Film Analysis: The Hammer

An interesting aspect of the film is the gradual use and presence of American Sign Language (ASL). Before Matt enrolls in Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), he exclusively uses English to verbally communicate with those around him. After Matt’s enrollment at RIT, his ability to use ASL to communicate effectively increases dramatically. Moreover, Matt’s transition from primarily using English while only signing a few words to exclusively sign with no voice is observed. Despite this transition, Matt still identified himself as a native English-speaker and considered that a key aspect of his identity. Before watching The Hammer, I held the preconception that a fair proportion Deaf adults who gain fluency with ASL at a later age would

During his time in elementary school, Matt was inappropriately placed in a special education classroom with students who had varying disabilities. In the classroom, Matt was not provided with appropriate services in the classroom as he did not appear to have access to a FM system, ASL interpreter, or CART writer. Furthermore, Matt continued to receive inappropriate services at Purdue. While he had access to an ASL interpreter and had preferential classroom seating, his professor failed to face the class while talking. As a result, Matt’s academic standing was negatively impacted and he eventually left Purdue. Prior to watching the film, I understood the importance of providing appropriate accommodations to children with hearing loss in an academic setting. As a teacher of the deaf who is trained in the listening and spoken language approach, my mind naturally gravitates first to accommodations that are centered on improving the listening environment. However, the film reinforced the notion that educational professionals have a responsibility to provide accommodations that will help support the child’s success. Therefore, I will consider all accommodations and modifications that will support children academically while actively working to diminishing the impact of my inherent bias. If I failed to do so, then I would be