, being only taught how to live in a hearing world. Not only does the book cover his personal involvement, but it covers some important moments in deaf history. It really is eye-opening because instead of just learning about deaf culture and deaf history, someone who lived through it is actually explaining their experiences.
The book, Deaf Again, written by Mark Drolsbaugh, is an autobiography telling his life story which starts with a young boy growing up who goes through the process of losing his hearing and then, as he gets older, he struggles with trying to fit in as a normal child. When Mark was very young, he could hear fairly well, then gradually he went hard of hearing until he eventually went completely deaf. Even though he had two deaf parents, the doctors advised speech therapy and hearing aids because they did not understand Deaf Culture and they thought that Mark would be a lot happier if he could hang on to his hearing persona. Throughout the rest of the book, Mark goes through a lot of stages of trying to fit in with everyone and eventually does find himself and realizes that being Deaf is not a disease, but just a part of who he is. About the time Mark was in kindergarten, he thought he was a normal child just like everyone else, but he started to distort things he heard in class and was wondering why everyone would be laughing and why he would be getting corrected.
The main characters in the story with communication disabilities are Laura and her son Adam. Laura and Adam are both deaf. Both of them were born hearing, and then over time lost it. When someone is deaf, it means that the person can’t hear at all. One of the ways that deaf people communicate is by using American Sign Language, which is where a person uses gestures to communicate with others. Another part of deaf culture is that some speak, and some don’t because they either don’t know how or aren’t comfortable doing it
One area where I have trouble understanding is in Chapter 71: “What difficulties do Deaf people have...
What I found most interesting about Jarashow’s presentation were the two opposing views: Deaf culture versus medical professionals. Within the Deaf culture, they want to preserve their language and identity. The Deaf community wants to flourish and grow and do not view being deaf as a disability or being wrong. Jarashow stated that the medical field labels Deaf people as having a handicap or being disabled because they cannot hear. Those who are Deaf feel as though medical professionals are trying to eliminate them and relate it to eugenics. It is perceived that those in that field are trying to fix those who are Deaf and eliminate them by making them conform to a hearing world. Those within the Deaf community seem to be unhappy with devices such
From as far back as 500 B.C., people viewed those with hearing impairments as nonpersons and uneducable, and wrong perceptions and mistreatment continued for years (Avery). Today, mistreatment and overtly halting attitudes toward deaf people are mostly extinct, but stereotypes and discrimination still run rampant. Furthermore, not everyone was or is fortunate enough to have the support of possibilities Kisor did. A poem written by Stephen J. Bellitz in 1991 called “Thoughts of a Deaf Child” contrasts the first few chapters of What’s That Pig Outdoors?:
Deaf Again is another eye opening book about what it is like to grow up deaf in a hearing-dominant world. It showcases the struggles experienced by the Deaf, and shows the reader that the Deaf cannot be made to fit into their hearing world. The Deaf, once they find their identity as Deaf with a capital D, don’t want to fit into the hearing world. Being Deaf isn’t a bad thing. Deaf again has further shown me just how difficult life can be when you are deaf.
However, although we are not deaf, being in ASLN 201, we can relate to the book. Just as Cece is coming to terms with her deafness, we are coming to terms with learning a new language. Although we are doing this by choice, Cece has no say in the matter; her deafness is out of her control. Yet, she can control how she behaves in relation to others who come in contact with her deafness. From the book we can infer that for being deaf, an individual can often be perceived as a disable. Until others have been exposed to that deaf individuals and really get to know that person and learn about deaf culture, they soon realize that it is not a disability at all. Deafness is a superpower. It is a superpower for all who are deaf because it is what makes them unique.
Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th...
With that knowledge the deaf character gained more confidence when communicating and was able to achieve bigger goals in their life then when they had little to no knowledge of how things worked in society. Reading about these characters just gave me a small insight into the deaf community but with the documentary ”Through Deaf Eyes,” has open my mind and eyes that they are people who can thrive in and change the world just as anyone can when they put their mind to
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, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
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 first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."
The social model of disability argues against this and instead holds the view that it is society, not the individual that needs to change and do what is required, so that everyone can function in society. As this statement from the Green Party Manifesto claims that “Disability is a social phenomenon” and “While many individuals have physical or sensory impairments or learning difficulties or are living with mental health problems, it is the way society responds to these which creates disability” (2010). The aim of this paper is to consider the strength of this view. With the help of modern and contemporary sociological theory surrounding disability and health it will look at both the medical and social models of disability with the aim to conclude whether disability is a problem that needs to be addressed by medical professionals alone or by society as a whole.